Just watched this little clip. I think it might behoove the ‘expert’ to know the parts of the hoof.
http://www.youtube.com/…p;list=UL-y2rkosOXWg
What !?!?!?!? — The White Line the best place to nail the shoe !?!?!? The structure to which “Tab” is referring is really the WATER LINE – not the White line.
Wikipedia gives a good definition and clear deliniation of the two:
: “The water line is built up by the coronet and by the wall’s corium (the living tissue immediately beneath the walls). Its thickness increases proportionally to the distance from the coronet and, in the lower third of the walls, is thicker than the pigmented layer. It is very resistant to contact to the ground, and it serves mainly a support function
The white line is the inner layer of the wall. It is softer and fibrous in structure and light in color; white in a freshly trimmed hoof, yellowish or gray after exposure to air and dirt. From the underside of the healthy hoof, it is seen as a thin line joining the sole and the walls. The white line grows out from the laminar connections. Any visible derangement of the white line indicates some important derangement of laminar connections that fix the walls to the underlying P3 bone. Since the white line is softer than both the walls and the sole, it wears fast where it appears on the surface; it appears as a subtle groove between the sole and the walls, often with some debris or sand inside.”
I will correct my last statement in saying that in “most healthy cases” the nail should not be placed inside the water line. Each hoof is unique on each unique horse so one cannot say never or always with concern for hooves. There are exceptions to the rules, always.
I just answered someone else on another forum about how I would explain where to drive the nail. I answered this, “The WATER LINE, the white COLORED line, is the guide to nailing … a nail should not go inside that water line. The nail should exit approximately a thumbs width above the bottom of the hoof. ”
Now, if that is incorrect, please let me know and we can discuss. Thank you.
Hi Ken — thanks for your note.
I don’t trash anyone but in all respect, the WHITE LINE is NOT to be invaded with nails … the outside of the white COLORED (non-pigmented) line is where to drive a nail … that’s known as the WATER line. Anyone who drives a nail into the WHITE LINE proper is going to sore a horse. I believe that’s known as ‘quicking’ the hoof/horse? That is IMPORTANT for folks to know!
You are right, I know little about shoeing horses. I leave shoeing up to the farriers and I am not a farrier nor have I ever professed to be one.
Perhaps you can get instant ‘results’ with shoes but shoes do not fix the root cause of the issue. To do that one needs to be sure the FORM of the hoof and the FUNCTION of the hoof is correct in order for the hoof to correct itself. The TRIM must be correct, shod or barefoot.
BTW — I don’t believe I have a bunch of videos (or any public videos of my trimming?) with me rasping or doing any sort of hoofcare? So I ‘m not sure to what you’re referring by your statement “I think you just are uneducated and I can tell by your horrible rasping you do on all your videos” ??? Perhaps if you’d provide some links to my awful rasping that you watch I can comment on what you’re watching?
What do you consider ‘natural balance styles’ in hoofcare? Gene Ovineck’s “Natural Balance Trim”? That’s the only ‘natural balance style’ that I know of. Maybe I’m missing something tho ??? Other trimmers are similar but don’t quite match Gene’s style (of which I most closely follow) of Natural Balance Trim.
Don’t need to apologize for the rant … we all have our opinions. 🙂
There is nothing wrong with what he said. The white line OR zone (in shoeing they are interchangable terms) IS where you start to set a nail. Any good farrier knows this. I think you just are uneducated and i can tell by your horrible rasping you do on all your videos. You have a 14″ rasp, use all 14″ of it, less work rather than your short stubby strokes and off angles. Maybe you need a CE class on the how to’s of rasping. Its hard to watch you work…
Im all for barefoot, but i dont get people who trash folks in their own perfession and industry. Plus using wikipedia as your expert advice? Have you ever shaped a shoe? I know your barefoot but to better understand what we do you might want to educate yourself rather than trash everyone. I enjoy seeing how many barefoot trimmers are turning to positive pressure heart bars, or even some natural balance styles for founder cases. I can turn a horse around in much less time using a shoe and maybe it wont even be nailed, but i hate seeing horses suffer for months on end with barefoot trims that dont take into account load sharing. Sorry for the rant, but really, if you have never shod a horse, you are clueless.