HOOVES

Whenever you're around horses,
always be aware that they are 'flight' animals.....
they could take off running at any moment!

It's up to us to stay focused and watchful of what they are doing!!
Try NEVER to put yourself in a position to get "runover" and hurt.
Horses weigh a ton! (Well, closer to a half a ton!)

So, when working with their hooves, you need to find a comfortable position where the horse won't be able to lean on you.
We're all different shapes & sizes,
so find what will work best for you & your horse.

Study the pictures below to see how I've found
what works best for me & my horse, Magnum.

In the picture above, I hold Magnum's hoof
in my hand around the edge of the roundest portion
of his hoof & hold it up high, so that he can't easily
pull it out of my hand & put it back down.

Below, I do the same with his rear hooves.
I pick up his hoof, then rest it on my leg,
as shown in the righthand picture.

   

Shown below is our farrier, Tracey, trimming
the hooves of our 16 month old filly, Rosa,
and our "20 something" Appaloosa mare, Aspen.

   

First, Tracey clipped a little of each hoove off with
a special tool and then she used a BIG file
(similar to what we use on our fingernails)
to even off the hoof all around the bottom of it.

(Don't worry, just like we clip our toenails,
the horse can't feel the trim.)

Here's Magnum, our Quarter horse gelding,
getting his trim from Tracey.

Our horses go barefoot most of the year unless we ride alot on
pavement or rocky areas where they'll need more traction & support.
Like most horses, our's our trimmed or shod every 6 to 8 weeks.