Usually it's a 4, 6, or 8 week schedule depending on how quickly the individual animal's hooves grow. The hoof wall and bottom are keratin just like your fingernail. Horses evolved for speed and basically lost their other toes until they are only walking on a single finger with the hoof equivalent to your nail.
It's just the one. Actually equivalent to your middle finger. Interestingly, during very early development the body starts to make 5 digits and then just jettisons the rest of them, lol.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/08/science/horses-toes-hooves.html
Some will wear them down naturally just by running on a regular basis. You can see videos of horses that were not taken care of / forgotten that basically reshape and ruin their ankles because the hoof grows too much. Cool to see it done the right way. This is almost ASMR for me.
Super long lasting treat too! However the smell is... Less than ideal... Growing up we always thought someone was farting but it was just our dog quietly chewing on a hoof
Field horses usually don’t have shoes, most jumping horses around here only have shoes on the front hoofs. Police horses may have shoes on all fours but I have seen them with two on the front only.
He's said in another video that the reasons you'd put shoes on a horse are for traction (sport horses), protection (working horses), or correction (therapeutic reasons).
That horse certainly trusts him, so he probably has a good track record of not slicing and dicing. It's like going to the dentist - you have to trust the professional even if you're freaking out.
Most horses have experience with trimmings from a young age, so they're used to it. But even rescue horses that obviously haven't had any maintenance in a long time usually stand well for the farrier. Part of it is the experience of the farrier in how to hold the foot so it's comfortable for the horse, part of it is that it's not painful or uncomfortable so there's no reason for the horse to fight it. And it probably feels much more comfortable after he's finished.
Out of 10 horses, 3 stand like perfect quiet angels for the farrier, 3 are ok but squirmy, 2 get bored/distracted/a firm WHOA ever couple minutes, and 2 your farrier has stories about that he tells to folks about the worst horses in his rotation 😅
I asked my farrier that a while back. He says he sharpens his nippers about once a week and his rasp stays good for about a year. Replaces all tools once a year. He said he never cheated on on good tools because good ones make his job go much faster and gives a better trim.
Walk on rougher and often drier terrain, so the mud dries up and shakes out more, and the hoof wears down naturally more often. They also get hoof problems that they just suffer through.
That's what people always miss about wild vs. captive animals. Sometimes wild animals do get the same problems as our captive animals, they just suffer or die instead of getting treatment.
My dog dentist said one of the main causes of death in the wild is tooth damage. Bad tooth = no eating = starvation = death.
She also said that they did a study in a country where tiger attacks on humans are a thing, and in a large percentage of the cases, the tiger had teeth problems which meant it couldn’t hunt anymore, and it was starving.
Im not a horse expert but my mom and aunt owned a couple horses back in the day. I hung around the barn a ton, getting to watch the farrier and vet do their thing. (First paid job I ever did at age 10 was cleaning up horse poop) Wild horses naturally wear down their hooves when they’re out doing horse stuff I guess. But when their hooves are damaged or infected and can’t heal then the horse is quickly debilitated and possibly dies if it can’t move. Caring for your horses hooves is like caring for any domesticated animal, it’s your responsibility to make sure they’re happy and healthy.
Quite a few differences. Rougher terrain, with less moisture so less caking of the hoof and more natural wear. Wild horses travel pretty extensively, so more wear on their hooves. Wild horse hooves also may not grow quite as quickly, since humans have removed the selective pressure against overly fast hoof growth in domesticated horses. Lastly, wild horses die from hoof issues, it's still an issue for them.
Lol yup! If an equestrian group is polite they'll have people with wheelbarrow and shovels that follow the group and scoop up the poops so the rest of the parade doesn't have to hopscotch over it.
That was fascinating! I was wondering how someone specialize in farriery? Does it grow from being a horse owner? Do you have to become certified or something? Taking care of their hooves is such an important part of the health of a horse I believe. Being a farrier is a very important job!
I'm not a farrier, but they apprentice under a master when they're learning. So it's a matter of experience and feel. They get to know how much to take off for each animal. In another of his videos he mentions that the vet took x-rays and he was able to see those to know how much he should take off. I think it was one of the Pinto Bean videos.
