Using a Crush to Trim Hooves

Flipo's Mum

Flipo's Mum

Heavy owner of a Heavy
Aug 17, 2009
9,549
1,491
113
Perthshire, Scotland
Doing some late night googling, I went looking for vids of how my horse might have been trimmed when he lived on the continent. It has taken two years to be able to trim him without a fight and I just wondered more about using a crush as it was suggested that might have been what they resorted to.
Found these two interesting videos. All I can say is I'm glad he's come round to my way of thinking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAmYlpHDOlo&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fV5jhzL8rw&feature=related

Just wanted to share and ask if anyone knows, is this conventionally how all horses are trimmed on the continent, or is this just a heavy horse/ difficult horse solution? Is there any other ways they might have done it, other than sedation? Or just not trimming?!
 
Not heard of this method in Hungary. Only time I've known a 'crush' (very confined stall) to be used was on a particularly agressive mare to ultrasound her. Vet/equipment too valuable for her to kill!

ETA: just managed to watch the vids. Actually, I daren't watch the second! OK, those hooves would have been SERIOUSLY hard to trim, they looked very dry, but OMG!

If they did that to Flip and scared him....poor boy!
 
Last edited:
Not my idea of how to go about things.

If a horse freaks out in a confined space like that they can end up in such a lot of trouble. Too amny things for them to get stuck under or over.
 
the type of crush in the first video are routinely used for cattle, with no problems - they often struggle to begin with, but then settle. We never had any injure themselves whilst struggling, but cows are a bit thicker skinned. We never used CHAINS though :eek:

TBH, that horse looked quite calm, and I'm not sure why they needed to use a crush? A hoof stand could take the wieght of each leg as needed, to save the trimmers' back, if that was teh reason - and a hoof jack can be postitioned to be comfy for the horse.

That was the main thing I disliked about the second one - the position was so unnatural and uncomfy.

I have heard quite a bit about using grinders - it makes sense for massive, dry hard hooves like those. It makes the process quicker, which can only be good for the poor horse when strapped up like that :help: Of course, there is potential for damage - they should have a 'dead man' switch, so if you let go, it stops.

Another thing about crushes is there is no rest for the horse - normally, my horses get a rest when I need a different tool, or when I need a rest, or when I feel they need a rest.

BTW - did you see the tiny trailer/van thing he backed out of :eek:

Also, I found his hooves fascinating - the way he had basically made a 'four point' trim, and his quarters had cracked out giving relief. Despite being long, I think they were in basically good shape. There looked to be good laminae connection pretty much all the way down, (no change in wall angle from coronet to ground) and his frogs were gorgeous.
 
Last edited:
(Second vid) My initial reaction was :eek:.... along with everyone else. I do not condone the use of the grinder... regular trimming would have stopped those hooves getting that bad in the first place. I don't like the idea of the crush or the fact that the horse has his hoof tied up. And as for the van that that huge horse appeared from......

But it did set me thinking on how different countries and cultures do things. To be fair, the horse didn't seem hugely bothered to be standing there, immobilised with it's hoof tied up. For all we know, Belgian (French?) farriers look at videos of our Brits and shake their heads in disgust at the "danger" of holding a hoof of a large "loose" horse in one hand whilst trying to work with the other....... I guess it is food for thought but you'd never seen me personally agreeing to ANY of the practises in that vid....
 
If a horse flips out in something like that it can be lethal. What they are doing there is treating the horse just like a cow. The rope around the leg, tying the leg to the crush, that is the way you do cattle feet.

I taught my cows to lift their feet and have them done like the horses.
 
I was scared, particularly by the second video yet when I showed it to a non horsey person they didn't see the problem. To me it's too unpredictable. My horse might be ok in that crush thing for five minutes but then he could equally panic and cause himself no end of injury as he'll keep struggling until he gets a release from any pressure on him. I'm so glad we've persevered with picking up hooves without resorting to these methods. I appreciate they have their place but using a chain to hold up feet? Using an angle grinder on a hoof that is moving about a bit? Eeeek!
And yes, big horse, small trailer!
 
Flipo's Mum said:
I was scared, particularly by the second video yet when I showed it to a non horsey person they didn't see the problem. To me it's too unpredictable. My horse might be ok in that crush thing for five minutes but then he could equally panic and cause himself no end of injury as he'll keep struggling until he gets a release from any pressure on him. I'm so glad we've persevered with picking up hooves without resorting to these methods. I appreciate they have their place but using a chain to hold up feet? Using an angle grinder on a hoof that is moving about a bit? Eeeek!
And yes, big horse, small trailer!
Click to expand...

That second video made me go like :eek:. If someone did Flips feet in one of those with a drill thingy then no wonder he had a phobia of getting his feet done :mask:
 
Using disc-sanders to trim is relatively common, especially in the hot dry states in USA. Everything I have read seems to indicate most horses accept it quite readily, without the need for a crush! and because its quicker, it can be good for horses who find it hard to stand on 3 legs for a long time.

(I read up about it, because once I had heard of it, I couldn't believe horses just stood and let it be done to them - it seems I was wrong, as usual :giggle: )
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom