How To Trim Horse Hooves: Barefoot Hoof Trimming For Beginners 

There is nothing wrong with trimming your own horses hooves. I've been doing it for years, never had an issue infect my vet asked which ferrier I used. It your animal, and I think more people should learn to do their own horses hooves. All part of taking care and maintaining them. Thank you so much for video, this is so informative.

Thank you so much, Becky! I used to trim my horses feet back when I had them (20+ years ago) & I just kind of tried to do what it looked like the ferrier was doing. I never hurt my horses or lamed them. I also didn’t have a hoof jack, so it was a sweaty back breaking job. I am so happy you made this video. I’m once again getting horses and now that there are RU-vid videos, I thought I better actually watch someone explain it so I would make sure I’m doing it right. Those hooves looked great! I’m totally buying a hoof jack!! You rock, lady! I love your channel. You are too cute! I can’t believe you built your own cabin. Amazing!🥰

Your horses and ponies always look as though they think you're their best friend :-)

The danger here would be to assume it's possible to learn how to competently trim after watching a 23 minute video. If you are that naive, then it's probably best to pay someone to do the job. Otherwise, if you aren't afraid of expanding your horizons a little and can commit to learning how to do it properly, it's certainly a worthy, attainable goal. There are many benefits to learning how to do the job yourself; here are a few: 1) it allows me to be independent. I can do trims on my schedule, not whenever the farrier can find time, 2) I understand and am sensitive to my horses' needs. One has arthritis, and I treat her far more gently than the farriers used to. My poor mare used to HATE having her feet done, probably because the farrier used to make her bend and would pull on her to suit his purposes. I am careful to work around her idiosyncrasies, and she quickly learned to trust me, making the job easier on both of us. 3) Cost wasn't an issue, but after a $300 investment in equipment, I have saved literally thousands of dollars over the 8 years I've been doing the job on my own, 4) I enjoy spending time with them, and their feet have never looked better.

My rescue mare was terrified of a new farrier and also has some arthritis. I have gained her trust and she’s doing pretty good.

I highly recommend watching some David Landreville videos and seeing the transformations he achieves in pathological hooves.. by ensuring that the horse is landing on the caudal plane first. A flat landing isn’t terrible, but a heel first landing is ideal. To anyone who is looking into trimming their own horses’ feet, investigate as many sources of information as possible. Learn the internal structures of the feet. Books, videos, watch your farrier. Ask questions. Be respectful, but if your farrier isn’t okay with you asking questions, find one who is. You have a lovely attitude and clearly you’ve done a good amount of homework. I’ve found that in the horse world especially, there’s always more to learn.

This video was very informative! It really helped a lot. I’m going to let the farrier do it a few times while I watch and learn so I can get more comfortable and eventually I’ll be doing it myself.

Thanks for posting for others just starting out. I have been trimming my 3 horses for years. You did mention that the hoof wall has no feeling, this is incorrect. One CAN trim too short causing bleeding, pain and maybe future abcess. Also a good tip is to trim when the ground is moist after its rained for a while. Moist hooves are much easier to work with. ALSO my goodness wear gloves! I almost removed my thumb with a hoof knife.

Thank you so much! We’ve had a few good farriers. But for some unknown reason ( our horses are well behaved) the farrier must get heavy pockets they don’t come back. Or we get one that’s not reliable or your horse is done in less than 10 minutes. I decided to my own feet trimming.

I learned so much from this video. Thank you

Farrier work is a real skill that needs to be studied. I wouldn't suggest trimming your horses until you understand the internal structures and what different functions each part has.

14:20 if you can’t tie a rope halter the right way what makes you think you can trim their hooves.

THANK YOU SO MUCH .YOU SHOULD DO MORE VIDEOS ,YOU ARE GIFTED IN THIS BEING ABLE TO TEACH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

I liked your lecture at the beginning! That really helped me! I can tell if you were my high school teacher, we’d have a very fun class!

