Back in December, I told my husband that I could use a new rasp for Christmas. I waited a week or so expecting him to ask me where to purchase the kind that I like (the ladies rasp on the left in the photo), but when he didn't ask, I just figured he had already bought too many presents. He is really good at picking out surprises, so I rarely ask for specific items. Then the holiday rolled around and there was a rasp-shaped gift under the Christmas tree. Hmmmm. When I opened the gift I was delighted to find a dual-handled rasp with nifty orange covers on the ends. My husband found it on Amazon. I should have guessed!
So now I own "rasps" and I have started to specialize my use of them. The new large rasp is good for taking down excess hoof wall and using two hands. That baby is sharp and I can work pretty quickly, moving from one foot to the next. The shorter Ladies' rasp is still the best for working the bevel. I need a rasp that is light and maneuverable for that job. Those magnets on the Hoof Jack come in mighty handy when you have multiple tools. I am also used to the Hoof Jack now. It took a while, but I finally have the same feel and control that I had when I rested Harley's foot on my knee and he seems more agreeable about keeping his foot in the cradle. I tend not to bother with the pedestal attachment unless there is noticeable flare to take off from the top.
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| Believe it or not, this is five weeks of growth. I could never get away with this in the summer. He can grow this much hoof in two weeks (Right front). |
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| Right hind |
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| Even the bars haven't done much since the last trim. I got really lucky and it was almost sixty degrees on trim day (Left front). |
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| Left hind |
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| Right front: I actually trimmed some cruddy frog on this foot. That is a very rare event for me. |
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| Right hind |
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| Left front: Pretty, pretty heels |
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| Left hind |
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| Left hind: This was the only sign of separation on any of his feet. His quarters would have been separated like crazy if I waited five weeks in the summer and he would have had lots of flare. |
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| What a good boy |
As always, I am in awe. I would have to quit my job if I started trimming feet. How do you fit it in? My brain already holds too much stuff. Learning to trim my own horses' hooves would cause an explosion, I am sure. Val, you're our standard bearer - wave the flag high!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen!
DeleteYou know what? It really isn't that bad time-wise, but if I had two horses to trim I might be singing a different tune. ;)
I think some shiny black polish would be a nice touch...Too Much? Probably.
ReplyDeleteAwesome set of feet Harley! Nice work Val :-)
Black does look nice on him. Thanks, Mary!
DeleteVery good! I'm still not brave enough to "really" trim my boys, but I did a very little bit on Aero last week, I thought his heels were a bit high and his toe a bit long so I very gingerly did some rasping.
ReplyDeleteI've been trimming their frogs though, their frogs are icky with all the mud here.
Farrier coming tomorrow, I'm still working on what the "Right" picture looks like so I'll be watching closely
Yeah, the mud reaps havoc on feet and frogs. Watching over my trimmers shoulder was how I got started.
DeleteAmazing how much less growth there is over the winter, huh? Even in the mild winters we get over here, their growth slows down phenomenally.
ReplyDeleteSeriously. I appreciate the break and the cooler weather for trimming.
DeleteSo cool that you do your own trims. His hooves look great!
ReplyDeleteI really need to learn more about hooves - I've been dodging getting to know more and just relying on my farrier...
I have been trimming his feet for years now, so I am in the swing of it. If you are interested, I think that learning a few things is never a bad thing, even if you decide to let your farrier continue the work.
DeleteI want to smooch his nose. TOO CUTE!!!
ReplyDeleteOh and his feet look awesome too. :)
Oh, I kissed it!
DeleteYour husband sounds like a wonderful supportive guy. Harley's feet look great. I'd never be able to do all that you do with seven horses. Thank goodness I love my farrier.
ReplyDeleteJust wondering how Harley is doing on his Cough Free treatments. My daughter tried it on Nate who has the same problems as Harley and it didn't work for him. I sent her your posts and she's going to give it a try again.
He really is!
DeleteHarley is doing great. I visited him yesterday to clean him up and he did not cough even once. I was in awe. Tomorrow could be different, but so far so good. He is also eating the Cough Free without a fuss. I hope that continues, too. Good luck with Nate!
Wow Val you really are an exception to horse owners, I don't know any people that trim there own horses hooves this is sooo cool!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the awesome support!
DeleteTruly, I am impressed!
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteWow! That is too cool. I would not even know where to begin to start trimming. You should be proud :)
ReplyDeleteI started by watching my trimmer and reading, reading, reading.
DeleteThanks!
Harley's feet look great - well done.
ReplyDeleteLoving the orange handled rasp - heading over to Amazon!
Thanks for your comments and observations on my post about my lesson the other day. I went back and looked at the video again and sure enough I am collapsing with my inside shoulder. Hopefully, I won't have to apply a strong leg aid for much longer and I won't collapse so much. Winston is a pretty quick learner. So I need to weight my outside seat bone, keep my eyes up - and not collapse to the inside. Piece of cake. Haha.
ReplyDeleteSimple, right? And don't forget the pat your head and rub your tummy and recite the alphabet backwards. No prob.
DeleteThis is why I still take lessons!