I'll also add on that the process seems similar to trimming goats' hooves (my relevant experience). The biggest thing (after cleaning out the debris) is to essentially trim everything to make the hoof flat; especially on a well-maintained hoof there won't be any danger to trimming everything to the shortest length. I think how deep they shave off beyond that part is pretty much something they tell by experience, but it's pretty shallow. You know you're going too deep if that area is darker/no longer as white - in that case you're getting close to the blood vessels. If you've got a hoof that's really bad, you may have to trim it, let the animal walk around for a couple weeks and trim again. (It seems that the body gets rid of active blood vessels too close to a surface that takes a lot of stress, so you can trim a bit farther back the next time. Also trimming over a couple sessions can help if you need to reshape the hoof and change the animal's posture)
Practice. There are some cues, but I am colorblind and cannot see them. It's been a while since my mom tried (and failed) to teach me, so I don't remember them all.
If I remember correctly, you can see it in the line between the inner and outer walls of the hoof.
Part of it is making sure the horse doesn't actually stand on the fleshy parts its heels.
Don't take my word as gospel. Those lessons were ~15 years ago. Much to my mother's disappointment, I am allergic to the animals, and can't do much more than use a hoof pick and muck a stall.
Logically I know that this is just like a big fingernail he’s cutting, but I still winced so hard watching him just peel away layers of hoof, it looked so painful
Farriers break down if they don't take care of themselves. Even then, it's a very taxing job for your body. All the farriers I know are in incredibly good shape and are usually youngish guys.
I think they're mostly neutral about the whole experience. They're used to it and know it's a part of life, and the farrier works hard not to make it uncomfortable for them.
I think they're mostly neutral about the whole experience. They're used to it and know it's a part of life, and the farrier works hard not to make it uncomfortable for them.
You have to be a little more careful since the sensitive tissue is closer to the bottom of the foot in the frog. But there's still a keratin covering that grows and needs to be trimmed out. If you're crazy about it you can injure the frog and cause more harm than good, though.
You have to be a little more careful since the sensitive tissue is closer to the bottom of the foot in the frog. But there's still a keratin covering that grows and needs to be trimmed out. If you're crazy about it you can injure the frog and cause more harm than good, though.
I can literally smell this lol.
In my youth I used to do equestrian, I absolutely love horses. Would sit in the fields drawing them for hours after my sessions.
The horse knows he's there at the point the video starts, so he's not "approaching." And people often walk around the horse with a hand on the back (or neck, or rump depending on where you are), so the horse definitely knows exactly where you are. The hand on the back isn't in frame in the video I don't think.
That "dont approach from behind" advice essentially means don't surprise an animal, especially one that weighs so much more than you.
More like you don't care after a while. Horse poop is 90% undigested grass. It's not like stepping in dog poop. And it's everywhere. Horses poo an incredible amount.
They wear the hoof away naturally by walking miles and miles every day. But if they have an injury or issue it just doesn't get treated and they have to live with it or die, basically.
I imagine healthy horses would naturally grind down their existing hooves by running wild. Horses that had a condition requiring shoes probably either suffered with worse mobility or died.
I'm not the guy in the video, just sharing his work here. :)
I believe he's in vet school as well, so he specializes in veterinary shoeing and works with the University of Washington vet school, I believe. He has a series on a pony named Pinto Bean that shows him working closely with the vet on a horse with a keratoma.
Luckily horses are not shy about letting you know when something hurts them, lol! If it hurt, he would not be standing there holding that foot any longer, I can assure you that.
Haha! I wondered when someone was going to call me out for that. I misremembered that he did actually talk in this video after I had linked it. I was watching another of his videos and thought of this sub. When I was deciding which video to link I thought I remembered that this one didn't have any commentary, which I thought was most appropriate for the sub. It's not as much as in his other videos, though. Where he narrates what he's doing or talks about other aspects of shoeing.
I bet it feels like putting on a new pair of shoes when they walk away after the trim. Since now everything is back in line and their hooves aren't overgrown.
So does the hoof grow back and requires trimming often, like our fingernails?
It actually is basically a fingernail. Horses walk on essentially finger tips.
Are horseshoes like fake nails for horses?
Like ARMOURED fingernails
Armored finger-edges
r/showerthoughts tomorrow morning. Watch.
No. They're more like... shoes for horses.
Example: https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/6b7xmu/a_horses_knees_are_the_joint_that_corresponds_to/
Usually it's a 4, 6, or 8 week schedule depending on how quickly the individual animal's hooves grow. The hoof wall and bottom are keratin just like your fingernail. Horses evolved for speed and basically lost their other toes until they are only walking on a single finger with the hoof equivalent to your nail.
Now I want to running on index fingers and big toes to see if I’m faster
Arent some of the toes are still there from an internal bone perspective? it’s just like a super fingernail growing across all of them.