Thank you for a nice and simple video. I believe, like you, that people can learn to do a basic trim by themselves. BUT if the horse have a very big workload (racehorses, showjumpers, policehorses etc) then i think a ferrier should do their feet. The debate in the comments seems to forget that it's a difference between a hobby horse that is ridden very lightly and a real working horse! It's like saying that all humans should only walk in $5000 special shoes approved by the Olympics marathon team. There is a big differece how the horse is used. A home made trim does not have to bad! Most home trimmed hobby horses do really well and have no problems in their legs, back or neck. Sorry for any misspelled words! Love from Lapland, Sweden 💜👍

I remember watching this when I was much more unknowledgeable, and it still never settled right with me. Now I am much more educated on the topic and just a few things I noticed... The frog is very contracted and unhealthy. It seems that this horse would benefit from more frequent trimming cycles so you can battle that toe length and help balance out the foot by bringing that toe back and those heels back. The heels are very under run. You would personally benefit from some newer tools that would form a cleaner and faster job. I personally prefer a “roll” around my horse’s feet to create a stronger foundation. You need to attack the foot from the top and from the bottom, so that you can really bring that toe back and get a better visual of the shape of the foot. You are not required to remove the top layer of sole, but different methods advice differently. I would suggest just making sure the hoof is free of debris by using a pick and a brush to see where the sole is. From my perspective you still had a lot of dirt left but you started hacking away at the sole. Once you clean the sole properly, you can have a better judgement on where the sole is flaking off and then you can help exfoliate it but don’t hack away. There are obvious flares on those feet which need to be addressed because it is weakening the hoof structure and causing physical stress and strain on the legs and tendons. Really there is so much to be discussed about your trim, so I would advice finding a Facebook group that can give you advice if you post pictures. You can also never stop learning! There are amazing books by Pete Ramsey and many many more (hoof guided method). So far no one is a perfect trimmer, but we are learning more so continue your research and find which methods work best for you, but I would say this one just isn’t good. I know it’s an old video so you may have changed and learned more, but for other viewers please apprentice under a barefoot trimmer, preferably not a farrier since the trimming methods differ, and pick up some books about barefoot trimming! Never stop learning, especially since you are directly impacting anther living being!

You’re amazing and I love you. Thank you for putting forth the effort to make this

You don’t have to completely replace your farrier with this video. But if you’re in a spot, it’s best to know how to do basic things. Great video 👍🏻. Thank you.

Watching this for a refresh, there are zero available farriers in my area, I'd rather trim myself than let them get too long. There are three in my area trying to retire and not accepting new clients, gotta do what you gotta do

Your hair looks so much better very nice :)

I’ve taken an in person class for trimming as well as studying the anatomy for a long while now and doing as much in-depth reading as I can for different methods, etc. I absolutely don’t consider myself any sort of expert, but I DO feel much more confident knowing that if I’m in a pickle I can trim my own and not to major damage. Frankly I’ve had way too many “professional” farriers/trimmers do more harm than good with my horses and I’d rather work on them myself if I’m able.

The heels are still under run, it's going to cause the horse to lean back instead of upright, like ke a rocking chair, the heels have to be all the way back under the leg.

Great video. I agree, it’s not rocket science. For normal hooves not in need of correction, owners should take the time to learn how to do a simple trim. My trained carrier caused my horse to have a flare. Another carrier tried to force the hooves into an unnatural shape. I do it myself now and their hooves are great. No more holes, cracks, or flares! Also, in regards to the times between trims arguments, it depends; what is the ground, the use, the season, and the horse? Common sense, assess the hooves every time you ride or groom and you’ll learn a lot.

From the title of this video, this video should be a minute long and consist of calling and scheduling an appointment with a professional farrier.

Cringe

I have a mare who is resisant. She is terrified of the farrier. Bolting, hyperventilating, kicking. I started gaining her trust and so far her feet look pretty good.

Call a farrier. This is not a proper trim, your horse has flares that you are not addressing and the hoof is NOT balanced. Even the photo of you holding the front foot the heels are different in length. You will cripple your horse by trimming improperly.

Love the hoof jack!

