Took me 3 years to realize I was trimming hind feet backwards

I've been shoeing for about 6 years now, mostly on my own. Yesterday I was working on a 4-year-old draft cross in Tulsa and my buddy stopped by to chat. He watched me trim the left hind and just sort of tilted his head. He asked why I start at the toe and work back on the hind but start at the heel on the front. I told him I didn't even think about it, that's just how I always did it. He pointed out I was basically fighting the natural motion of the leg, making the horse shift weight weird. I pulled up a video from a clinic I went to in 2021 and sure enough, I had been doing it opposite the whole time. The horse even stood quieter when I tried it his way for the right hind. Has anyone else had one of those moments where you realize you've been doing something basic completely wrong for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_nina1mo ago

Happens to a lot of us man, that blind spot where muscle memory just takes over. Try doing a mock trim on a spare foot or a block next time just to reset your hands. I still catch myself doing stuff backwards if I'm tired and not paying attention to the hoof angle.

ivan821mo ago

Yeah @the_nina, I heard a guy say muscle memory works against you after 8pm.