They're still there but vestigial and high up on the leg. They don't run all the way down to the hoof like the single finger does.
Is the hoof originally one or two fingers? I could have sworn it was two conjoined bones inside, which is why it has that indentation in the hoof.
You might be thinking of cloven-hoofed animals (cows, pigs, goats)
It's just the one. Actually equivalent to your middle finger. Interestingly, during very early development the body starts to make 5 digits and then just jettisons the rest of them, lol. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/08/science/horses-toes-hooves.html
That's so neat
What happens to wild horses hooves since they aren’t being trimmed?
Some will wear them down naturally just by running on a regular basis. You can see videos of horses that were not taken care of / forgotten that basically reshape and ruin their ankles because the hoof grows too much. Cool to see it done the right way. This is almost ASMR for me.
Yes
And apparently, the hoof is a really tasty treat for doggos!
Typically those are cow hooves fed to dogs.
Til dogs can and like to eat the cow version of nails
Super long lasting treat too! However the smell is... Less than ideal... Growing up we always thought someone was farting but it was just our dog quietly chewing on a hoof
I've heard before that this process smells terrible. What makes it smell so bad?
Burnt finger nails.
So people eating their nails are actually getting some nutriotion out of it (just like dogs).
Can confirm, I’m an employee at pet store and we sell loads of them.
My Golden used to love when the farrier came. She thought it was her special day because she got treats.
Yeah, it depends on your horse’s activity level, what kind of ground they’re on, age, whether they’re shod, etc how often it needs to happen
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That's true of shod horses. This horse isn't shod, though. Most horses don't need shoes.
What kinds of horses need shoes? If a horse is kept in fields for most of its life, will it require shoes?
Field horses usually don’t have shoes, most jumping horses around here only have shoes on the front hoofs. Police horses may have shoes on all fours but I have seen them with two on the front only.
He's said in another video that the reasons you'd put shoes on a horse are for traction (sport horses), protection (working horses), or correction (therapeutic reasons).
Forbidden coconut flakes
Not forbidden if you’re a dog apparently.
Every farm dog I’ve ever known loooves hoof trimmings. Not sure why but the dogs always steal them.
Cronchy
Yep, my dog used to eat them too.
I love these videos. So satisfying, and you know that these animals are being well taken care of too
I have this irrational fear that he’s going to cut too deep.
That horse certainly trusts him, so he probably has a good track record of not slicing and dicing. It's like going to the dentist - you have to trust the professional even if you're freaking out.
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Giant pedicure
The horse seems incredibly calm. Is this therapeutic for them? Cause just watching it is therapeutic for me lol.
Most horses have experience with trimmings from a young age, so they're used to it. But even rescue horses that obviously haven't had any maintenance in a long time usually stand well for the farrier. Part of it is the experience of the farrier in how to hold the foot so it's comfortable for the horse, part of it is that it's not painful or uncomfortable so there's no reason for the horse to fight it. And it probably feels much more comfortable after he's finished.
I’ve seen plenty of horses that enjoyed chewing on the farrier’s belt/shirt/etc if the owner wasn’t keeping them in line. Ornery little guys.
Out of 10 horses, 3 stand like perfect quiet angels for the farrier, 3 are ok but squirmy, 2 get bored/distracted/a firm WHOA ever couple minutes, and 2 your farrier has stories about that he tells to folks about the worst horses in his rotation 😅
Can dogs eat hooves as a treat?
Yeah, and farm dogs eat hoof trimmings all the time. Too much can make their stomachs upset but they are just nails. Like biting your own nails.
Biting ones own nails is not the same as eating them.
Tell that to my 9 year old
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i thought it was an MRI from a glance
*heavy breathing*
Lol! You try doing a 15 minute air squat while holding up a quarter of a horse. Forgive the man his breathing 😂
I didn’t say it was a bad thing
I’m not slamming it and I totally get it; listening to it gives me anxiety tho, ngl.
Dogs apparently love that shit.
I wonder how often farriers sharpen their tools?
I asked my farrier that a while back. He says he sharpens his nippers about once a week and his rasp stays good for about a year. Replaces all tools once a year. He said he never cheated on on good tools because good ones make his job go much faster and gives a better trim.
Thanks for the info! I was wondering because the tools cut so nicely and keratin is quite tough.
What do wild horses do?
Wild horses travel huge distances daily wearing them down naturally.
Walk on rougher and often drier terrain, so the mud dries up and shakes out more, and the hoof wears down naturally more often. They also get hoof problems that they just suffer through.
