Question about the way some guys are trimming frog tissue

I keep seeing farriers at shows in Kentucky cut the frog back so far it's basically flush with the sole. That's not a trim, it's a removal. The frog needs some bulk to act as a shock absorber and help with circulation. I saw a horse last month that was sore for a week after a trim like that. Are we just trying to make feet look 'clean' at the cost of function?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_thea23d agoTop Commenter

Yeah, it drives me crazy. I watched a farrier basically scalp my friend's horse's frog last fall, said it was to prevent thrush. The horse was off for ten days, walking on eggshells. It's like they forget the frog is supposed to touch the ground and have some squish to it. Making the foot look neat for the show ring shouldn't mean cutting into live tissue.

the_thea23d agoTop Commenter

I read a study from the University of Florida that measured frog pressure. A healthy frog carries about 20% of the weight during impact. When you cut it all away, that force gets shoved into the heels and bones instead. It's not just about pain, it messes up the whole foot's shock absorption system. No wonder that horse was so sore.

green.victor9d ago

That's just like when people delete system files to make their computer look tidy, then wonder why it crashes. @the_thea is right, function should never get cut for looks.