The day a draft horse taught me to stop fighting the foot

For my first two years shoeing, I'd muscle through every trim, especially on big draft feet. I'd clamp that hoof between my knees and just go at it with the nippers, thinking force was the answer. Last fall, a Belgian named Gus in Lancaster County changed that. He'd flinch every time I squeezed, and his owner said, 'He's not being bad, you're just hurting him.' I switched to supporting the foot on my apron and using lighter, quicker cuts. Now I get through a draft trim in about 25 minutes with way less sweat and zero complaints from the horse. Has anyone else had a client animal straight up teach them a better method?

2 comments

2 Comments

shah.olivia22d ago

Oh man, that's so real. I had a similar thing with a super tense pony who hated the rasp. I started just resting it on the hoof instead of pushing down, and the difference was crazy. It's wild how much they tell you if you just pay attention.

gavinperez21d agoOG Member

It's like that with people too. You can see someone shut down when you push too hard, but they open up if you just give them space. The pony thing is a perfect example of how pressure backfires.