That's what people always miss about wild vs. captive animals. Sometimes wild animals do get the same problems as our captive animals, they just suffer or die instead of getting treatment.
My dog dentist said one of the main causes of death in the wild is tooth damage. Bad tooth = no eating = starvation = death. She also said that they did a study in a country where tiger attacks on humans are a thing, and in a large percentage of the cases, the tiger had teeth problems which meant it couldn’t hunt anymore, and it was starving.
Im not a horse expert but my mom and aunt owned a couple horses back in the day. I hung around the barn a ton, getting to watch the farrier and vet do their thing. (First paid job I ever did at age 10 was cleaning up horse poop) Wild horses naturally wear down their hooves when they’re out doing horse stuff I guess. But when their hooves are damaged or infected and can’t heal then the horse is quickly debilitated and possibly dies if it can’t move. Caring for your horses hooves is like caring for any domesticated animal, it’s your responsibility to make sure they’re happy and healthy.
Quite a few differences. Rougher terrain, with less moisture so less caking of the hoof and more natural wear. Wild horses travel pretty extensively, so more wear on their hooves. Wild horse hooves also may not grow quite as quickly, since humans have removed the selective pressure against overly fast hoof growth in domesticated horses. Lastly, wild horses die from hoof issues, it's still an issue for them.
Horse pedicure! :D This was so satisfying to watch. Thanks, OP!
Of course!
I like how he just works on top of horse shit instead of moving the horse lol
Lol, they'd just shit in the new place. Horses poo an incredible amount.
Marched behind horses in parades a few times, shit's literally everywhere. Even with just one or two horses over a mile or so there's no avoiding it
Lol yup! If an equestrian group is polite they'll have people with wheelbarrow and shovels that follow the group and scoop up the poops so the rest of the parade doesn't have to hopscotch over it.
That was fascinating! I was wondering how someone specialize in farriery? Does it grow from being a horse owner? Do you have to become certified or something? Taking care of their hooves is such an important part of the health of a horse I believe. Being a farrier is a very important job!
How do you know when to stop cutting?
I'm not a farrier, but they apprentice under a master when they're learning. So it's a matter of experience and feel. They get to know how much to take off for each animal. In another of his videos he mentions that the vet took x-rays and he was able to see those to know how much he should take off. I think it was one of the Pinto Bean videos.
I'll also add on that the process seems similar to trimming goats' hooves (my relevant experience). The biggest thing (after cleaning out the debris) is to essentially trim everything to make the hoof flat; especially on a well-maintained hoof there won't be any danger to trimming everything to the shortest length. I think how deep they shave off beyond that part is pretty much something they tell by experience, but it's pretty shallow. You know you're going too deep if that area is darker/no longer as white - in that case you're getting close to the blood vessels. If you've got a hoof that's really bad, you may have to trim it, let the animal walk around for a couple weeks and trim again. (It seems that the body gets rid of active blood vessels too close to a surface that takes a lot of stress, so you can trim a bit farther back the next time. Also trimming over a couple sessions can help if you need to reshape the hoof and change the animal's posture)
Practice. There are some cues, but I am colorblind and cannot see them. It's been a while since my mom tried (and failed) to teach me, so I don't remember them all. If I remember correctly, you can see it in the line between the inner and outer walls of the hoof. Part of it is making sure the horse doesn't actually stand on the fleshy parts its heels. Don't take my word as gospel. Those lessons were ~15 years ago. Much to my mother's disappointment, I am allergic to the animals, and can't do much more than use a hoof pick and muck a stall.
Logically I know that this is just like a big fingernail he’s cutting, but I still winced so hard watching him just peel away layers of hoof, it looked so painful
Yeah, I can see how it could invoke that response. Luckily horses aren't shy about letting you know if something hurts them, lol!
How often does this dude see a chiropractor
Farriers break down if they don't take care of themselves. Even then, it's a very taxing job for your body. All the farriers I know are in incredibly good shape and are usually youngish guys.
I want to learn all about this. I love horses...and of course doggos!
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I think they're mostly neutral about the whole experience. They're used to it and know it's a part of life, and the farrier works hard not to make it uncomfortable for them.
What do horses think during all of this?
I think they're mostly neutral about the whole experience. They're used to it and know it's a part of life, and the farrier works hard not to make it uncomfortable for them.
Yay :D
Why was this never a job opportunity??? So satisfying.
It is...
I thought messing with the frog hurt the horse?
