Happy Trimmer!

Yesterday Jester allowed me to gently wiggle his right hind to relax it then pick it up to have a look. I was appalled. The bars on that foot had been allowed to run amok! Both hinds had bars grown out and run over the sole all the way down to the tip of the frog. Not wanting to push him, I let him have it back and just did some rasping of the heels and toe with his foot on a brick. then I turned my attention to the fores. With the hoof in hand, I probed the digital cushion in the dip between the heel bulbs. Whoa! The frog moved! This would indicate a weak and very undeveloped digital cushion consistent with the lack of caudal (rear) development of the foot and the contraction present. The good news- I lowered his heels another 5 mm on both fores- as the sole in the seat of corn (hairpin at the heels) is loosening up. This is great! the sole (and bony column) is migrating upward within the capsule. Since I have him completely off his walls except for the heel buttresses, I expect concavity to appear quickly. I finished off with attention to the bars, making sure they were passive and trimming them to end at the frog/sole junction at the widest part of the hoof. No sole trimming except around the tip of the frog and at the bars. He doesn't have any flaky crumbly sole to take anyway! Now for Today... Next post!