TLC Hoof Trimming

04/24/2025

Let’s carpe this diem 😎

04/22/2025

Well, this isn't even close to my best work, and drives my hoof OCD bonkers! But I decided it was worth a post anyways. There's a lot to be learned in imperfection, and "trusting the process".

The PRIMARY goal of this trim was to have a positive experience for this young filly while giving her a functional, not beautiful, trim.

By the time I got to this hind hoof, she was running pretty short on attention span. Luckily, I was still able to get this hoof on the right track, all while giving the filly the confidence about trimming that she needs.

The imperfect tubule growth of these hooves was really interesting to me. My goals were to be a disrupter in this process, and get these tubules to straighten up.

I'm not happy with the HPA still, but am reminding myself to "trust the process" and to let the hooves do some of the work.

It takes more than one trim to solve every hoof problem. I can't wait to document this filly's progress, and with a successful last trim, she will hopefully be more willing to let me go a little farther with this hoof the next time 💞

04/22/2025

Turnout is one of the most polarizing topics in modern horse keeping. So, let’s skip the debate. We’ve gathered some results from veterinary science, peer-reviewed journals, and international welfare assessments. These are real numbers, from real studies, so you can make strategic decisions rooted in evidence, not tradition.

-A 25% reduction in soft tissue injuries was found in adult horses turned out for at least 12 hours daily, compared to those kept in stalls greater than 12 hours daily. (Reilly & Bryk-Lucy, 2021)

-Comparing turnout duration, a study found that horses with only 2 hours of turnout exhibited significantly higher energy levels, anxiety, and behaviors such as rearing, bucking, and fence running, whereas horses receiving over 12 hours of turnout were more likely to walk, graze, and remain calm. (Hockenhull & Creighton, 2010)

-Foals receiving inconsistent turnout (9 to 23 hours per day) had 4.6 times more musculoskeletal injuries than those with 24/7 access to turnout. Furthermore, for every extra acre of turnout, there was a 24% reduction in injury risk. (Brown-Douglas et al., 2022)

-A study on 2-year-old horses found that those kept in individual stalls required more time to get used to training activities and showed more unwanted behaviors, like resistance or agitation, than horses kept on pasture. The stalled horses needed an average of 26 minutes of training time, while the pastured horses needed only 19 minutes, to complete the same task. Additionally, the stalled horses were more likely to show unwanted behaviors during training (8 instances on average compared to just 2 for pastured horses). (Rivera et al., 2002)

-Stall-kept livestock experience a higher incidence of hoof-related issues, including uneven hoof growth and lameness, while those with access to turnout demonstrated healthier, more balanced hoof development. (Black, R.A. et al., 2017)

-A European welfare study using the AWIN protocol assessed 315 horses in group-housing turnout systems. Only 2.3% of these horses exhibited signs of lameness, compared to lameness rates as high as 33% in stalled horses across various studies. (AWIN Welfare Assessment, 2023)

-Within just one day of moving from group turnout to individual stalling, equine cortisol levels spike, and their white blood cell count shows significant changes, including a 25% increase in neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) and a decrease in infection-fighting cells like monocytes and T cells. Additionally, behaviors indicative of stress, such as oral manipulation, neighing, pawing, and apathy, became evident in most horses within a week. (Schmucker et al., 2022)

-Horses with regular turnout showed higher heart rate variability, indicating improved balance in their autonomic nervous system and greater stress resilience. (Rietmann et al., 2004)

-Welsh ponies who received daily pasture turnout in a herd exhibited fewer stress-related behaviors, were significantly calmer, less fearful, less reactive, more interactive with humans, and more adaptable in learning tasks compared to ponies housed in impoverished environments (stalls with limited turnout). Even three months after the study, ponies in the enriched group retained these positive behaviors and demonstrated higher curiosity and superior learning performance. (Lansade et al., 2014)

Can you find a single peer-reviewed study that shows horses kept stabled 24/7 are sounder, healthier, or happier than those with regular turnout? Even the most finely tuned, performance-focused horses are still horses. Just like any other, they require room to roam, stretch their legs, and engage in natural behaviors such as grazing and socializing.

It’s important to recognize that no horse truly dislikes turnout. If a horse resists going outside, it’s due to improper conditioning, previous negative experiences, or being overwhelmed by a sudden change in environment: what’s known as "flooding." Horses who’ve been confined for extended periods or who’ve never had proper exposure to outdoor spaces may react with anxiety or reluctance. These reactions stem from fear, not from an inherent dislike of turnout. With patience and gradual exposure, every horse can be reconditioned to embrace the outdoors. After all, instincts tell them to roam, graze, and move, it's in their nature.

Of course, there are times when limiting a horse's movement is necessary, such as during health issues or transportation. In these instances, it’s crucial to understand the physiological and psychological changes that occur so we can minimize stress and discomfort.