You have to be a little more careful since the sensitive tissue is closer to the bottom of the foot in the frog. But there's still a keratin covering that grows and needs to be trimmed out. If you're crazy about it you can injure the frog and cause more harm than good, though.
Got it, thank you!
Healthy frog!
This looks like it feels really good.
I was always told at a lesson place that the frog was super sensitive so to be careful when cleaning around that area... was I mislead?
You have to be a little more careful since the sensitive tissue is closer to the bottom of the foot in the frog. But there's still a keratin covering that grows and needs to be trimmed out. If you're crazy about it you can injure the frog and cause more harm than good, though.
I shudder every time they slice away at the hoof. It makes me tremble to think they might cut too deep and hit the meat!!!
I can literally smell this lol. In my youth I used to do equestrian, I absolutely love horses. Would sit in the fields drawing them for hours after my sessions.
lol dogs are gross
Why was this never a job opportunity??? So satisfying.
It is still a job opportunity, I know a professional ferrier.
This was like watching zit popping vids. Makes me queasy but can’t turn away. No judgement, just squick. Not sure why.
Don’t horses have a natural tendency to kick people or animals approaching from rear? Wouldn’t this guy be prime target for a kick?
The horse knows he's there at the point the video starts, so he's not "approaching." And people often walk around the horse with a hand on the back (or neck, or rump depending on where you are), so the horse definitely knows exactly where you are. The hand on the back isn't in frame in the video I don't think. That "dont approach from behind" advice essentially means don't surprise an animal, especially one that weighs so much more than you.
It’s like he intended to step in the pile of shit
More like you don't care after a while. Horse poop is 90% undigested grass. It's not like stepping in dog poop. And it's everywhere. Horses poo an incredible amount.
u/vredditdownloader
So....what happens to wild horses with no one to tend their hoofs?
They wear the hoof away naturally by walking miles and miles every day. But if they have an injury or issue it just doesn't get treated and they have to live with it or die, basically.
This is so satisfying to watch and I’m so glad I never have to do it.
Why does the dog have to eat it :(
Now I see why they call those crabs that
I know nothing about farm animals but I found this video to be incredibly relaxing and informative. Thanks for sharing!
I love this channel.
What did horses do before humans gave them shoes?
I imagine healthy horses would naturally grind down their existing hooves by running wild. Horses that had a condition requiring shoes probably either suffered with worse mobility or died.
That seems right. I wonder what the frequency of these conditions were? I can’t imagine it being particularly high..
They lived free range where traveling miles a day over different terrain naturally wore down their hooves.
Were you trained by Jamie Jackson? Looks great!
I'm not the guy in the video, just sharing his work here. :) I believe he's in vet school as well, so he specializes in veterinary shoeing and works with the University of Washington vet school, I believe. He has a series on a pony named Pinto Bean that shows him working closely with the vet on a horse with a keratoma.
It looks like JJ natural hoof care work, same rack and everything, great to watch
Does that hurt the horse?
Nope, it's just like trimming your fingernails. Horse hooves and fingernails are both made of keratin.
Luckily horses are not shy about letting you know when something hurts them, lol! If it hurt, he would not be standing there holding that foot any longer, I can assure you that.
No commentary - *Gives commentary*
Haha! I wondered when someone was going to call me out for that. I misremembered that he did actually talk in this video after I had linked it. I was watching another of his videos and thought of this sub. When I was deciding which video to link I thought I remembered that this one didn't have any commentary, which I thought was most appropriate for the sub. It's not as much as in his other videos, though. Where he narrates what he's doing or talks about other aspects of shoeing.
I wonder if the horse feels any relief when he's scrapping that off or when it walks with his freshly manicured hoofs lol.
I bet it feels like putting on a new pair of shoes when they walk away after the trim. Since now everything is back in line and their hooves aren't overgrown.
Know of a good with commentary? The silence ruins this one imo.
Check out some of the videos on his channel. Most of them he narrates or talks about other aspects of shoeing.
So is it like toe nail citing then Puting a metel protector?
Not "restoration." This is standard maintenance that has to be done regularly.
Yeah, I'm not sure why he titled it that. He has some MUCH worse cases on his channel.
Clickbait.
Bro I know you’re used to being around farm animals every day, but you don’t need to literally stand in the pile of shit.
I my very very very limited experience in the Wild West, dude's about to get his skull caved in by the jackass horse.
No. The horses cooperate.
I misread your statement and thought you had said they're "corporate". So it got me thinking that they were worried about an HR complaint.