A client in Bend told me to stop using my hoof stand for every single nail

He said 'let the horse tell you when it's tired' after watching me fight a mare for 15 minutes. Anyone else find some jobs go faster without the stand?

3 comments

3 Comments

sagew501mo ago

Oh man, that "let the horse tell you" advice is so true! I used to be glued to my stand too. Fighting a horse for that long just makes everyone tense and the job takes forever. For a lot of the easy feet, I just set the stand aside now. I'll pick up the hoof, do my work, and put it down. It's way faster if the horse is standing quietly on three legs anyway. The stand comes out for the tricky ones or when I need both hands for something detailed.

oscar_ellis1mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, exactly like @sagew50 said. I had a mare who would just lean on the stand, making the whole thing a wrestling match. Started just holding her front foot between my knees for a basic rasp. She'd stand there like a statue, and we'd be done in half the time. Only go for the stand now if I'm dealing with a crazy flare or need to really balance something.

zara5721mo ago

Totally agree with what @oscar_ellis said about the leaning. I had a gelding who would just fight the stand the whole time... started doing most trims with his foot on my knee instead. The job got way quieter and faster once I stopped forcing it.