That time a horse in Redmond spooked and I had to think fast

I was trimming a big quarter horse at a barn near Redmond last month, and he suddenly jumped sideways while I had his front foot up. My rasp slipped and I took off a bit too much from the toe. Instead of trying to fix it right then and risk making it worse, I put his foot down, gave him a minute to settle, and then just did a very light touch up on the other front to match. It wasn't perfect, but it was safe and even. Anyone else had a tool slip at a bad moment and how did you handle it?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_susan2d ago

Matching a mistake on the other hoof just makes two bad trims instead of one. You should have corrected the original slip right away, even if the horse was antsy. A good farrier fixes errors, not spreads them out to look even.

fiona_murphy2d agoMost Upvoted

My old farrier taught me that sometimes matching a slight angle is kinder than a perfect fix if the horse has learned to stand crooked. It's not about hiding a mistake, it's about managing long term comfort. You have to consider how the horse moves and bears weight, not just the ideal shape of each hoof alone.