Turnout is a biological necessity. To support our horses’ overall health and well-being, we must prioritize their freedom to move. After all, a healthy, happy horse is one that has the opportunity to be just that: a horse.

04/21/2025

Would you eat a salad without any dressing? Most would answer a resounding "no", and I think the general consensus is if I'm going to be eating this flavorless lettuce, it needs to be spruced up a bit. Salad dressing unifies the dish, and all the elements of the salad are blended together, equally contributing to the zest. And sometimes, the dressing is all that required to make a rather unsavory dish palatable.

Must like salad dressing, top dressing a hoof (or dorsal wall rasping) unifies the work done to balance the hoof, and sometimes it's the single factor that makes a biggest difference in extreme cases of flare.

Lately, I've seen comments that claim "there are no lever forces".

Lever forces refer to the force the hoof needs to breakover and particularly at the toe. The longer the toe, the greater the lever forces are needed to transition from loading phase to flight phase of the hoof. Ground reaction force refers to the force the ground puts on something that is in contact with it. Both of these are at play as the horse traverses it's environment.

Flare tells us that there is too much pressure. When we remove flare, we provide the hoof more time before that area makes ground contact, and the hoof can relax for a longer period before the lever and ground reaction forces cause distortions. This encourages the tubules to grow straight instead of curled/distorted.

Whenever I see comments about the nonexistence of lever forces, I wonder, how do you think the horse moves through the environment? How is the hoof breaking over? How is flare caused in the hoof then? If there are no lever forces affecting the hoof, shouldn't it theoretically always grow straight down without deviation? The logic just isn't there in my opinion. And in fact, it's been studied that long toes act as lever forces, and damage the balance of the hoof and structures way above it!

04/20/2025

My husband’s handiwork 😍

04/18/2025

A bevel from a different view. A bevel is essentially removing outer pigmented wall while leaving the inner white wall. To learn more about hooves and hoof trimming techniques, be sure to check out my online courses 😀 https://tlchooftrimming.com/online-courses/

04/15/2025

Heels slippered and bevel applied on this club foot.

04/14/2025

Heel bulb relaxation in just one trim. It's slight, but the devil is in the details when it comes to trimming 😉 You can see slightly shallower green curves, and less arch where the green lines meet above the frog.

04/13/2025

Some cool before & after's from this week. I LOVE the coronet band relaxation in the first pic 😍

04/12/2025

How we look at hooves can be as complicated or as simple as you want to make it. Professionals weigh in and many factors come into play. Owners can look at a hoof and know "it just doesn't look right".

No matter how complicated or simple you want to make it, the hoof's primary job is to support the horse's limb.

The hoof on this mare is always a reminder of the simplicity of that principle. Due to a rough start in life, injury, and arthritis, this mare's fetlock and pastern joints are misaligned. This causes her hoof to be weighted heavily on the outside (lateral side). In effect, the hoof then flares radically to the inside (medial side).

Without proper and regular maintenance, the inside flare becomes out of control and adds further strain to the pastern and fetlock.

I see comments about not rasping the dorsal wall from some popular “hoof gurus” and "methods". I can't imagine how this mare would cope without removing the inside flare of her dorsal wall.

We can see the disconnect in the hoof growth, reflective of the uneven weight distribution from the joints above. The green arrows are the exact same angle, but the joint misalignment makes them look skewed. The tan arrow between them demonstrates the direction of the growth that this hoof will do if left unchecked.

Thinning the dorsal hoof wall isn't ideal, but it is a necessary and handy tool to regulate improper tubule growth. It will achieve results faster, and the hoof capsule "falls in line" when the tubules aren't being pulled in wonky directions.

If the dorsal wall on this hoof wasn’t relieved and left to flare on its own, the outside of this mare’s leg would continuously lose support.

04/10/2025

Gettin’ after it

04/08/2025

I want to thank my clients for their love and support during my extended pregnancy and maternity leave as well as the trimmers that covered for me while I was out bringing this precious bundle of joy into the world 🤗

The time off gave me the space to give my baby girl the best welcome into the world and to complete my online trimming course. I’ll be forever grateful! Time is our most precious commodity, and it’s been nothing short of splendid 🥰

But now, it’s time for me to start phasing back into work 😊 I’m so excited to catch up with clients and get back to providing their horses that 😍

I’m currently working on the east side of Tucson and accepting new clients in this part of town 🙂 I’ll be resuming work farther from home in a month or so.

04/06/2025

Frog Engagement - what is it and why is it important?

The role of the frog in the hoof is to pump blood, absorb shock, stimulate the digital cushion, and support the bony alignment in the hoof capsule. There's a lot riding on frogs - literally and figuratively!

