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That time a horse in Redmond spooked and I had to think fast
I was trimming a big quarter horse at a barn near Redmond last month, and he suddenly jumped sideways while I had his front foot up. My rasp slipped and I took off a bit too much from the toe. Instead of trying to fix it right then and risk making it worse, I put his foot down, gave him a minute to settle, and then just did a very light touch up on the other front to match. It wasn't perfect, but it was safe and even. Anyone else had a tool slip at a bad moment and how did you handle it?
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scott.drew5mo ago
My rasp slipped on a draft horse in Enumclaw, so I matched the other hoof just like you did, worked out fine.
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the_susan5mo ago
Matching a mistake on the other hoof just makes two bad trims instead of one. You should have corrected the original slip right away, even if the horse was antsy. A good farrier fixes errors, not spreads them out to look even.
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fiona_murphy5mo ago
My old farrier taught me that sometimes matching a slight angle is kinder than a perfect fix if the horse has learned to stand crooked. It's not about hiding a mistake, it's about managing long term comfort. You have to consider how the horse moves and bears weight, not just the ideal shape of each hoof alone.
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