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Trimming the Sole

Basically the contours of the sole should follow the contours of the underlying coffin bone, this varies from horse to horse. One aspect to this contour that is universal is it will be at least somewhat concave except for the outer 3/8 to 1/2 inch which is relatively flat.

The way I now see it the first 6 or so trims on any horse are at least somewhat transitional. That is unless the horse happens to have nicely trimmed and well balanced feet to begin with and I don't recall any horse I have had for a first trim being that way. When I trim the soles I look for what fits that particular horse. Lots of things come into play here such as available depth of the foot (determined by the depth of the co-lateral grooves) spatial relationships between the various parts of the hoof (toe length, heel height (or length), are the heels underslung?), frog length and condition and lastly sole integrity, which can be determined by appearance once you know what to look for.

I stopped worrying about those little cracks in the sole a long time ago, I just try to trim any excess build up of sole to about 1/2 of it's current thickness on that day. What I consider excess is determined mostly by gauging the depth of the "crack" (dirt line) between the frog and the sole just forward of the co-lateral grooves. I like to leave at least 1/8" of "callous" all over for comfort, once this level is obtained I just smooth out any lumps or bumps. So, using the abrasive method I can reduce the excess sole just enough to provide the necessary concavity and for adequate hoof mechanism and this movement combined with the increased flexibility brought about by reducing the thickness will cause any additional true excess of sole to exfoliate on it's own soon after the trim. If it doesn't, it's because the foot is not quite ready to give up that added protection and it will probably flake off after the next trim or the one after. A little soaking can hasten this process.

I have found by about 6 trims spaced 4 weeks apart most horses develop nice concavity which is still there just BEFORE the next trim. Trimming the sole this way brings about a truly natural balance in the feet without stressing joints, tendons or ligaments and is eventually more or less self maintaining between trims as long as the feet are not neglected. At this point you just have to clear off any irregularities like lumps or bumps. And there is never a problem with sore feet.

Adequate movement is one of the most important contributors to healthy feet and if the trim makes the horse sore the movement is diminished so hurrying the transition can actually be detrimental to what we are all trying to do which is to achieve healthy, happy feet on our horses.

Of course there is the occasional exception to this procedure and then you have to find the best trim by trial and error. Foundered horses for instance require a somewhat different approach until their feet begin to look "normal" again. There just isn't any one set way to trim all horses. What I have stated above seems to work well for MOST horses, partly because it uses a lot of variables which are determined by the condition of the individual foot at each time of trimming.

Another thing to keep in mind which has become more and more apparent to me as time goes by and people send me photos to ask for trimming advice is that a photo does not necessarily look the same as the foot looks in person. I think this is mostly due to the difference between a 2 dimensional view and a 3 dimensional view. Solar depth for instance does not usually display accurately in a photo. Heel height can be deceiving as well depending on the angle at which the photo was taken. A photo of a grinder trim can look like it was a drastically aggressive attack on the sole when actually all that was done is a light cleaning off and smoothing out!

I would like to add here that leaving the sole completely alone is probably fine for horses that travel at least 10 miles per day on dry abrasive terrain. However they otherwise need the stimulation of at least a good cleaning off of the outer most layer at least once a month to stimulate new healthy sole growth, that's just how nature works!