Barefoot Trim Assessing the Heel

In this video I am trimming the heels on a healthy barefoot hoof. This horse has well maintained and healthy hooves. These are guidelines only and each trim must be tailored to the individual horse. For more information on learning to trim visit our website www.oksnhc.com

[@klugert]

right down to the HSP love this

[@nathansmith6098]

Cheers Mate

[@katmonaghan9341]

Thanks for posting this. I use the sole as the primary guide too.

[@carolemartin6892]

You gave me some great pointers. Thank you!

[@merle8664]

Very nice video! Easy explanations

[@lareemcra347]

I'd like to see you trim a horse with collapsed, crushed, or under run heels, and how you would shoe it to restore the heels.

[@faybiean8607]

shoeing would make under run heels even worse usually shoeing is even the cause of under run heels

[@klugert]

you wouldn't shoe it

[@brentonkelly3780]

Great explanations. Thanks

[@IzzyGside961]

Really helps to define your frog before trying to assess your trim parameters..

[@stinahumana]

Thanks for sharing and I love your chicken.

[@angiewhitleyjr]

Same! I thought she did a great job articulating her ideas, and once again I want chickens!! , though I have not one second for anything else that eats or poops, I

[@billbobaggins801]

Aaaaaah! The ole chicken 🐔 sneek in.....yeah baby! Nice trim

[@vanaruone6767]

Did you take those bars off the sole, they looked smooshed down

[@amberdream1308]

Thank you for sharing! I don't know that I've ever really seen anyone discuss heel height using your landmarkers before (trim heel down level with the sole height but try and keep it about the groove exit) and it makes a lot of sense.

[@oksnhc]

Awesome thank you for commenting!

[@marcianohernandez3556]

Now every body can trim.😂

[@springstafford6044]

Do you have a video of trimming heels with a flare?

[@hdxb875]

I’m assuming that prior to this video you had gone to live sole with a hoof knife before basing your heels off of just dead sole? Very nice information!

[@oksnhc]

hD xB I don’t like to remove the dead sole with a knife, instead I leave it for padding/protection so long as it is uniform and won’t cause a pressure point. But I definitely do assess where I believe the live sole would be in assessing heel height. As I rasp the heel down I watch for the live sole in the seat of the corn to make sure it does not get invaded.

[@lennyrat4ever447]

When you're trimming the bars, do you just make sure they're level with the sole or do you go ahead and take the bend out of them?

[@oksnhc]

It really depends. Usually I just take them to the sole level or sometimes slightly above. If they are really laid over and I feel there is enough sole depth beside them I sometimes will try to move them over at the level of the sole.

[@lennyrat4ever447]

@@oksnhc What about the length of the bar? Do you shorten your bar length?

[@oksnhc]

@@lennyrat4ever447 I usually clean up any bar running forward past the bar termination point about midway down the frog.

[@gerrycoleman7290]

Are you going to do a 45 degree angle on the rest of the hoof wall rolling it over for strength?

[@oksnhc]

I only apply the 45 degree bevel to the toe area from pillar to pillar.

[@luckystarfarm5948]

What is the angle of the collateral groove? Like when you are looking at the bottom of the hood, you are looking at the bottom of the bone, but is that bone flat? How do you know if you can’t see the bone?

[@oksnhc]

You cannot see the bone, but have to visualize it's placement. The bottom of the collateral grooves are sitting above the plane of the coffin bone so if we angle the heels to match that plane, we should be creating a ground parallel coffin bone. Really we are looking for ground parallel at peak impact, so we are aiming for 3-5 degrees when trimming. I find most people do not trim the heels back to the collateral groove angle far enough so that 3-5 degrees happens naturally.

[@springstafford6044]

How do you get the heels back to the collateral groove?

[@TroyReinholdt-fz2ds]

No! Save the Heel! Dropping heel causes collapsed Heels. Coffin Bone not parallel to the ground unless trimmed that way. My understanding having experience over 40 years. Keep foot upright for a more Sound with less heel pressure. Your horse will thank you for it.

[@Guruton10]

leave it to a proper Farrier