A client's comment about hoof balance made me rethink my whole approach

I was working on a big warmblood last month, a regular client. I thought I had his feet looking good and level. His owner, who's been around horses for years but isn't a farrier, watched me finish up and just said, 'His right shoulder looks lower when he walks now.' I brushed it off at first, but I watched the horse walk away and, sure enough, there was a slight dip. I went back and checked my work. I'd been so focused on the foot itself, making the angles perfect on the stand, that I hadn't fully accounted for how his whole leg moved. I spent an extra twenty minutes with him, rasping a bit more off the medial side of that right front. The change was tiny, maybe two millimeters, but it changed his whole stride. Now I make a point to watch every horse take at least ten steps before I even pick up a tool. Has anyone else had a simple observation from a client totally shift a small part of your process?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_gray8h ago

That owner noticing the shoulder dip is a great catch. It shows how a tiny trim change can affect the whole leg. I always watch them walk on hard ground now, not just the soft stand area.

noraj798h ago

Yeah, watching them on hard ground is key. Something I look for is the sound of the footfall on that surface. A tiny change in angle can make the whole step sound different, more of a solid tap than a scuff, before you even see the shoulder move.