Overheard a trainer at the Kentucky Derby tell a new owner that a farrier's work is just about making the foot look pretty.

That attitude is why we see so many lameness issues from owners who don't understand the biomechanics we're actually balancing, not just trimming for show.

3 comments

3 Comments

campbell.nora2mo ago

My old gelding went lame because his first farrier just trimmed for a clean line. It took a year of corrective shoeing to fix his angles, and I still feel guilty about it. How do you even begin to explain proper balance to someone who thinks it's just a beauty contest?

barbararamirez1mo ago

Wait, are you sure it was "just" a clean line thing? I've seen some farriers hide bad angles under a tidy trim, but sometimes the real issue starts with the hoof-pastern axis being off from the start, not just the trim itself. @jessicas72 had a good point about showing that video, but I'd add that you need to actually stand there and point out the angle changes while the horse is standing square. Like, literally trace a line from the hoof wall up to the pastern with your finger - some farriers just think "balance" means the hoof looks symmetrical from the front, not that the bones underneath are aligned right. That's the part that gets skipped, you know?

jessicas722mo ago

I showed my farrier a video of a lame horse walking, @campbell.nora, and he finally got it.