Rasping the Dorsal Hoof Wall

I have been trimming for about 15 years now, and my trim has definitely evolved and changed along the way. There are many cases where I don’t trim from the top - if the hoof doesn’t warrant it, but there are a lot of cases that I do trim from the top, and a lot of it, as I specialize in founder rehab. I learned a long time ago, that the best trimmers and farriers (and bodyworkers and trainers and coaches and horsemen), don’t subscribe to a specific method, but stay flexible to adapt to each horse, each hoof, and each moment as needed. I live by the philosophy to never say never or always when it comes to horses, because we are constantly learning and evolving and changing things up.

A lot of the argument I get about trimming from the top is that it thins the hoof wall. And yes, I agree that it does that. In fact, thinning the hoof wall is actually part of what I’m aiming for. Not because I want to weaken the hoof or take away protection, but a thinner wall wears faster, and won’t apply as much leverage if it’s wearing as the wall grows down. And that leverage is another reason I rasp from the top. Every 1/2 inch of length is equal to 50lbs of pressure per square inch, and when a long toe applies pressure on the wall it can lead to flare and lamellar detachment. 

The biggest thing that I think people need to realize also, is that when we thin the hoof wall by rasping, there is stretched white line or lamellar wedge underneath it, which actually acts as an insulator to the wall, so we are in fact thinning the original wall, but the same amount of protection remains. 

So to me, there is no debate to be had. I will rasp from the top when flare is present, to reduce leverage on the lamina and the new growth that is coming in. If a hoof has no flare or leverage, then it doesn’t require rasping from the top. 

I would be absolutely thrilled to have someone show me a case study of a foundered horse that had a lamellar wedge, that was trimmed without ever having the wall rasped from the top, that was successfully rehabbed to have complete lamellar reconnection. Rasping from the top is hard work, and if I could find a way to rehab these horses without doing it, I’d love to save the energy. But the bottom line for me is that I’m in this business to fix horses, and this technique works well for me when used appropriately.