How to trim horse hooves: learn barefoot trimming the GoBarefoot way

gobarefoot.com.au demo of barefoot trimming of horse hooves by Rebecca Jacaranda Scott. Basic information to trim your own horse.

[@katmonaghan9341]

Looks like a nice maintenance trim! I don't know who these naysayers are, but if they are going to criticize, then they need to show THEIR trim.

[@goodgoldisrare]

YES.. finally someone doing a GOOD job :) ! Most of the videos I saw on youtube were people taking too much of the foot. As she says, don't toutch the sole and the frog and let that grow as it should be. Thank you!

[@Shewolfen]

I agree many take way too much sole and especially frog off. I cringe when I see so much frog removed when they need that layer of protection and cushion. On the other extreme, you can get retained sole on some horses that are on soft pasture and don't wear down their feet or exfoliate well and you have to take some of the sole off or it builds up for a layer around the frog, and also a large build up of frog that then leave deep crevaces between them and contribute to thrush and abcess.

[@meganbouse3872]

Thank you for simple easy to understand directions for someone who is just starting out.

[@theartshow1476]

That foot looked way healthier off the bat then most horses with shoes. You clearly know what you are doing.

[@rosemarybasse5498]

One thing to think about; feet that need shoes tend to have issues that require shoes to begin with, and often look pretty bad well before being shod. Therefore, more healthy and sound feet will only generally require trimming. I don't know this person, and I'm not bashing her at all. But I'm trying to say that, it's not that cut and dry. It's also only one horse we get to see. You don't know her day to day.

[@tanyita5846]

Nice to see such wide, supportive frogs. Good job!!

[@heatherguillory900]

I'm going to start doing my own mustang boy. He has a hard time trusting others and it is just easier to do it myself till he comes into himself and becomes more confident. Great video. Just keep swimming. ;)

[@130guenda]

Thank you Rebecca. Quick, simple and as little invasive as poss. And most important: the horse is so relaxed he's almost asleep! Great.

[@mskel2622]

you make this looks so much more simpler than others i have watched, so you do not use nippers when your trimming? just rasp as you just did, nice job lady ty from USA

[@taintedinkpress]

Fantastic quick clip on clean up! Ha I love that what you call the "Brumbey' roll. We call the Mustang roll! Would love to see more videos! I'm currently learning to trim the natural hoof, and just by watching you I added two new techniques to my saddle bag! I noticed you PREFER to use the smaller grit side of your rasp! THANK you, I am not alone in this practice.

[@gerrycoleman7290]

Nice job. Few people truly understand how to do this properly and why. Thank you for being a good caretaker of the horse in their hoof care.

[@TheBellmare]

wrong.

[@sonseere10]

Look in the mirror.

[@sonseere10]

TheBellmare------Be constructive and state your reasons. Or, get on your broom and fly away.

[@sksumon9625]

@@sonseere10 y Cz Chàobạnđã

[@middleweekhorsedrawnservic9441]

Great video....after all the bullshit videos that over complicate a simple subject, here are the basics explained with true Australian straightforwardness! Good on you!

[@ambertrevors2709]

Great easy video thank you. My horse naturally self trims so I’m going to do this just to smooth it out so it looks nice instead of chipped.

[@jimmyyounger618]

Same. People are either comically doubtful or even seem irritated that my herd's feet don't get touched. I think the reason they get irritated is because their farriers always seem to find something that needs "special attention," and despite all this attention and expense they have on again/off again lameness issues with their horses of one sort or another. I have 5 between 18 and 24, and not one day of lameness among any of them, ever. They're out on plenty of pasture with room to roam. They might start looking long by the end of spring when the ground has been wet and soft, but they'll catch up on summer's hard ground and particularly during fall and winter during freeze cycles when the surface is frozen grit. Leaving their feet alone has given them the feet of mustangs. Only now that a couple of the senior horses are less active do I need to start catching them up with some trimming.

[@frontporchpickin289]

Dang I love when people dot. Jsit ramble in during a video. Straight to the absolute point. Love it!

