Trimming from the Top

As the years go on, Ruth and I continually modify our trimming.  The funny thing is that the more we trim, the less we trim.

I  am astounded by how little I use my nippers and knives.  Most of the time, I do not get my nippers out of the truck.  My knives stay dull because I forget to sharpen them.  I just don't use them enough to remember.

I need to update the information on this site to actually reflect what we are doing now.  If you are just starting to trim and are unfamiliar with the different landmarks on the foot, then I suggest following the original five steps of trimming.  In that part of the website, I have carefully labeled the pictures and pointed out many specifics.  If you have been trimming and are getting more comfortable with what you are seeing on the foot, you may like this approach better.

Ruth and I are mainly trimming from the top and addressing flares before touching the bottom of the foot.  After rasping down the flares and starting a mustang roll, we then touch up the rest of the foot from the bottom.

Ruth started trimming her personal horses from the top after she came home from her ten day jaunt in the Rocky Mountains.  Ruth loved the results she saw with her horses, so she started trimming this way on most of her clients horses.

I was slower.  For some reason, I have been much slower at understanding the importance of working ALL the flare off of the foot (over time not all at once).  I never worried about small amounts of flare as long as I was relieving the leverage from the bottom.  Relieving the flares this way, was like treading water.  I kept further damage from occurring, but I did not improve the feet or add to their overall health.

I don't assume Ruth is ever right about anything, I always have to prove it to myself.  Actually, I really have to pretend that I have thought of it myself before it seems like a good idea.  This is a long standing joke between Ruth and I.  Unless it is my idea, it isn't a good idea. 

About six months after Ruth started telling me about trimming this way, I started experimenting.  I also loved the results.  I noticed that the thin walled, flare footed Thoroughbreds were not as sore after trimming them this way.  This convinced me that it was a better way.  I had been plagued by this type of horse for a long time.  Anything that would keep them from getting ouchy was worth pursuing.

Trimming from the top is literally just that, we start by placing the foot on the stand, rasp down the flares and start the mustang roll.  To finish trimming, we turn the foot over, find the correct heel height, and finish the mustang roll from the bottom.  Last, we touch up the bars and frog if they need it.

I want you to understand that we aren't trying to take off every bit of flare in one trim.  If the foot flares mainly at the bottom third of the foot, most of the flare will be removed in one trim.  If the flaring starts much higher in the foot, it will take many trims to correct.

Here are three examples of flaring. 

• The first foot doesn't really have any flaring, maybe a tiny amount on the left side near the bottom (I actually think of this a a bulge in the mustang roll). 

• The second has flaring on the left and more on the right side of the foot.

• The third foot is extremely flared.  The flaring starts up near the coronary band.

After trimming here are the same three feet.

• In the first foot, all the flaring was removed (OK, I still see a tiny bit on the left side.  The mustang roll will bulge sooner because of this). 

• The second foot still has a bit on the left and more on the right, but the worst of the flaring was removed.  One or two more trims and the flares should be under control. 

• The third foot is still very flared.  It will take many trims to correct this pervasive flaring.  I find that trimming this type of feet frequently (approximately every two to four weeks) helps the most.

Put the foot on the stand,  rasp down the flares and start the mustang roll

"De-flare and roll"

I look at the hoof wall growth right below the coronary band to determine what is "flare" and what isn't.  I also use my hands.  It is surprising how much easier it is to feel a flare than to see it.

I also look at the mustang roll to determine if I have a flare brewing.  When the mustang roll starts to bulge or sag, I think that the outer hoof wall is bearing a bit too much weight and is being leveraged out.

I have put the foot on the stand and rasped off any flaring.  I then roll the walls until I start seeing the un-pigmented portion of the wall or when the rasped shavings start sticking to the end of the hoof.  I rasp the wall straight down and then start to make the walls tuck under a bit.  I will  explain this in greater detail later. 

This foot is not necessarily flared, but the mustang roll is looking like it is sagging.  This seems to come about overnight, the feet look really good and then the mustang roll starts to bulge.  If I ignore this, is turns into a flare.

It is harder to tell where you are in a white foot, but it is the same steps.  I tend to rely on my hands more when I trim the white feet.  Pay special attention to the toe in white feet; it is very easy to let them get too long.  I have a tendency to not take them back enough, so I usually take an extra swipe or two with the rasp.

This is a horse that has little or no un-pigmented wall.  Like white feet, this is a bit trickier and you need to pay attention.

I am using the "Do you see it?  Do you see it now?  Now, do you see it?" approach.  I want you to see how it really is quite simple, and it really is the same.  Does that mean each and every foot ends up with the same angles and or the same size?  Absolutely not!  It means that the landmarks are all there and that the foot dictates how much gets trimmed.

After de-flaring and rolling, we turn the foot over and finish the mustang roll from the bottom, adjust heel height and trim the bars and frog, if they need it.

If the walls are high, this is what you will see when you turn the foot over.  To take this down, I use my rasp at an angle and take off the excess wall height.   I don't rasp level with the sole any longer.  I just roll the wall so that only the inner (usually un-pigmented) wall is touching the ground.  The outer hoof wall rolls away.

If you look at the larger "after rolling" picture, I think you can also see that I have lowered the bars a tiny bit, skimmed the end of the frog and finished the mustang roll around the heels.  In the larger pictures, I also pointed out the changes in the weight bearing on the walls.  The finished picture shows how the sole is now sharing some of the weight.

