#this probably has 50 typos in it but you wont catch me proofreading

[barefoothooves]

i don't follow specific hoof care method pages mostly bc i found after a lot of time spent in them that 1) they give me severe anxiety and 2) the online community surrounding specific hoof care methods has really gone downhill and is filled with mostly amateurs that think they are qualified to give advice. and it's scary because they know just enough to really fuck up.

i've also moved away from giving critiques bc while i am perfectly qualified to give advice since i am a Real Professional Farrier, i don't know the whole story from a picture, and for all i know the pictures im being shown are the best the feet have looked in a long time, the product of unfortunate weather, or at the end of trim cycle that was longer than it should have been. i have horses that i trim whose owners don't follow my recommendations on care or trim schedule, and i would be upset to find out someone was judging my work based on those images. that wouldn't be my best work, because in those cases im not being *permitted* to do my best work. wouldn't every farrier be thrilled if their clients just did as they asked and let them trim as often as the horse truly needed it, but that's not how this business works.

there's also the whole matter of movement vs form and how many horses with absolutely horrific looking feet move fine. is it worth it to have perfect form if you are sacrificing soundness temporarily? depends on the situation honestly. there are some times that i would say a little body soreness is worth it when you're making changes on a really neglected foot, but for the average horse with sort of average-bad feet? probably not. not only does bad movement lead directly to bad hoof form and additional soreness without extra protection, but it also means the farrier can lose their job and the opportunity to actually help a horse in the long run. but knowing exactly how much to remove and how often that will need to be repeated to improve form over a period of time is tricky and not an exact science. there isn't a nifty formula to plug the numbers into. i find most methods to be on either extreme of this debate, and i think both extremes are wrong when applied to every horse. each horse is an individual case with many factors, and every hoof is its own case as well. the art and the science of hoof care is finding the balance of "everything is as short as it needs to be" but also "everything is as comfortable as it can be." that's not easy sometimes, and it requires constant judgement calls based on book knowledge, but also on the known history of the horse and how they have reacted to everything you've ever done for them.

this goes for environment too. the popular trim methods are developed based on horses living on terrains far different from the average domestic horse. we can learn a lot from feral and wild equine hooves, but i do not agree that they are the epitome of form or soundness in every case. trimming a foot not living in the desert as though it has lived in the desert its whole life is often going to give you a lame horse. climates like my own, that fluctuate constantly between bone dry, hot and humid, and sopping wet are particularly difficult. the hoof doesn't get a chance to become acclimatized to one environmental factor before the variables change again. you sometimes have to change how much foot you are taking or leaving every time you see a horse. you have to know what kind of weather is coming. you have to know what sort of ground the horse lives on and compare it to the ground the horse is expected to work on, while also balancing specific issues with each foot AND the likelihood of the owner actually following your recommendations.

and i know we all like to pretend that money isn't a factor in how hooves are cared for and that farriers (and vets) do this ~because they love it~ , but farriery is actually my job. as in i can't pay the bills if i don't do it, my animals don't eat if i don't do it. my level of employment depends on my quality of work, but even THAT is dependent upon more than my own standards. the client also has ideas about what they think hooves should look like, how much hoof i should take off to earn my money, how much they are willing to do to promote healthy hooves, and so much more. would i ever do something i am patently against just to get the money? no. would i compromise with owners, bend my plans slightly, and work toward a long term goal of better form and soundness instead of my preferred goals because it means i get to eventually see the job done but also because i won't get fired and lose money? you betcha. that means what i want to do and what i actually do aren't always the same, but i make sure neither are harmful to the best of my ability.

i don't really know why im writing this, other than im often asked what method i subscribe to and what books i recommend. seeking out things like that is not a bad way to start learning, but i don't think you can trim every horse with one method. i've tried to do so with several methods over the years, and it didn't work. the best thing you can do is know your anatomy, perfect your tool handling, and trim/shoe to the anatomical structures as best as you can in that particular situation given all the factors above. that's all any farrier can do. and it looks a little different every time.