Your using shoe pulling nippers for trimming....NO IDEA What you said was the heel...Its the bulb....NO IDEA If you go so far to the sole that you cause to bleed, you have gone even past the hard sole plain, which means you went too far....NO IDEA Your hand drawn diagram is not an anatomical hoof.....NO IDEA Hind hooves are always asymmetrical, regardless of whether heels are even or not!!.... NO IDEA You mean balanced NOT symmetrical.......NO IDEA A 1/4 inch is not a good guide, the seat of the corn and the anatomical markers are essential, NOT a 1/4 inch for every horse, each horse is different......NO IDEA The front hoof you show for balance is unbalanced, you have both assessed the true mediolateral balance.......NO IDEA Red and Green nippers are shoe pulling nippers, NOT hoof trimming nippers, it's not a file it is a RASP!!......NO IDEA The first hoof you trim, the heels are severly under run, the way I know that is the bars are non-existent and heels are rolling over, stretched White line from laminitis. You have taken wall of hoof lower that the sole, therefore failing in the principles of trimming. Horses DO NOT walk on their sole. You trying to teach people how to trim is disgraceful, you have no idea I am afraid as to what you are doing. I'm sorry but you have failed miserably!!

Nice video. Plz remember. U have a mule there. Mike hoofs are different than horses hooves. They work different. But all in all. Good video

Really nice video thank you for informing and helping others

Nice job. Thanks.

Needs done as soon as the hoof is out of alignment with the internal foot, these hooves in your video should have been trimmed a while ago. Any imbalance like that pushes a distortion into the hoof capsule taking it out of alignment which can cause internal injury. I trim every four to six weeks for most horses, not to allow the hoof wall to exceed 1/4 inch of length past the sole. Though there are a few horses in my schedule who can go longer due to a lot of travel and lots of wear. See horses hooves are meant to be in balanced alignment 100% of the time according to mother nature. But with domestics we have to help keep them on track as frequently as any imbalance is showing up. Once you understand how the horn tubules and the laminae work together you better understand how a small distortion is a monster waiting for you to leave them untrimmed just a little while longer, they can distort many other areas of the hoof capsule just from one small imbalance. Check out The Natural Hoof Pro on facebook, tons of articles and info on the anatomy of the internal foot that fits inside the capsule of the hoof.

Very Helpful Thanks for posting!

ThankYou, You are a Very Caring Person. Great Video!

Fantastic video!!! Thank you!

This is not a good trim or ok trim you need to learn and I mean learn at a school or learn from a experienced farrier not just looking at some pictures or videos.

i own a wild desert Brumby from south Australia on the northern territory border she has encapsulated feet from the desert and they were self trimming but the place i have her says i need to trim her toes wish i had seen your video sooner id be doing my girl for real all the time. i dont think shed mind if i did two front feet and two back feet with time in between like do front feet go out for abit come back do back feet. when i clean i already give her a walk in a large circle between feet any way so this would be no different.

Me watching this and I've never even seen a horse in real life and probably never will but hey, never know when you're gonna have to trim a hoof.

I don't have any horses but I'm learning this because for whatever reason, I think its a good skill to have under my belt for whatever reason. Zombie apocalypse maybe.

I appreciate your help and making this video, out of all the videos out there this one has helped me the most! ♥️ My farrier is helping me do my trims today, your video set me up very well! I'm very greatful

Hi Becky, I have always loved watching your videos until now. I have owned horses for 17 years, I would never attempt to trim my horses feet. My daughter trims our horses and she is a fully qualified equine podiatrist. Each horses' feet can be quite different to another horse, and will need appropriate trimming. In fact, depending on any medical conditions or conformation, each foot can be quite different to each horse. Incorrect trimming can cripple a horse and also make a horse difficult to trim in the future, it should not be taken lightly. If someone does not know the anatomy of a horses' foot, or even know what to do with a hoof pick, they shouldn't be trimming a horses foot. They should have some proper training before going ahead.

Nothing wrong with learning to trim your own, but I hope you have learned more about what constitutes a healthy hoof.... cuz this ain't it. With most horses you shouldn't be taking any sole or heel off, this horse's heels are massively underrun and crushed, and her frog is underdeveloped.

Im no farrier but that horse is walking on its heels

There is much more to hoof care than just trimming. if you have a horse, mule or a donkey, get a licensed farrier or you will have a problem sooner or later. I know you try to do everything low cost, but you also have to be responsible towards your animals. You already made some mistakes and if you keep up as you are doing right now your horse will end up with muscle and ligament damage.

