how many of you trim your own mini hoves

[mytwoladies]

one of my minis came to me at 1 1/2 yrs old an the owner nevr had a farrier or trimmed the frog good or bad

 

[Cavallini Farms]

There are plenty of do-it-yourself books out there for horse-owners. Patience is really important if your horse has not had this experience before.

 

[WJS]

I trim every other time, keeps the bills down and I dont loose the shape.

There are plenty of do-it-yourself books out there for horse-owners. Patience is really important if your horse has not had this experience before.

 

[Ashley]

I always did the minis myself. I would have the trimmer look at them when he did the big guys and always gave me a thumbs up.

That said if you mare hasnt ever had her feet done, you might want to start with somebody else to get them back in to proper shape first. Now if you are just saying never trimmed the frog.......to me thats not as big of a deal. I have yet to find a farrier around here that does, and they do shed them.

 

[Miniv]

For your guy I'd have a farrier to start with. He/She can show you things while working. Books are great but hands on instruction is even better.

I also suspect you will need someone to be at your little guy's head, even if tied.

 

[mytwoladies]

thank you all for your time and very helpfull info the vet comes on monday for a health check maybe he can recomend a farrier

 

[Reble]

one of my minis came to me at 1 1/2 yrs old an the owner nevr had a farrier or trimmed the frog good or bad

We do not trim our own, but one thing is too make sure minis need more heels trimmed more than the big horses.

Lot of farriers like to leave heal.

 

[Sandee]

We do not trim our own, but one thing is too make sure minis need more heels trimmed more than the big horses.

Lot of farriers like to leave heal.

Yes, they do and then my vet likes to see the heel down -- that leaves me caught in the middle.

Then there's the "if ya leave the toe longer, they'll have more action." I'd love to find two people that had the same opinion on feet, clipping, feeding, and on and on....

 

[MiLo Minis]

Speaking as a farrier myself, I don't like to see people just randomly beginning to experiment on their horse's feet themselves. When I went to school we had cadaver hooves to work on to start so that we didn't hurt any live animals. Read up on everything you can about horse's feet - that is a good place to start and then IF you have a good farrier that will help you learn go for it but otherwise I would recommend that you invest a bit of money in a course on farriering before working on your horses yourself. A lot of damage can be done by not getting the feet trimmed properly, not just to their feet but their legs, back, hips, etc. No foot = no horse.

 

[Double T]

Speaking as a farrier myself, I don't like to see people just randomly beginning to experiment on their horse's feet themselves. When I went to school we had cadaver hooves to work on to start so that we didn't hurt any live animals. Read up on everything you can about horse's feet - that is a good place to start and then IF you have a good farrier that will help you learn go for it but otherwise I would recommend that you invest a bit of money in a course on farriering before working on your horses yourself. A lot of damage can be done by not getting the feet trimmed properly, not just to their feet but their legs, back, hips, etc. No foot = no horse.

Ditto this, I'm not a farrier, but my husband is and is the one that takes care of the big horses. I will do my mini's becuase it's hard for him to get under them but he's taught me a lot about it and always checks my work. I sure wouldn't go off willy nilly or go off with just a how to book, without having someone that knows what they are doing there to supervise until you get to where you know what your doing. But once you figure it out it's not hard to do honestly.