A Trim Is A Trim....Right?

Trimming styles vary from trimmer to trimmer, depending on what school of thought they prescribe to. The trim I apply is based upon the principles of applied equine podiatry. Rather than compare my technique to the various trims practiced, I have chosen to share some of the details of how I view the foot while trimming it. The trim is an extension of the Natural Concepts that define my beliefs on how the foot should be treated. While each horse is trimmed based upon his individual needs, the following are the general guidelines I use always keeping in mind that the only absolute is that there are no absolutes.

 Sole- Little to no sole is ever removed when applying the trim. If exfoliating sole is present, it is removed to establish reference points used in establishing the plane of the live sole. A healthy, properly functioning foot rarely has a significant amount of exfoliating sole present, a fact to consider when evaluating a horse’s foot.

 Frog- Again, little to no frog is removed on a healthy foot. I do “clean up” the frog by removing loose pieces that would be shed naturally and could in the mean time harbor fungus. A small area is sometimes removed at the apex to reveal the true apex. I will correct an off balance frog, centering it on the foot. Care is taken not remove the callused area at the rear of the frog, both because of its role in proprioception and circulation. The frog is also used as a reference point in establishing the plane of the live sole.

 Heels- The heels are lowered to a point that facilitates frog contact at impact. The heels should be set well back on the foot. Beyond location, surface area is also a consideration when trimming the heels. A substantial surface is desired, but caution is taken not to invade sensitive sole in the angle of the bars to achieve it.

 Quarters- The quarters are trimmed to the level of the heel plane and the outer wall is then relieved. I do not purposely “scoop out” the quarters, although relieving the outerwall does "float" them to some degree. Many times I see horses that break out at the quarters on their own; I do not attempt to lower the foot to match them. I finish them by relieving the outerwall and allow them to retain their natural relieved state, although the amount of relief is lessened as the rest of the foot is trimmed.

 Bars- The bars are trimmed to the level of the live sole. Care is taken not to remove excess bar at the angle of the bar, which would compromise the surface area of the heels.

 Toe- The toe is lowered to the same plane as the heels. Breakover is addressed as well when trimming the toe. Depending upon the length of the toe, breakover is addressed by either a bevel or toe rocker. In either case, care is taken not to invade the toe callus, which many horse do not appreciate.

 Wall-From the solar perspective, the wall is rasped to a uniform thickness and the wall is beveled to relieve the outer wall and load the inner wall, white line and the sole to some degree. Removal of flare is also of paramount importance when trimming the wall. The desired result is a straight wall from the coronary band to the ground. The wall is then re-addressed to insure a proper and usually significant bevel is present, that will resist chipping and aids in the rotational movements of the foot. I do not round it as much as some methods dictate preferring to leave some “bite” for traction purposes.

 There you have it, while this is not meant to be a comprehensive description of how the trim is applied; I hope it offers some insight into the attention to detail that sets this method of hoofcare apart. Again, each horse is trimmed depending upon their own unique environment and hoof deformities many times require techniques outside the scope of these guidelines.