Chat
02-07-2014, 11:10 AM
I'll bet you can find a video on YouTube. I got a booklet on hoof trimming, but honestly it was more something I had to learn by look and feel. Seems like all the pictures and diagrams in the world never look the same as when you're standing there with a hoof in one hand and nippers in the other. It would have been nice to have a knowledgable friend to help me out, but when I first got Cuzco I was the only person I knew who had a goat. As long as your goats appear to have normal hooves and no "issues" you should be ok if you take your time to trim carefully and try to maintain an even appearance. I'm not an expert by any means, but I've picked up a few things over the years.
Try to achieve levelness and symmetry, but don't get so hung up on it that you neglect each goat's unique conformation. The best lesson I learned about trimming goat hooves actually came from the guy who trims my horses. He's a barefoot natural trimmer who works WITH an animal's conformation rather than trying to correct something that can't be fixed. My horse, Jet, is somewhat pigeon-toed, and when farriers tried to achieve a perfectly oval hoof, his problem got worse. The guy I have now trimmed Jet along his normal wear patterns (he wears down the outside edges while the inside toes stay slightly longer) rather than trying to "correct" them, and we've never looked back. He doesn't allow the hooves to take on an exaggerated appearance by any means, but he also doesn't try to mess with what nature has provided as a means of compensating for Jet's less than perfect conformation.
He also taught me a lot about break-over. Too many hoof trimming guides show the hoof trimmed straight all the way to the end with no rounding. All my goats have benefitted from having their toes rounded up at the end for easy break-over. This helps their movement and eliminates that nasty little "hole" at the hoof tip that can trap all kinds of muck and bacteria. I'm not afraid to get a bit aggressive with rounding out the tips. I also make sure to trim hooves when it's wet out to make them easier to cut, especially with Cuzco, who has incredibly tough, thick hoof walls and soles. Trimming his hoofs in summer is like cutting through truck tires. I don't recommend it.
Try to achieve levelness and symmetry, but don't get so hung up on it that you neglect each goat's unique conformation. The best lesson I learned about trimming goat hooves actually came from the guy who trims my horses. He's a barefoot natural trimmer who works WITH an animal's conformation rather than trying to correct something that can't be fixed. My horse, Jet, is somewhat pigeon-toed, and when farriers tried to achieve a perfectly oval hoof, his problem got worse. The guy I have now trimmed Jet along his normal wear patterns (he wears down the outside edges while the inside toes stay slightly longer) rather than trying to "correct" them, and we've never looked back. He doesn't allow the hooves to take on an exaggerated appearance by any means, but he also doesn't try to mess with what nature has provided as a means of compensating for Jet's less than perfect conformation.
He also taught me a lot about break-over. Too many hoof trimming guides show the hoof trimmed straight all the way to the end with no rounding. All my goats have benefitted from having their toes rounded up at the end for easy break-over. This helps their movement and eliminates that nasty little "hole" at the hoof tip that can trap all kinds of muck and bacteria. I'm not afraid to get a bit aggressive with rounding out the tips. I also make sure to trim hooves when it's wet out to make them easier to cut, especially with Cuzco, who has incredibly tough, thick hoof walls and soles. Trimming his hoofs in summer is like cutting through truck tires. I don't recommend it.