[@ermannosensibile8101]

Very nice, simple, easy, and natural for the horses 🐎 barefoot. No metal shoes nails. Very good. My regards

[@sadonion4378]

for some reason these types of vids have been apearing in my recommended feed. what i find hilarious is how everyone in the comments is suddenly an expert farrier lol.

[@shrivanik.l.7798]

Great video! Thank you for the 'how to'. I will be keeping this one for reference.

[@phoenixequestrian496]

For once a good how to video. My biggest question though is where do you get a rasp the sharp. I go through one a week and they are not that sharp out of the box. Thanks

[@NoneofYourbusiness-bh8nn]

Glad i found this before i have a trim today😊

[@KIMWATERHOUSE]

I always thought you needed to keep a bit of hoof wall around the edge of the foot, about a quarter of an inch, or the horse will become sore because it is walking too much on its sole. Is this wrong?

[@alayamcgill7166]

I saw a video once on "how to trim horse hooves yourself" and the girl trimming her horse's hooves completely took off the frog... It was rather shocking watching her do that so I'm glad to here you say "don't touch the frog."

[@rosemarybasse5498]

Wait, how much of it? If she did all of it, that's bad. But, do you see all the flaps over the frog in this horse? Those are traps for bacteria. Hygiene is so important in feet. Every part of the foot looses integrity when it overgrows as well. The frog is no exception. Highly educated people such as veterinarians, and nearly all farriers trim the frog (to a reasonable and healthy extent). There's nothing wrong with it as long as the frog is not scalped when doing so, and needs cleaned out.

[@lilik6945]

​@@rosemarybasse5498 personally, i wouldnt let my vet touch my horses hoof due to the lack of experience they have in that area.. the majority of traditional farriers cut out way too much sole and frog which works on a shoed horse because none of it bears any weight, but it would make any barefoot horse sore.. leaving the callous on the frog is generally a good idea as it helps make contact with the ground, of course the shedding could just be cut off but it wont do any damage on a healthy hoof, its a natural process after all ^

[@sidilicious11]

This horse has nice feet! Good trim. nice sound effects of horses at the end❤️🐎

[@lyndengeo]

Do u trim the frogs at all?

[@bmc06239]

The angle of the heels you are creating by using a rasp is causing the heel to under-run. Noted by the curved bars. Try using a knife to trim the heels leaving the farthest point back at the widest part of the frog the highest...then trim the quarters with the rasp as you did...easing up on the mustang roll at the toe will help you to gain concavity in the sole...your work is better than most : )

[@sandysutherland2182]

bmc06239 . Claptrap!

[@sandysutherland2182]

bmc06239 . 'Mustang roll'. Bah, !humbug!

[@HappyASScreatures]

yeah, this would be used as a how NOT to at the farrier school i went to.

[@Shewolfen]

where are you seeing under run heels in this trim?? they are trimmed almost down to the bulb!

[@zentaurianriding4378]

She clearly states that she is more interested in moving the heels BACK, rather than taking them down. That is exactly the way to avoid the all too common under-run heels, meaning the heels are too long, which is a completely different measure than the height of the heel. Avoiding under-run heels = move them back, as the individual shows in the video.

[@dianebach1301]

Thank you I’m trying to trim my horse because my farrier stopped coming. It would be nice if he’d return my calls at least. Normally I schedule after a trim. But my mom died suddenly and I had to settle her estate. He told me to call when I returned. I pay at the time of service. Never barter. My horses stand for the farrier with no problem. So I don’t know why. It’s frustrating. I think my horse senses I’m not confident trimming so she doesn’t cooperate. Otherwise she’s fine with the farrier.

[@ifebeginsL]

Sorry about your mum. I have same probs with farriers. Did a barefoot trimmers 2 day workshop. Life changing once you know how.

[@MikaelaHoldeman]

I’m in the same situation, it’s very stressful, I think mine is so busy he can’t keep up. Because some of my neighbors that use him said he didn’t show up, wich is very unusual for him.

[@MikaelaHoldeman]

@@ifebeginsLhow did you get in contact with a class like that?

[@JamesHarrisGarlingGas]

Was this horse previously shod or have other problems? I noticed growth rings.

