Owners trimming their own horses - good or not ok?
We all know how I started trimming. I was 12 and my mother bought me a rasp. My pony had great feet and was in a LOT of work so he really was a great candidate for owner trimming.
When (if at all) is it ok and not ok for an owner to trim their own horse?
Discuss. I will post my full opinion soon.
I did not know that you began trimming feet when you were 12! That is pretty cool and great that you had an ideal specimen to work with.
ReplyDeleteI am an owner trimmer. I studied my trimmer's work for a couple years before starting to learn and eventually taking over the care of my horse's feet. Like the pony you described, I think that I have a good candidate, as Harley has nice feet and gets lots of movement on his own.
I do not think that someone should pick up the rasp on a whim. Education and continuing education are very important, because the minimum goal should be to do no harm. I would not attempt to trim a pathological foot without experienced guidance and even then I would prefer to leave it to a professional.
I have trimmed one horse besides Harley. He was terrified of the farrier and would only allow a few people to touch his feet with the rasp. His riders thanked me and exclaimed that he was moving so much better after my trim. That made me very happy!
I balk somewhat at calling myself a "owner trimmer" but I do trim one of the horses I own.. I'm still sorta terrified of it, but prairie has fabulous feet and doesnt need much more from me than to back her heels Dow. And take care of the medial toe she doesn't totally wear off. She has the thickest wall I've ever seen and throws so much hoof that my bi-weekly trims don't do much and grow out quickly. I definitely wouldn't trust myself with difficult feet - either by continuity of the hoof or tricky angles. A farrier does try other mare (she wears shoes up front) and I'm grateful for professional input on a regular basis... Oversight is key for my choice to trim Prairie. As is a healthy dose I'd humility and terror :)
ReplyDeleteI also took up a interest in trimming at a early age, I had one horse in regular work at the time and he proved to be the patient boy. Currently still have one horse. I also studied what my trimmer did and did a lot of reading up on the subject, to the point that I was cross checking everything to make sure i had it as clear as possible. If I felt either of the horses I have self trimmed had feet that I could not understand or too difficult, I would not be trimming completely solo. I would not trim another persons horse as I do not in any way call myself a professional.
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa! I think it is perfectly OK to do your own horses feet, given you do a decent job, wouldn't want people ruining their own horses hooves now would we? I also think you have to be able to distance yourself, by this I mean, get into a frame of mind when you are not the owner, but in fact just someone there to do their feet, this way you shouldn't get to frustrated and soft with your horse.
ReplyDeleteI am guilty of lurking.
Emma & Star xx
I think sometimes as owners we know so much more than a stranger coming in, ie; how they move, what is a good step for them, etc so we are more able to stop if they are better/worse and can hopefully study/learn to adjust it. BUT it isn't meant to be done lightly with no though process, of course, but yes, I do owners should/could trim their own and at the very least KNOW what their trimmers are doing when they work on their hooves.
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