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The last few days I have had a very bad pain in my heel on my right foot. It really hurts! So it made me think, if it's one of his right legs/hoofs that's hurting. But today I also felt a sudden pain in my left leg when we were out walking (coming from nothing, like the heel pain). Not less confusion
Emilie, I just want to put this idea forward for you to keep in the back of your mind.. Mull it over, and see if over time, you think it's right or wrong. Feel free to toss it out if it's wrong!
I'm thinking that it may actually be Fauni's heels that ARE sore.. and they're both sore.. sometimes one is a little sore, so he tries to take more weight on the other, and that makes the other one sore instead. I would also guess that it's his right that is more painful than the left. I also see what "Hooflady" sees in the angles of that right foot. Looks like his foot has been trimmed very short, with the heels cut right back into live sole, and the toes left quite long. Some horses will get sore like this. (I know.. because I've done it! I've also cut frogs and made them bleed.
And the horses certainly limped afterwards. Luckily horses are forgiving and I've gone on to learn something from my mistakes. If the blood that you saw was bright red and liquid, then you definitely cut into live tissue. And it hurt, just the same as if you took the hoof knife and knicked into blood on your own sole. If it was dark and congealed it is possible it was from an older injury. Blood deoxygenates very quickly so it's easy to tell.)
I think you're very brave and smart to want to learn to trim your own horse. I did it that way too.. probably for the same reasons.. because there was no-one here in this country that i live in who I could trust to do it. Turned out I caused them a few problems when I was learning too, but the good thing was, doing it myself, I was aware of the problems and it was hard to not notice when I made them more sore by my trimming! So.. I would just urge you to keep an eye on things.. if Fauni feels the same or better after your trim, you've got it right! Great! If you find that it happens sometimes that he feels slightly off after a trim, watch for a pattern, and see what you can learn. Let your HORSE be your trimming teacher.
Lots of people will be able to telll you their ways of doing things: some of it will be spot on and you'll do it well, some of it might be right but you don't quite have the experience to apply it correctly, and some of it will be just plain WRONG!
Now.. I've got one more thing to say.. and I'm hoping I"m not going to get shot for it...
I just can't help myself though because I love to see horses with happy feet! And I love to see happy owners with happy horses with happy feet!
In my opinion, there was VERY LITTLE wrong with Fauni's feet to begin with. His feet had wonderful thick soles, good strong heel butresses, straight walls... all he needed was one good trim of the excess hoof wall to get those high heels down and relax his body. Some things look better now.. yes, his body is standing more square and relaxed.. but other things, imo are looking worse. It seems to me that his sole is quite likely weakened and dropping with excess trimming as you try to create the perfect shape under there. I would definitely stop trimming his heels, bars soles and frogs for a little while and just round up the toes... and see if that makes him feel better or worse.
Now.. before you do shoot me as an anti-Strasser trimmer....
... I'm not anti-strasser method per se.. So long as it's a qualified, preferably trained by Dr Strasser herself, trimmer doing the work. The Strasser method IS invasive, and it needs very skilful precise application. In many cases when Strasser trimmers are working on transitioning horses, they even remove them to special facilities where the horses can walk on rubber because the trimming can HURT. On the other hand, the "less is more" style of trimming, IMO, can be easier learnt, and fairly safely used by inexperienced owners, so long as they're willing to read and learn and "ask the horse".
Okay.. soo.... it's also completely possible that the lump on Fauni's leg is hurting him.. and by all means, follow that up. But please.. just keep what I've said in the back of your mind, and see how it sits with you and Fauni over time. Feel free to ask me questions if there's anything I can help with.
Cheers!
And good on you for being willing to try!
Sue
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I have not sought the horse of bits, bridles, saddles and shackles,
But the horse of the wind, the horse of freedom, the horse of the dream. [Robert Vavra]