[@patriciasaul9544]

Thanks-both concise and to the point!

[@savannahequestrian1468]

ok I do this very different, I only use a hoof pick and this thing that has the little spikes on it that is flat (I suck at names) I am to scared to use clippers I get a farrier to do the stuff with the Clippers

[@heyitsrachelgrace]

Hello! What type of hoof rasp are you using here? It looks like it works very well...we are trying to decide on a good hoof rasp that will last! :)

[@rebeccajacaranda]

Bellotta Top Sharp, or Valorbe. Valorbes are OK in winter as they are grabby. But not so good in Summer. Bellotta Top Sharps are good all year round. Cheers

[@heyitsrachelgrace]

Okay thanks!

[@rebeccajacaranda]

I think I was using a Bellota Top Sharp. These days I am loving the Heller Legend XL - cheers RJS

[@dougwilliams8602]

Why didn’t you lower the frog?

[@rickroe9917]

Hey you did a great job! Your ahead of the curve

[@robynmartin7918]

looks great, thank you for sharing!!!

[@gypsycobsuk5246]

Can I ask advice to anyone? One of my boys is very deep either side of the frog and we really struggle with thrush, we get rid of it and it just comes back. The actual frog is small in comparison to whole hoof. Just makes me wonder on the possibility that he has too much sole but how can you tell for definite. He has been barefoot for nearly a year and was shod (not trimmed in between by the looks of it) on all fours. He copes vry well without shoes, they are rock hard. Also how do you get into trimming your own horses hoofs or is this not recommended?

[@hoofforeeya]

Chances are, your horses have very contracted (evidenced by the narrow frog & deep lateral grooves) necrotic feet typical of shod feet. Thrush fungus only grows on dead tissue. It is also why they are "rock hard". Actually returning blood flow to feet like these can have deleterious results, especially if your horse is older than 10.

[@gypsycobsuk5246]

Exactly what I thought. What I meant by "rock hard feet" is when he moves on hard ground, it sounds like he has shoes on. He has just turned 10, recently castrated. he has 11.5 inch bone and narrow feet in comparison, also narrow and long frogs on all fours. He is currently trimmed by a traditional farrier (due now) but i'm sceptical as to whether she's taking enough off and finding the "true sole"

[@hoofforeeya]

I would seriously let your farrier continue to trim your horse and not worry about the "true sole" as a real barefoot trim will allow blood flow into necrotic parts of his feet and it may lead to abscessing and damage to other organs of his body because of poison from opening Pandora's box. After many years of training and trimming, with dozens of case studies I have done, it is extremely difficult to bring back health to these kinds of feet. I used to advocate trimming to return healthy function but many horses can't get there from where they are. I don't mean to discourage you, but do the best you can to kill the thrush and you will get some better results from there.

[@gypsycobsuk5246]

Thank you so much for your advice. I do like my farrier and wouldn't really want to change. He is sound and always has been since I've had him. My farrier suggested dipping his feet in a solution of detol and water, then spraying hoofs with cattle/sheep purple spray. I've done this twice now and so far the thrush hasn't returned for 6 weeks (I like to have him trimmed every 6 weeks instead of 8 as he grows quick) Hopefully were on top of it now after 11 months of struggling, getting rid and then it coming back.

[@TheBellmare]

you must be absolutely dumb AND daft "blood flow into necrotic parts" come on! This is almost as stupid as the video.

[@theeandrogynousone]

Im guessing the way she is doing it is what you would do without horse shoes. A more natural approach. I like that.

[@thisirishcobcan]

Why don’t you trim the toe from the underside rather than taking the toe from the front? Seems odd to me to take the toe right back with the bevel as the horse might end up breaking over on its sole, rather than the hoof wall.

[@FancySassy80]

how i learned never touch the soul or the frog unless it says it needs help.. never had a horse come up lame.. great video!

[@TheBellmare]

it's "sole" and you are sorely mistaken.

[@FancySassy80]

TheBellmare um no. And I know it's "sole" you grammar nazi!! Typing on my phone. You don't touch the frog unless it needs to be trimmed been doing feet for over 10years and never had a lame horse. But good try!!