I just love the green powder from our old tennis court.  I can clearly point out how the walls have been rolled into the un-pigmented wall.  In the last picture, the green is only on the white part of the inner hoof wall.

Even just de-flaring and starting the roll from the top improves the foot considerably.  It decreases the leveraging forces on the walls.  Now the primary forces are brought in closer to the edge of the sole.  It is like having short strong fingernails verses long weak fingernails.

Unlike the previous foot, there was little to no height to the walls.  From the bottom, I just ran the rasp around the foot and across the heels, checked the frog and bars and called the job done.

The changes in weight bearing are not near as dramatic in this horse, but they are equally important.  This horse has very thin walls, so even the slightest flare does significant damage.  Over time these walls will thicken up, but in the mean time, this horse is very happy and sound.

Here is the step by step trimming from the top.

The first series of photos are with a white foot.  In some ways this is the hardest type of foot to show because the difference between the inner and outer walls are so vague.  For that very reason, I thought it would be good to carefully go through and label a white foot. 

I think the hoof shavings begin to stick because the inner hoof wall is more hydrated than the outer portion of the wall.  It is not hard and brittle, so it sticks together.  I use this as an indication that I have gone far enough.  This is especially useful in white feet or dark feet that don't have much un-pigmented wall.

You do not have to panic and stop rasping the very moment the shavings start to stick.  It is just an indication that you are close.  A few more strokes of the rasp will not cause a problem.

The next set of pictures shows what the wall looks like when you first turn the foot over.  There is a sharp edge that sometimes is high above the sole.

I am just finishing the mustang roll from the bottom of the foot.  I don't touch the sole in the front of the foot, the horses seem to like more sole being left behind.  If I am not at the live sole, it will be obvious with the next trim.  Old flakey sole will easily come off when the horse moves around.  I just don't worry about it because trimming is a process.  Over time, all of these details work themselves out.

	This is the finished product.
	I still notice some flaring on the right side of the foot, but I will get that in subsequent trims.

		Here is the before and after.  Even though the foot was not in bad shape, refreshing the mustang roll will keep it healthy and comfortable.
		I prefer trimming before the horse obviously needs a trim.  I feel like it is healthier for the horse when I simulate wear instead of fixing an obvious problem.

Same trim: different foot

	This is the before pictures of a dark pigmented foot.  I like to trim when the feet start looking like this.  From this view, the mustang roll looks like it has gotten thicker at the bottom.  To me, it looks like it is sagging.  This particular horse does not normally have any flaring, so when the bottom bulges, I know it is time to touch up the trim.
	The mustang roll has gotten sharper looking in the front of the foot.

	The green from the tennis court clearly shows that the outer hoof wall is the main weight bearing surface.  I prefer to see the inner hoof wall bearing the weight.  To me, the green makes it very obvious why the walls start flaring out.  If his walls were weaker or thinner, the pressure on this outer hoof wall would make them bend outward, like a thin fingernail can easily be bent backwards.
	The walls are quite a bit higher than the sole.  I want to lower them, but not lower than the sole.  I have found that starting from the top keeps me from lowering the walls too far.  I deal with the flares from the top and end up with a thin strip of wall that is raised above the sole.  This height is easily knocked off with the rasp.

It really bothers me to see the walls bearing the weight like this.  I feel like there is damage being done.  I think the walls need the support of the sole to be strong.  When the walls are only a bit higher or level with the sole, I think that the lamina are not overly stretched or asked to work as hard.  The walls stay strong and don't flare.

The next series of pictures shows how I begin trimming from the top.  I worked on only one side of the foot, so that the difference would be obvious.

	I rasp straight down the wall and then start my roll.  It is very clear that I have rolled into the un-pigmented wall.
	I find it surprising how even the walls are from the edge of the sole.  After months of trimming like this, I have seen that this is very consistent.
	I have only used my rasp, but notice how much smaller the foot looks.  Keeping the foot small and tidy helps keep it from flaring.  It also encourages strong, un-flared walls.
	This is just a different view.

Here is the foot after I have finished rasping from the top.  I have basically rolled into the un-pigmented wall all the way around the foot.  All I need to do now is finish the mustang roll from the bottom, check the heels, and the frog.

I have started rasping down the walls from the bottom.

I am just showing the wall height before and after I rasped it down.

The walls have been brought in much closer to the edge of the sole. He is now weight bearing on the inner hoof wall.  There is not as much stress being placed on the lamina because the weight on the walls closer to the lamina.

This picture shows how the walls are perfectly level with the sole.

I have been going back through hundreds of pictures lately.  What I have found is that trimming from the bottom often lowers the walls more than the sole.  Most horses do not seem to mind the sole bearing most of the weight for a few days until the walls grow back in, but other horses do mind.  I think this is why I am seeing horses that are consistently happier when I trim from the top.

Here is a series of pictures from the same horse, but I trimmed him from the bottom.  I think it is very clear what I mean about the walls being lower than the sole.  This horse was never sore, but some horses would be.

In this set of pictures, I have lowered the walls to the level of the sole and then started my mustang roll from the bottom. 

The sole views don't show any problem.  Even the side view is misleading.  Until I carefully looked at the heel picture, I did not notice how low the walls actually were compared to the sole.

Please don't get me wrong, trimming the way that I show in the rest of the website does work well, but trimming from the top seems to be even less invasive.  The horses are responding very, very well.