Pete (dbL)
December 2020 - Pulled shoes and set up trim
January 2021
Red is where it was. Green is where it is. Blue is where it’s going.
February 2021 - Pete’s 3rd trim after pulling shoes. His owner has un-retired him. She’s been going on light rides with him since his second trim. We fit him for riding boots today.
Top row - first trim | Bottom row - third trim
April 2021
My first trim on a run forward hoof capsule often looks like a rocker shoe. This isn’t intentional as I don’t assess the foot from the side and I’m not thinking about rolling the bottom this way. I’m just trying to get the hoof capsule aligned with the inner structures as close as possible. When a hoof distorts like this, the lateral cartilages and digital cushion become jammed upward from a false heel buttress. When I roll the back of the foot to follow the inner structures at this stage, it reveals the position of the LC & DC. In this case it only took 4 trims to re-engage the LC & DC, bringing them into a more functional position and being able to establish a quarter arch. You’ll see this sole rocker in the lateral views on a lot of my rehabs. I thought this was a good opportunity to explain why it looks this way. IMO, It’s very important not to try and create a sole rocker, just be aware of what your trim looks like from different angles so you become familiar with more patterns.
June 2021
6 months progress
July 2021
August 2021
November 2021 - Pete’s hinds are looking good but they’re soft all of a sudden. I asked the owner if there had been any dietary changes lately. It turns out she had been giving him alfalfa pellets at lunch. I don’t believe you can make any significant progress building feet by adding supplements, or at least I haven’t seen it. I have seen improvements by taking away crappy food. In my experience, an alfalfa foot is weak and it’s functional soundness depends a lot of retained dead tissue, for a desensitization barrier, like you see do often on a steel shod foot or a neglected or improperly trimmed foot. A fully live foot is superior but no good if it’s soft. I always try to tell people this upfront but sometimes they have to find out for themselves.
February 2022
December 2020 - Feburary 2022
December 2020 - Feburary 2022
December 2020 - Feburary 2022
December 2020 - Feburary 2022