[@TheBellmare]

It's spelling, not grammar and you need to attend farrier school and apprentice before attempting to teach. You are spreading mis information.

[@FancySassy80]

TheBellmare kiss my European ass! Your just mad cause you don't know shit about horse feet.

[@TheBellmare]

holy crap the rasping alone is absolutely wrong.

[@guyjones3665]

Just done a few weeks training to be a human dentist... looking for clients to cover costs.. Any takers..?

[@bandersnatch2874]

I've never seen a hoof stand used in this method. I might have to give it a try...

[@SoldByBrock]

Bander Snatch i use my hoof stand in the same manner

[@bandersnatch2874]

It's not a bad idea. I'll see if my mare will tolerate it.

[@prairiewanderer5040]

Bander Snatch We found one of our horses likes the stand better than holding the hoof by hand. It certainly made trims go quicker and less stressful for him.

[@bandersnatch2874]

My mare doesn't seem to have a preference -- it largely depends on her mood -- some days she leans, others she just flops her foot around like it's not attached. My back prefers the stand -- it's really too tall for her, so I try to only use it for finishing work.

[@prairiewanderer5040]

Bander Snatch Hoofjack makes an excellent stand that is height adjustable. They're not inexpensive, but the quality is outstanding.

[@alisonfranks1820]

Why rasp the heels and cut those bars? Why address flare from the top? surely this should just be from the sole side?

[@DoubleKMustangs]

great video thank you for sharing

[@adammac4381]

Its ok for a start, seen far more experienced people do worse trims, why did you not cut off the loose flap sections of the frog ? Its ok to do that, and leave the calloused frog alone. And how about we trade files ?, I'll take all your worn down fine side files, you can have all my worn down coarse side files ?

[@sandysutherland2182]

Adam Mac . It's NOT a 'file', it's a rasp!

[@aussiegrace]

@@sandysutherland2182 hahahaha its still a file.

[@Horsepassion4life]

Such a nice hoof!

[@0Templegoddess]

Thank you for the vid, very helpful :)

[@helenparker3540]

I'm pretty sure I worked with you at the ABC 1980s

[@rebeccajacaranda]

Yes probably. I DID work there in the 80's....in the newsroom at Gore Hill and on 7.30 Report. You can find me on FB (Rebecca Jacaranda Scott) Talk soon. Cheers RJS

[@larryculiver1690]

Been a farrier for 30 years if you don't trim that frog from the sulcus the debris will get stuck in it has no natural path to get out definitely a way not to trim a horse

[@lilik6945]

this video is not intended for professionals and is more of a maintenance trim for horse owners, encouraging people to cut the frog would be very irresponsible. in my opinion, every horse owner should know how to at least rasp down the height of the hoof and unless the frog is shedding that is totally enough. farrier trims are very different from barefoot trims anyways.

[@Carnivorechallenge]

In a healthy foot, the sulcus should be shallow and open.

[@iamburl2667]

Always rasp level, always, never angle and weaken wall

[@larryculiver1690]

Also when she was trimming the bars you could see the small fracture in the bars she needs to learn how to use a knife that foot is nowhere near balanced she didn't even clean out the seat of corn

[@bearholloway7504]

Horse had pretty neat feet to start off with but good video nonetheless. We normally don’t sort out our horses feet till they are pretty buggered up

[@darbygomez5617]

Bear Holloway how is waiting for the hooves to be beat up any help to the horse? You can’t correct or balance the hoof that way. That just doesn’t make any sense

[@bearholloway7504]

Darby Gomez I wasn’t saying anything about ‘correcting’ or ‘balancing’ the hoof, I said that we don’t do our horses feet until they need to be done.

[@orionacres]

Much much better than a traditional trim. "Good" trim on this horse, but definitely shouldn't be a "how to"!!!

