Have you ever struggled getting your tight-fitting Easyboots onto your horse’s hooves towards the end of the trimming cycle? Some of our styles, such as the Easyboot Glove Soft, don’t offer a lot of extra room for hoof growth.
Just as you can take a nail file to your own fingernails, you can take a rasp to your horse’s hoof to file away just enough toe to be able to use your boots until your hoof care practitioner can trim your horse’s hooves.
Working on your horse’s hooves for the first time can be terrifying. Just remember that the advantage you have working with your own horse is that no one knows your horse better than you, and you’ve probably looked at your horse’s hooves more often than anyone else. You know what’s normal for your horse, in particular.
Remember to work slowly and carefully. After you’ve cleaned the hoof with a hoof pick, use your rasp to file off a little of the toe. Use short, even strokes in one direction. Check your progress frequently by putting your horse’s hoof on a flat surface to make sure it’s looking balanced, and keep trying on your Easyboot to see how it’s fitting as you take off more hoof. Err on the side of taking off less as you go along, as you can always take off a little more, but you can’t re-apply any hoof you’ve already rasped off.
When your your hoof care practitioner next comes to trim your horse’s hooves, ask him or her to check your work. Ask for advice on what you could do differently next time. You may even consider taking a course from a professional to receive individualized, hands-on experience if you’d like to continue learning and working on your horse’s hooves.
The longer you keep working at your trimming technique, the more comfortable you’ll feel with it. While we wouldn’t recommend that everyone start doing all of their horse’s trimming without some guidance, it can be empowering and wise to start doing some of the maintaining. Not only will it keep your Easyboots fitting better, but it can save you some money when you start stretching the amount of time between trimming appointments.
Let us know your tips and tricks if you trim your horse’s hooves.
Good point on taking off a little at a time; just like a haircut!
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