This first post will explain in brief detail the reason I decided to become a barefoot trimmer, and what the term really means. Let's get started.
My first horse was a nine year-old, very green QH stallion registered as Whip to Impress, but everyone calls him Smoke.
As you can see, he was a beautiful and healthy boy. Unfortunately, we've been through a lot together, and he has suffered more than his fair share since he became mine. His real troubles started when he was on my own property and we had a traditional farrier taking care of our horses' hooves. Like most owners, I didn't know much about their feet. I trusted the farrier, and didn't think I had anything to learn. I regret that now.
This farrier was a nice guy, and to my untrained eye, all the horses looked great. It was a standard pasture trim and no one was lame or seemed to have any issues. What I didn't know was this guy was trimming Smoke's sole every time he came out. Smoke already had flat feet, and this man did what most farriers are taught to do, he carved the traditional "bowl" shape that hooves are supposed to have. I'll explain why this is bad in a future post. After doing this a few times(about three visits), Smoke's soles couldn't keep up and the farrier took a chunk out of the live tissue. A hole the size of a dime was now bleeding profusely from the bottom of his hoof, right below the coffin bone. What happened next made me even more unhappy. The man lied to me about what happened. I was right there when this took place, but I was also very inexperienced in hoof care. He told me he hit an abscess and I should just send him back out in the pasture and he'll be fine. That didn't sit well with me, so as soon as the guy left(he still had to trim my mare, who suddenly decided she didn't want him anywhere near her. Smart girl.) I called my vet. He told me what actually happened and exactly what to do. I cleaned, wrapped and padded the hoof. I also administered penicillin injections as instructed twice daily. Despite my best efforts, infection began to set in, and he blew four abscess at the coronet. The first and largest was on his right front. Due to the soreness in that hoof, he began putting most of his weight on his left front. Eventually Smoke would no longer pick up either foot, and I realized something was wrong with his left front as well. Shortly after, it blew three small abscesses at the coronet. His lameness was to the point where he didn't even want to get up for his hay. He would only get to his feet if I asked him to. I brought him his hay and water throughout the day and tried to encourage him to move. Even on a high dose of bute, he was still miserable. I had a new farrier and a vet come out at the same time to figure out what was going on. The vet had to do a nerve block just to pick up his feet. What we found was disturbing. The bottoms of his feet were rotting away before our eyes. His frogs were gone and his sole was black and soft. Even on the left front, the hoof without the injured sole, infection was rampant. The farrier chose not to do anything to his hooves due to the massive amounts of deep infected tissue, and both he and the vet recommended Smoke go to a clinic where it could be cut out and kept sterile, so that's what I did.
He was there for about five days and the infection was removed to the best of the vet's ability(this vet also decided to open up the largest of the abscess ruptures, but instead of cutting into the hoof wall, he cut into the coronet, which has permanently disfigured Smoke's hoof. I was, and remain unhappy about this.).
I had to change his hoof dressing every other day. They had to be kept clean and medicated for several weeks. This is what they looked like.
Not a pretty sight. The infection healed slowly over time and his hooves grew out, but the new farrier didn't seem to know what he was doing. You see, after having to go through all of this, I had begun to do my research. I was learning a lot in a very short period of time, and now that I knew a little better, I wasn't liking what I was seeing.
These were his hooves under this farrier's care.
Not long after this I decided to start trimming him myself. I don't have any truly recent photos, as we've been on one heck of a roller-coaster this past year, but I can tell you he has definitely improved and has regained his soundness.
Unfortunately he has been put through the ringer once again in another form. He was not being taken care of properly at the boarding barn, and though I thought this person was a friend I could trust, it turns out that wasn't the case. I had to be away from the barn for a little over a month, and when I came back Smoke was over three-hundred pounds underweight. His frogs were rotted away and his soles were black and being eaten away due to living in an unsanitary stall 24/7, even though he was supposed to be out in the pasture.
Smoke is still recovering from this event, but is making steady progress due to the generous help of a good friend. His hooves, however, are going to take a lot more work. I feel like I am starting all over again, but I know I can get them back under control and make him a happy horse again.
Well there you have it. That is the reason I became a trimmer for myself, but through this experience I have learned so much, and I discovered my desire to be a true barefoot trimmer for other people's horses as well. I continue my education on a regular basis, and I am always open to new information. I want to help as many horses and owners as I can, because I have been there, and I don't wish that path upon anyone.
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