[@dasdag5979]

Ты молодчина МЕМ 👍

[@JustASleepySloth]

tbh that foot didn't need doing and it's very flat a good foot should be more concave

[@farrier889]

I am not sure how many will read this, but the only thing I believe people should realize, if you think you are going to learn, how to trim your horse's foot safely from a video, you are very wrong. People who own horse should care about there animals and seek to learn everything they can, and farriers and vets should help them learn good hoof care. I hear natural this and natural that, but lets be honest, if you wanted to be absolutely natural, Don't Ride the Horse!!!, because when you ride a horse, you are changing the weight on it's hoof wall and thus it is not natural, when I have pulled steel shoes off of a horse's foot and look at how worn down the shoes is, I realize something, I would rather have a steel shoes take that hit, then the horse's hoof wall. I end with this, some horses need to be shod and other don't, you cannot go 100% either way, and be right every time. I am not expert, I am a farrier apprentice, and I care about the horse, Don't let the name Natural fool you, names are a dime a dozen. Horse are just as variable as we are.

[@featheredfoothill]

People get so up in a whirl about the word natural. Don't take it so literally. It's "close" to keeping a horse natural, but obviously all we do with horses is unnatural. There are as many people shortening a horse's life with mandatory and unneeded shoes as there are people misperceiving the word natural.

[@farrier889]

@Feathered Foothill I stand by my words as a Certified Farrier. Obvious to some, does not mean obvious to all.

[@francescotramacere8298]

Perfetta anche muraglia e linea bianca, nessun distacco, nessun tarlo. Ok, ok

[@ppi8922]

NOT A GOOD EXAMPLE. 1. No sole evaluation was done to determine wall trimming. 2. Apex of the frog was never established 3. No Breakover established 4. Frog tags Not removed 5. Beveling the bottom of the hoof wall this way Not a good idea instead a flat bottom with a slight rounding to prevent chipping is desirable 6. Need I GO ON This is a BAD Example of a barefoot trim Australian or Not.

[@sandysutherland2182]

PPI you are talking twaddle! farriertotrim.com.au

[@horses4ever699]

oh my gosh people! leave those heals alone!!! do not trim like this please! look up The Hoof Guided method if you want to trim yourself

[@susinala1491]

Sorry but that's not good hoof trimming. The crack clearly shows that the work is not right. A barefoot rubs off unevenly, so the work cannot be all over the hoof the same, that makes no sense.

[@lauralauren6432]

The horse looks miserabel. Not taken care of. The frog Shall NOT be higher then The hoof Wall. When The horse stand or run The weight of The horse pushes it all Down. The frog shall have secondary impact. This horse has its dampers already at the bottom. The soft tissues are overloaded.

[@hooftrimnetwork]

The horse WAS well cared for. And he ran in a herd in 100 acres. That trim was - I dunno - maybe 8 or 9 years ago. These days I try and trim in the David Landreville method.

[@rosemarybasse5498]

I don't know you or your business. But if I ever saw a hoofcare professional start immediately trimming the heels without actually assessing depth via the frog and sole, I would immediately be concerned about their level of knowledge. Even the best of the best farriers assess depth first. Feet can be deceiving.

[@noreenmooney8385]

NOTICE: This video is an example of how NOT to care for, or trim hooves properly.

[@tieetop]

The hoof looked perfectly healthy to me, no cracks, splits, not overgrown or unbalanced, all of which are problems I have observed on almost all horses with shoes that I have seen. So tell, me what is your objection to what is being shown here?

[@GoodRedBlackRatio]

Noreen Mooney Can you explain why you think so? Is it because she did not go in depth into how to judge heel height, etc? Because honestly this is was a very good, very basic overview of a barefoot trim. Not everyone touches the frog, I do, but I know some believe it should shed naturally. This video might be enough to get someone to look into barefoot hooves more, whereas your comment might get them to steer clear of it. Which would be a real shame :(

[@TheTROUBLE1970]

GoodRedBlackRatio I agree , great quick video of how to touch up and do basic maintenance on your horses hooves , which could prevent many troubles down the road , horses dont need shoes , we just think they do !!!!!!!!!!!!