I’m currently in quarantine and passing the time. Not sure how I got here….I don’t own a horse, but this was very informational. Thank you ^^

Oh no hunny what did you do?

You should really invest in better tools. If you don’t you may fuck up their hoof

The angles of these hooves is all wrong! They shouldn’t be so far in front of the leg, it should come down in a straight line through the center of the hoof, and the toe should be out front at an angle slightly, maybe 45°, from that line.

Either Becky is buff af or the horse's hooves are soft. It's insane how hard it is to use nippers on my horse's hooves, I couldn't make a single cut. Even my handyman dad had trouble. They literally look like they are made of granite, and I have to resort to rasping and using an electric hoof grinder. Ugh to live in the desert, but at least I don't deal with bugs and humidity. I'd love to see Becky try to trim my horses's hooves

Thanks for an informative video. I always like seeing how others do hooves just so I can add or hone my hoof trimming skills for my mini. I appreciate your well explained methods.

Very helpful, thanks! In southeast Wisconsin, theirs's pretty much no farriers left, gonna have to be my own trimmer.

Nice job thank u

Jesus Christ she butchered that poor horses hoof. I’ve never seen such jagged hoof after using the nippers.

The problem I have is I'm fostering an abuse case palomino QH mare ex rodeo mount that's been traumatized be farriers. She's fear reactive and a farrier tried to sedate her with a cocktail of three sedatives. She punched through all three. Oddly enough in the three yrs she's been under my care she does allow me to rasp shape her hooves as long as I DON'T try to pick them up and when her current owner, a recovering alcoholic, is not around. The mare is quite sweet, but I had to tease that back to the surface from where she hid it down deep. The mare has had 5 owners 1 the person who foaled her out 2 the one who she was sold to to teach her how to be a horse 3 the cowboy who put her on the rodeo circuit and ran out of luck and money in Davie, Florida 4 the Latino who bought her from the cowboy 5 the alcoholic ( now recovering ) Somewhere along the line a bicycle chain was used as a bit as the mare has a hugh diagonal scar across her tongue. I want to weep for all the abuse she's had to endure and under my care people who knew her from before can't believe it's the same horse.

Don't give up your day job darlin'. When I saw those really cheap hoof cutters and the rusty old rasp I imediatly questioned her ability and understanding!

Nice job ! I've been trimming my horses for about 18 years. I need to get a hoof stand !! It's kinda rough on my back now that I'm older.

Incorrect the sole doesn’t start feeling rubbery. You cut until it’s shiny and no more chalk the only way to tell your about to go to deep is to press your thumb on it

Good video, but I'd mention that a LOT of states require licenses and formal training for "doing it for others." A bad trim job can cripple a horse/mule/donkey. I wouldn't try it by just watching a video. I was trained by my horse shoer- it's not as easy as it seams. If anyone is curious about what it takes to do this, get with a licensed farrier and have that person watch what you're doing.

I dream of living on a homestead someday.

I have 5 horses and 5 minis. I had to teach myself to save money. When my farrier charged me the same for a mini, that he charged for my horse, it was time to do it myself. I truly enjoy the time with them. I take advantage of the weather. After a rain the foot is softer. My knives are not always sharp. I’ve learned so much and will never put iron on a horse of mine. An iron shoe doesn’t protect the sole, and it restricts the function of the foot. On a long rocky ride I will use boots. Only to protect the foot from a bruise. I mostly ride barefoot. Same for the minis. The minis drive and they will wear boots on long drives.

Becky thanks so much, I've just started trimming my ponies feet and this was super helpful, wishing yo the best from Australia!

Can you upload a picture of the hoof crack you healed. I would like to see the progress.

their is lots of things wrong with this

I came here looking for guidance. And the only guidance I've found in this video is how to make your horse go lame... Soon as she started into the sole, I said "that doesn't look right at all". Came to the comments just to be sure.

Hi Becky, why didn't you cut the dead part of the frog away, I would have like to see you do that. Very informative video though.

YOU ARE AWESOME. HOPE YOU ARE WELL. I WATCHED MY FIRST SOAP VIDEO WITHYOU A LONG TIME AGA. THANK YOU

So well explained and the voice cracks me up! Makes me think cookies 🍪 are baked and ready at the end of the video! I really enjoyed this, thank you.

