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Barefoot trimming changed my whole approach after 8 years of shoeing
I started seeing a huge difference in hoof health about 6 months after I committed to barefoot trimming - the frogs got way stronger and the walls stopped chipping like crazy. A client in Kentucky switched her whole barn over after her dressage horse grew a better foot in 4 months off shoes. Has anyone else noticed their horses moving different once you ditch the steel?
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kai_park23d ago
oh man yeah the movement thing is real. i saw it most in the canter transitions at first, my gelding used to feel like he was shuffling into them and now he actually lifts his whole body up. the other big one was how they land, they quit that heel first slamming down thing and started landing more evenly across the foot. took about 3 months of consistent 4 week trims before i really noticed the difference though, its not instant. keep an eye on how they track up too, that changes a ton once the frogs get plump and start functioning again.
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the_kevin23d ago
Yeah exactly. @kai_park nailed it, the frog function is the real test of progress.
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the_ryan21d ago
the frog function is the real test of progress" - absolutely this. I started taping before/after pics of the frogs every month and it was wild seeing them go from shriveled little triangles to these big plump cushions that actually contact the ground. Once that happens, the whole hoof starts working like it should and you can finally see why going barefoot works long term.
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