TRIMMING YOUR HORSE'S HOOVES
To ensure a secure fit and to gain maximum performance from your Old Mac's, it is imperative your horse's hooves are measured immediately after being properly trimmed.

Proper shaping of hoof walls is a major problem throughout the equine industry. To help avoid these problems, please follow the Old Mac's 'Handy Hoof Hints' below.

Trimming Tips - The Basics

Fig. 1 & 3   Neglect or bad workmanship.   Daylight seen under the hooves' straight edge highlights flare. Flare is excess hoof (trash) which causes cracking, deforms and weakens the hoof wall as well as causing the sole to drop which leads to easily bruised soles.  Fig. 2 & 4   Correct trimming.  Straight edge sits parallel with hoof wall. Hoof wall is properly shaped and stronger with flare removed. A hoof trimmed in this way can effectively bear the horse's weight.      Fig. 5   Long toe.  Hoof depicted in figure 5 is too long in the toe. Indicator is that the angle of the hoof wall and pastern bone is broken. A horse with front hooves with a broken angle is predisposed to bowed tendons, navicular disease and overreaching.  Fig. 6 Correct trimming.  Hoof depicted in figure 6 is correctly trimmed ­ the angle of the hoof and pastern bone is unbroken.  Having correctly trimmed your horse's hooves, ensuring all flare has been totally removed, you can now measure your horse's hooves for Old Mac's.

---

Contracted Hooves/Heels

Contracted hooves and/or heels will potentially affect the long term soundness of your horse. If your horse suffers from this condition, it is vital that an immediate corrective trimming program is undertaken by a skilled farrier.

Hooves with this condition cannot effectively bear the horses weight and therefore the sensitive structures of the hooves will suffer irreparable damage. Navicular disease , ringbone, and pedal osteitis are common conditions associated with contracted hooves and/or heels. In the majority of cases this is caused by the incorrect fitting of metal shoes along with excessive heel length - remember that prevention is better than cure.

A front hoof which is excessively longer than it is wide, is generally considered to be contracted. This also means that the heels are contracted.

A contracted hoof loses it ability to properly absorb concussion leaving the horse predisposed to major concussion related inquiries such as Navicular Disease, Ringbone, Pedal(coffin bone) Osteitis or Fractures and premature Arthritis.

This condition is most likely the result of improper trimming and fitting of the metal shoe by unskilled farriers. Contraction is also the result of the limitation of proper hoof function restricted by the inelasticity of a metal shoe despite "good" trimming and shoeing.  A small minority of cases are due to environmental and genetic factors.

Too much heel left on after trimming is a major contributor to this condition. The frog plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy hoof. Weight bearing on the frog(secondary weight) helps force the heels out into their correct position. When the heels are left too long, the frog loses it's ability to bear weight and as a result the frog contracts, which then causes heel contraction.

It is this expansion process which helps absorb concussion delivered to the hoof. Incorrectly set metal shoes prevent the weight bearing expansion process. No hoof protection is better than crippling your horse with unprofessionally fitted metal shoes. If your horse has this condition, the metal shoes should be removed immediately.

It is your front hooves which bear most of the horses body weight. If your horse is going to break down it is usually in the front making it vital that your horses front hooves have the correct shape and heel length. A competent horse person can determine just by looking at the front feet whether the horse is likely to succumb to a serious injury.

Be assured ...there is only one way and that is natures way, and if you divert from this your horse will break down so it is vital that an immediate corrective trimming program is undertaken by a skilled farrier.

For additional information on natural hoof care, check out the "Hoof Care" links on www.naturalsolutions.org.