Mirror, Hoofjack and a grinder keep a horse with a locked knee more comfortable and a farrier safer

From the November 2009 issue of AMERICAN FARRIERS JOURNAL

Farriers frequently run into situations when they want to keep the hoof of a horse low as they trim and work on it. It’s a fairly common practice with older horses or those experiencing joint soreness or that have suffered hock and fetlock injuries. 

Kevin Keeler, farrier from New Plymouth, Idaho, owner of Equine Innovations and inventor of the Hoofjack, ran into a particularly tough situation with a retired carriage horse and came up with this innovative approach that allowed him to keep the foot low and also to work safely.

Kevin Keeler set his Hoofjack low and brought this horse’s foot forward, then used a mirror to spot his trimming landmarks on the bottom of the hoof. The retired carriage horse had a locked left knee and wouldn’t allow it to be flexed.

Here’s his description of the process. “The horse has a locked knee on the left front and will not allow any flexion (of that joint) at all,” Keeler explains. “Flexion on the sound right front seemed to painfully load the lame left front, so I needed to figure out a way to trim both fronts by bringing the hooves forward, as the horse would allow me to work on him in that position. “We had a successful trim by bringing the hoof forward and keeping the height on my hoof stand very low. I used a mirror to obtain my trimming landmarks. “The mirror made my job safer as well as faster by allowing me to see those landmarks without having to drop to my knees and put my face under the hoof. “Instead of trying to use nippers at a difficult angle and having to work only 12 inches off the ground, I opted to use an angle grinder with a 60-grit sandpaper flap disc. 

Because of the height he had to work at and the difficult angle that hoof nippers would have had to be held at, Keeler trimmed the hooves using a grinder. Note the mirror on the ground, enabling him to see his work. He tried both the post and cradle attachment for his Hoofjack and reports the post worked better.

“I tried both a straight post and a cradle to hold and stabilize the hoof. The straight post worked best because the horse was more willing to place his weight on that, offsetting the upward force I applied with the grinder. 

“When using a grinder, I always use safety glasses. The grinder turns the trimmings to power and will irritate the eyes. I also like to keep a fan running behind me to blow the hoof powder away from my eyes and nose.”

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