balancing the hoof

by David Farmilo
Accredited Master Farrier, Oakbank SA
PH 0418 835 186
www.horsefarrier.com.au

What does it mean to “Balance the Hoof”?

Ask a farrier if he balances a hoof and he will say ‘Yes’.

Ask him to describe to you how he balances it and he will generally describe very convoluted ways of doing so without having any specific reference points for others to copy.

• Is “Balancing a Hoof” a matter of trimming or shoeing so that it looks right?
• Is there a simple prescribed method to “Balance the Hoof”?
       If so, is it written in text books?
• What is the method of teaching young apprentice farriers to “Balance the Hoof”?
• Do Farrier Schools have a standard method to “Balance the Hoof”?

Surely we need to make it simpler for young farriers to learn the simple basics if we hope to encourage them to join the trade.

I have been shoeing for 52 years and teaching for 6 years, and I have greatly simplified and developed my method of teaching in that time.

In the eyes of the academics and the purists, my teaching method may not be their perfect method of shoeing, but it certainly achieves a very high degree of accuracy in a short amount of time while under the horse and enables the pupil to quickly understand what to look for and to solve the majority of problems.

I have also developed a tool to enable the balance of the hoof to be checked quickly and simply while under the horse. For those who deride this as being a money making exercise, you can go get a strip of timber and make your own, or you can buy mine which is made of stainless steel and comes complete with an instruction DVD and a free copy of my book, its entirely your choice.

I set my centre of balance 19mm behind the active tip of the frog, and the measurement from there to the toe and to a line across the buttress of the heels should be equal when the hoof is trimmed in accordance with my prescribed trimming method.

The medial-lateral measurement should also be equal, but not necessarily the same as the measurements from frog to toe and to heel.

SO after all that …

WHAT IF….

• IF there was a simple and easy to understand method to trim the hoof.
• IF the method could be written down in simple language that didn’t need a lawyer
        to translate it.
• IF the method could be verbalised in simple language.
• IF it could be understood and appreciated by farrier and horse owner alike.
• IF the method could be applied easily while under the horse.
• IF this simple method eliminated most of the hoof problems seen today

This is the method that I teach. I make a policy of not using technical terms.


BALANCING THE HOOF
DAVID FARMILO’S METHOD
(in conjunction with David Farmilo’s HOOF-LINE)

1. Observe the hooves and always start with the larger hoof (the dominant hoof) to avoid over-trimming the smaller hoof.

2. Clean out manure and dirt from under side of hoof with hoof pick.

3. Starting at the tip, clean out the edge of the frog down to the bars which identifies the natural frog/sole junction.

4. From there, working out to the hoof wall/live sole junction, remove only dead flaky sole to leave the sole as concave as possible. Remove excess sole ONLY down to the bottom of fissure cracks, no further.

5. Lightly trim the frog with knife or nipper to an even ‘V’ shape. Then trim the tip of the frog to expose the join at the active sole thus ‘exposing the active tip’.

6. Trim the bars of excess height and clean out seat of corn area.

7. Place HOOF-LINE flat on the centre of hoof WITH TIP OF TRIANGLE ON TIP OF ACTIVE FROG. The graduations will show the length to toe compared to length at heel (at a straight line across the heel buttresses). In the finished prepared hoof these two halves must be equal distances from base of triangle.

IF front half (toe) is longer than back half (heel) –

1. Leave the heels untouched and using rasp or cutters, trim the FRONT HALF ONLY to a level surface to suit either barefoot (+4mm) or shoe fitting preparation. DO NOT OVER RASP.

2. When front half is level - correct thickening in hoof capsule at toe section only. Uneven thickness is caused by flaring of the hoof in toe area. Bring hoof forward on knee or hoof-stand and carefully rasp any flare away to copy the ideal or normal shape of the coronary band at the front of the hoof only, rasping no higher than the nail clinch area. Check to ensure an even thickness of hoof wall capsule around toe area is maintained. DO NOT rasp either side of hoof wall.

3. Using HOOF-LINE, measure length at finished toe. When the hoof wall capsule is prepared correctly, the measurement in the front half will then be correct, so use marker pen to mark same measurement to heel (to a straight line across the heel buttress). IF it is already correct – leave it alone. IF it is shorter, lower heels to marked level.

4. Taking hoof forward again, rasp side walls and heel flares to copy ideal or normal shape of the coronary band. DO NOT OVER RASP.

5. If leaving unshod, bevel leading edges of hoof wall slightly. If shod, shoes must finish at the heel buttress to maintain correct hoof balance.

IF toe is already at the correct length and there are no flares in the toe, the heel buttresses will usually measure too short – so by lowering the heels, a balanced measurement will be achieved.

When this balanced measurement is achieved in the bottom of the hoof,

• the front of the hoof wall is parallel with the pastern angle,
• the hoof shape is a mirror image of the ideal/normal coronary band,
• there are no flares in the hoof wall
• and the hoof is stress free.

Following this method gives the user the ability to consistently duplicate a time efficient method of achieving a correctly balanced hoof. In some extreme cases it may take 2 or 3 shoeings to achieve a balanced measurement, but that same horse may have been out of balance and in pain for years.

The HOOF-LINE used in conjunction with my trimming method helps eliminate lameness by correcting long toe / low heel problems or high heel / short toe problems; it eliminates flares which are a major cause of instability in the hoof; it helps correct contracted heels which are the result of minimal frog contact and also eliminates the need for remedial shoes which often exacerbate the problems. It even saves further time by allowing the farrier to take the measurements to the anvil and shape the shoe according to the measurements of the finished hoof.

The major advantage is that this method takes the guesswork out of hoof preparation. HOOF-LINE is arguably the first accurate tool in the world for achieving hoof balance while under the horse without the need for x-rays or complex application of technical measuring aids.

The process is of course dependent on the user preparing and measuring the hoof correctly, and no responsibility or liability is taken or implied.

To further simplify and explain the procedure for
teaching and for quick student reference, I have
also put the method into the slide
presentation below.

Balancing the Hoof GO TO Image 1 Image 2 Image 3 Image 4 Image 5 Image 6 Image 7 Image 8 Image 9 Image 10 Image 11 Image 12 Image 13 Image 14 Image 15 Image 16 Image 17 Image 18

How to Balance the Hoof Printable version of presentation above - PDF

I welcome all queries and comments, and am available at all times to anyone who cares to
contact me via email at david@horsefarrier.com.au