Ty ! I needed to take care of my horse knight thank you becky

Thank you for a well made video on trimming your horse. I had a farrier teach me to trim my horses and your technique was more informative.

Thank you Becky, from way down at the bottom of the world, Tasmania, Australia 😊😊

Thanks, Becky. I know I watched a load of farriers and tons more videos when I was getting started. Dawn Willoughby also does a great job getting newbies started with a 3 video series that starts here : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nHrJkMoZk50.html

Why does the ferrier not clean the hoof with water / soap prior to starting trimming ? Im asking as a total newbie!!! Not being a Smart butt!

I feel your heel demo is wayyy too short. Readers, also don't really trim the frog, nor do you do anything to the outside wall. You forgot to mention the dew claw and brush for cleaning the dirt and junk out of the hoof gut.

That hoof is a hot mess. Lol let me clean it for free and i havent even trimmed before . I watched a million videos on this

Best video I have seen! Only after seeing your video do I feel ready to give my horse a pedicure !☺️ short concise and detailed. Thank you for the theory and the hands on. Even explaining that we can trim only 2 feet at a time, and which ones. You just got a new subscriber from this video alone.

Excellent video! Your close up shots are perfect. I have watched several how to videos on trimming and yours is PERFECT. Very precise . It all makes sense now. Been trying to trim my own horse and donk for years in-between shoeings but couldn't figure out how much to take off. Your demonstration has helped tremendously. THANK YOU!

I’m doing a hoof trimming course at the end of the year and I’m very excited I’m only 14 but my instructor thinks I’ll be fine and a good horse person should be able to do everything. this was some good advise 😊🙏

Interesting so handy For when I get a dam horse !?!? 🐴🐴

Why aren't you trimming those horribly overgrown bars?!

Leave the job to the professional

she took way too much heel off, i know with a barefoot trim you need to take it right back but not so far that the horse is walking on their sole, and you shouldn't scrape off the dead pars of the sole that can cause damage and cause abscesses or something similar, you should let the sole naturally crumble off

Very very helpful. Cant find a farrier where I live and I am on my own.

This should be a in between trimm, when my trimm lady can’t come. But don’t wait so much before doing it that can affect the internal structure of the hoof. 😘♥🐴

Leave it to the professionals! You can do so much permenant damage to their legs and tendons. Somethings shouldn't be done by beginners... Ever!

Thank you so much for this video! I'm confused about the bars and i thought you were supposed to knife out the frog so it can clean itself. So use the knife and cut out the back by the heel so it's open.

Well I had to stop watching … your drawing had no bars .. didn’t explain the importance of of angle of a natural hoof.. 😙

Where did you get your nippers

Basically pay for a damn farrier .. believe me you haven't a clue what's your doing ! I have thrown better tools away than your using ! Save your time and effort and pay a fully QUALIFIED farrier to trim them !

Yes farrier work is a skill. However, if you live in a remote area as I do and can't find a farrier this is the best we can do

Thank you so much, this was so in depth where I could understand why and why not and what’s important, perfect! ♥️

Just wow. The ball part is the fetlock. Your doing so much wrong.

Geez, how do you deal with all the idiots in comments?!😵‍💫 Everyone knows it all in all comment sections on every social media platform. lol Great little video! Great content! Cheers🌻

Thank you so much! I need to do that tomorrow, we've not been able to get our usual girl to come since forever due to covid reasons, and, well, someone's gotta do it. I was a bit intimidated, but your video is very informative!

Thank you so much for your step by step tutorial! I have been wanting to learn how to trim my pony's feet :)

I always wondered, what happens to wild horse like animals, such as zebras? What happens to their hoofs?

Not too bad up until I saw you working... taking sole you don't need to and too much hoof wall. A horse should be bearing weight on the inside hoof wall - she'll be on the sole with that trim. A working barefoot horse will be sore. Also can't you cut better than that ? its horribly jagged. You didn't talk about triming the frog.

Now all I need is a horse

This was so cool. I feel like this nice lady literally makes the best pies and hot chocolate in the world on a cold winter day. When they say it's made with "love" they're factually talking about HER recipe!! Lol GREAT VIDEO! THANKS!

Huge thank you for sharing with us uour knowledge!