Ridecamp: Re: [RC] [RC] Trimming your own horse's feet

Hi Kathy,
To be honest with you I'm not familiar with the Strasser method. Any
info you have on it i'd I'd like to look at, I might learn something.
(The only true wisdom is in assuming that you know nothing at all) I
trim the bars back and blend them in with the concavity of the sole all
the way to the buttress of the heel. From what I've observed, I think it
helps alleviate the development of corns as well as abcesses that tend
to pop up when the bars grow down and fold over trapping debris.

In the study that was done the entire leg was dissected from the knee
down. The changes found correlated to hoofwall measurements and shoe
fit. From what I've just learned though from Heidi Smith, an equine
veterinarian, from experiences with one of her own horses, just because
there's calcification and spurs interfering with soft tissue, it doesn't
necessarily mean that they're causing pain or making the horse lame. The
most prominent problems were due to continuously leaving one side of the
hoof longer than the other, (improper medial lateral balance) the heels
too long or too short, or the toe too long. The changes in the alignment
of the bones in the leg were obvious, but as mentioned earlier these
changes might not be causing enough pain, if any, that it contributed to
the animals demise.

Thanks,
Rob

Rob Kalb
Rob's Equine Hoof Care
Phelan CA


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