[@SoldByBrock]

Noreen Mooney i am a barefoot and rehab trimmer and as a basic maintenance trim without a ton of details looked damn good to me ... so if you are going to make off the wall comments please explain youself

[@hooftrimnetwork]

Jennifer Brock et al. Thanks guys for your support of my vid. Sorry you didnt like it Noreen Mooney but - as the others mentioned - you need to say why. This is a fairly basic barefoot trim approach. Very common technique. Cheers - Rebecca from GoBarefoot in Oz

[@Guruton10]

very ordinary!!!!

[@hornfarrierservice9526]

Hoof maintenance is the cheapest part of owning a horse. Pay a professional to do it. There is no special "Australian", "Holistic", "Mustang" Trim. Even the term "Barefoot Trim" was invented by people that wanted to make some money on the side running around in their Honda Civic with a rasp and nippers. They never wanted to learn all aspects of the trade and invest in equipment so they would be able to do whatever the horse needed...Trim or Shoes. Horseshoes are not some "Scam" that's been going on for hundreds of years. Some horses need shoes...Some don't. I've been a Certified Journeyman Farrier for over 16 years. I can't tell you how many times I've had to come in after "Trimmers" and pick up the pieces of a crippled horse. If you can't afford what works out to be between $5-$10 a week for a professional to trim your horse...Buy a dog instead.

[@TheHoofSmith]

+Michael Horn I noticed you don't want people commenting on your KZbin video. Luckily you got the basics right for hind feet so I can't blast you as incompetent. Horseshoeing is a scam that has run for nearly a hundred years. 250 Years ago the shoes were supposed to removed every 6 months to allow the foot to return to normal. That is according to my Farrier Manuals from centuries ago. Back then they knew horses had to go barefoot, but now a farrier tells a client the horse must have shows the rest of its life. Seems to me the scam is the Farrier who keeps shoeing to hide his failings. You know how good a farrier you are by how many horses you can keep in work without shoes.

[@sandysutherland2182]

TheHoofSmith .. scam?? In 1963 I went to Melbourne to learn to be a farrier. A large part of our trade was shoeing milk delivery horses. Some of those horse had to pull over a ton of milk over a thirty mile run every night. A couple of them would wear 1" by 1/2" (one inch wide by a half inch thick) shoes every five days. Barefoot??? I don't think so! That was right at the end of the 'horse & buggy days' where lots of horses worked bloody hard and you can rest assured that very few of them could or would have gone 'barefoot'! I think that you just don't know what you are talking about. You are being a cultural imperialist, ascribing some soft lovey-Dover modern attitude to an era of Wooden ships and iron men' and I might add iron horses that needed 'iron' shoes. This is a trade that I have been involved for over fifty years and I keep being astonished by the clap-trap and fads that keep popping up. This is not to deny that there is some good stuff evolving but one needs a good bit of experience to sort out 'the wheat from the chaff'. farriertotrim.com.au

[@Guruton10]

So true my Friend so true!!!!!

[@AB-nd6lo]

Horn Farrier Service. Totally disagree with your post. I have an Arab that must not be trimmed long because she bruises like any horse would. Most Farriers do what they want to do. I have a good farrier now but why go through 10 years of idiots? I like the job she did. The bottom of the hoof appears healthy and I liked that she didn't screw with the sole which is very thin to begin with.

[@orionacres]

The word "word" was created by people. Just saying... 😉

[@francesstephens6112]

What is wrong with you people? Please refer to Bill Campanelli for proper trims!! Concavity is wrong heels to long and the TOES!! Don't compare domestic horses to wild totally different!!

[@heinrichlabuschagne6827]

there is no such thing as a barefoot trimmer(or that is what they call them selfs) go and learn for a farrier not by watching KZbin vids but go and learn and get a degree for exs heartland farrier school...do it correct or don't do it

[@aussiegrace]

lol

[@Guruton10]

Hopeless job!!!!

[@HappyASScreatures]

a great how NOT to trim video fro the horseshoeing school you should have went to. wow... please support your local professional farrier! take a weekend trimming class if you want to do your own horses but to be a professional get the popper training. i am beginning to thing "barefoot trimming" is a term for an uneducated and unskilled hoof destroyer. public beware! do not use "barefoot" trimmers!

[@rebeccajacaranda]

Hi zophiaburningart...what specifically do you disagree with?