Wild Horses Don't Wear Shoes
why should yours?

Some are mutually compatible (and largely the same), and others differ in both philosophy and trimming procedures. This is a summary of my approach to trimming, with some of my reasoning for why I do what I do!

The sole is the largest point of contention between some trim styles. Some suggest carving "optimal" concavity into the sole; others encourage leaving the hard or "live" sole alone, believing that it is necessary for the good of the horse. I have chosen the later option. I exfoliate dead and crumbly sole, remove any false sole, and leave the hard, healthy sole alone. The horse needs all his live sole to be comfortable standing on his four feet, and the live sole is necessary for the healthy functioning of the hoof. Think what it's like to wear new hiking boots that rub part of your foot. Once you've worn them a few times, you'll have a nice callous to protect you from the friction. But it's agony the first few times you wear those boots! I don't want to put a horse through this every time I trim, so I leave the live sole alone. I also believe that the live sole is the best indicator of what the horse "wants done" to its hooves, and it's a guide to proper treatment of the hoof wall, as described below.

The frog gets trimmed if necessary - that is, if it's overgrown or diseased. I don't trim the frog just because it's there. I prefer to leave as many parts alone and with the horse as possible! In many cases the horse does a fine job trimming and shedding its own frog, and overly trimming the frog may prevent the digital cushion from toughening.

I lower the bars until they are at or just above sole level. That's it. Lowering them further would entail digging into the hoof, weakening the supportive role of the bars, but leaving them long will often result in the bar folding over and bruising the sole. (Think ingrown toenail.) After the initial trim or two, most horses maintain their own bars quite well and nothing needs to be done to the bars.

And last but most obviously, we come to the hoof wall. I bring the wall down to live sole level, or just above it, all the way around the hoof. This includes the heels. (The heels are, after all, just part of the hoof wall.) Any wall standing above the sole is excess, and prevents the sole and wall working together to support the horse. Think of your own fingernail: if it grows past the nail bed, it is much more prone to breaking, but the nail and the nail bed together are very strong. Since the horse stands on its "nails" it needs this tight "nail-to-nail bed" connection; excess hoof wall interferes with that. I rasp away as much flare as possible on the outside of the hoof without over-thinning the wall, reducing any lever forces that might stretch the connection between the wall and the inner structures (i.e., the white line). Lastly, I "mustang roll" the wall's edge, facilitating a quicker breakover and reducing the chance of wall ravel.

These are the fundamental principles I follow. The application of these principles, though, may look different from horse to horse, and especially on the more pathological hoof. I find most horses do well with this trim, though some, due to unique needs, need a trim that is tailor-made for them; in those cases, I will adjust this trim in the best interest of the horse.

If you would like more detailed information on the hows and whys of this trim, check the websites and books on my Resources page.

Those authors say it all - and better than I ever could!