For the frog to properly function, it needs to be "engaged" meaning it needs to be weight-bearing when the hoof lands on the ground. The hoof is designed to dissipate pressure starting with the frog which then transfers this force to the digital cushion. The digital cushion responds to this stimulation by growing in size. The digital cushion sits between each of the lateral cartilages of the hoof, which provide stability to the hoof. These structures form a unique balance and pivotal role in the hoof capsule.

However, this system can become disrupted. Overtrimming the frog or shoeing the horse without applying frog support will inevitably cause changes to the back of the horse's hoof. Chronic thrush infections can also cause this same type of disruption. When the frog is taken out of the equation, the digital cushion is not adequately stimulated and atrophies; the lateral cartilages migrate towards the center of the hoof and harden. Heels contract, and the hoof becomes oblong instead of round. In extreme cases, horses can experience caudal failure where the back of the hoof is so unsupported that the frog prolapses.

So don't underestimate the vital role this oddly-named hoof structure plays in your horse's overall health and well-being!

did you know that the frog's etymology may have superstitious roots? One theory postulates that horseman used to carry frog bones in their pockets for good luck, and the pelvis bone of a frog has the same shape as the horse's frog. So it was thusly called 🤯

04/04/2025

Did you know? 🧐 With the purchase of the Hoof Trimming Basics Course, you will be given access to the TLC Hoof Trimming Community Facebook group where other like-minded individuals can come together for coaching, support, and discussion about all things hoof trimming! Can't forget that ! either!

We hope to see you there, and hope you enjoy the Hoof Trimming Basics course!!! 🥳

https://tlchooftrimming.com/course/hoof-trimming-basics/

04/03/2025

📣📣📣 It’s HERE!!!! It’s finally here! 📣📣📣

The Hoof Trimming Basics course is now LIVE! And ready for enrollment!

If you are ready to further your understanding of hoof trimming techniques and concepts, this course is for you 😊

Upon completion, you will learn the trimming techniques and principles needed to give horses functional and healthy hooves. You will also learn how hoof trimming relates to a horse’s posture.

This course uses multiple learning modalities including written explanations, diagrams, trimming photos, and video clips giving students a variety of ways to grasp concepts. The “Hoof Trimming Basics” course is designed to be easily understood while still being informative.

It is suitable for owners, enthusiasts, and fellow trimmers who would like to learn more about proven natural barefoot trimming methods and correcting hoof distortions.

If your bevel game needs a little , this course is for you!

It’s currently being offered at an introductory rate of $274.99 😊 so don’t miss out 😏

I hope you enjoy and learn even more than you imagined!

Supporting Horses, Owners, and Fellow Trimmers on their hoof care journey.

03/31/2025

I took these photos at a hoof dissection hosted here in Tucson by Paige Poss. They show the papillae of a hoof. Papillae are finger-like projections that deliver nutrients and grown hoof horn. Each papillae has a corresponding terminal that grows the external hoof that we see on our horses.

Because the bars are an extension of the hoof wall (which has laminae instead of papillae), they do not have papillae. Instead, we can see the sensitive laminae of the bars on the ventral hoof corium.

01/19/2024

I have a HUGE but SMALL favor to ask 💗! And if you’re following my page already, THANK YOU!

Go to my business’ page TLC Hoof Trimming and press on the 3 little dots … on the right side of page

- Hit “Invite Friends”
- Select "Invite All"
- Done

You just SUCCESSFULLY supported my business for $0.00 and less than 1 minute of your time. ✊🏻

Thank you for supporting small and local businesses.

Copied but wanted to share as this is an amazing way to help us small business owners for free.

*I highly encourage my small business friends to copy this and use it!*

01/17/2024

We've followed Dr. Robert Bowker's advice for a couple decades now, and it has worked well for us. I don't wish to criticize those who practice differently, but I have always been shocked at how most of the hoofcare world has largely ignored Bowker's research, data, and advice. He has the receipts! He's a very kind person so not into arguing. In this current world, if you're not a loud mouth blabbing away, no one listens. But his information is spot on.

Want to debate the toes? How about THIS: "With the long toe, P3 is remodeling! The hoof wall grows LONGER and this elevates the periosteum off the coffin bone, and that space fills in with BONE (which elongates the coffin bone). The toes gets longer and longer. With a slipper toe, the periosteum goes out towards this slipper; the coffin bone will creep. The entire bone remodels forward. Everything is interactive. If the palmar process gets longer, the toes are too long."

Bowker is adamant: you MUST trim into the white line to shorten the toes to rehab a long-toed foot. "Horses will be sore when the semilunar line to tip of P3 is in excess of 40mm, and thus the toe is long. This happens because trimmers are afraid to come inside the white line! Farriers NEVER come inside the white line. And vets do not trim."

Conversations about this need to happen. The trimmers who put this into practice know that it works. Short toes are the best thing you can do for a horse's foot.

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Happy Hooves! - Yvonne Welz