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My old boss in Kentucky told me to always use a hoof stand for trimming, even on quiet horses.
I worked for him for about a year and he drilled that into my head, said it was about building good habits. So I did, even on the super calm geldings that just stand there. Then I started my own route and got a call for a big draft horse with a real bad case of thrush. The owner's place was a mess, and I dropped my hoof stand in some deep mud right at the start. The horse was a giant but a sweetheart, so I just went for it, holding the hoof between my knees like I used to before that job. Got the whole trim and treatment done way faster without fussing with the stand. It made me think maybe that 'always' rule isn't for every single horse or messy situation. What's a piece of 'always' or 'never' advice you've heard that you ended up breaking?
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the_terry19d ago
Nah, your old boss was right. That "always" rule is for when things go wrong, not when they're easy.
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umar5919d ago
My old trainer had a "never skip the helmet" rule, even lunging. Then a horse got cast in his stall and I ran out without it to help. @the_terry makes a good point about safety rules, but sometimes the messy real world makes you bend them.
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