Can we talk about trimming those big draft horse feet?

I used to just start nipping away at the hoof wall on my Clydesdale client in Lancaster, but after a bad flare last fall I switched to marking my lines with chalk first. Now I spend five minutes drawing where I want to cut, and it saves me from taking off too much heel. Does anyone else have a better trick for keeping those giant feet balanced?

3 comments

3 Comments

james_clark18d ago

Wait, you used to just start nipping away on a Clydesdale without any guide lines? That takes some serious nerve, I'd be sweating bullets the whole time. The chalk idea is smart, I might have to steal that. Honestly, for feet that big, even a rasp seems like it takes forever before you make a dent.

hugo5018d ago

Why not just trust your eye and get on with it?

felix_bailey4514d ago

Man, I gotta disagree... my eye is terrible for this stuff. Last time I "just went for it" on a big hoof, I took way too much off the toe and the horse was off for a week. Now I always snap a chalk line for the length. It's not about nerve, it's about not wanting to hurt the animal. A quick line saves me from that sick feeling of cutting too deep.