Heard a trainer at a clinic in Kentucky say something about hoof wall thickness that stuck with me

I was at a clinic near Lexington last month, and one of the demo trainers mentioned he always checks the medial wall thickness on a new horse before picking a shoe. He said he's found a difference of more than 2 millimeters side to side can really throw off the breakover if you don't account for it. I mean, I always look for flares and cracks, but I hadn't been measuring that specific thing. Tried it on a couple of my regular clients this week, and sure enough, one of the quarter horses had a 3mm difference. It made me adjust my trim before I even grabbed the steel. Anyone else track that measurement, or have a different early check you always do?

2 comments

2 Comments

adamellis7d ago

Guess you can't trust a horse by its cover either.

ryan7197d ago

Totally feel that, @adamellis. Saw a super calm looking pony at a fair once, thought it would be a chill ride. Thing was a total speed demon, nearly bounced me right off. Really learned my lesson about judging animals that day. Makes you second guess every creature that seems too gentle. Your horse story just proves the point even more.