The Noble Farriery Trim Methodology: A Few Insights
As one of the three pillars of our business, the Noble Farriery Trim Methodology is something we talk about a lot with clients and on our social media. In the last year, we’ve been working a lot behind the scenes to create a curriculum for horse owners, as we also prepare to launch curricula for farriers and vets. While we continue to create those curricula, we thought we’d share some insights about our trim methodology here.
What are the main goals of the Noble Farriery Trim?
What’s happening inside a horse’s foot is just as important as the condition of the hoof that we can see from the outside. Most people know this, the physics and biomechanics affected by the trimming technique are largely overlooked, even by farriers and veterinarians. Many people don’t realize that over time with proper trim technique, we can change the position of the all-important coffin bone within the hoof capsule, for better or worse.
Our primary goal is soundness, which includes the support all of the internal structures of the hoof, not just a pretty exterior. That proper function is supported by adequate vertical depth and concavity of the hoof and correct angles, all of which are preserved through our trim methodology. I have found that the lack of vertical depth, combined with a long toe contributes to the breaking down of the internal structures of the hoof capsule.
Establishing a proper balance within the hoof through the trim has helped the most common problems such as cracks, white line disease, pedal osteitis, chronic abscessing, tendon, and ligament issues. To accomplish this, we start every trim from the top first and bring the toe and flares back. We shape the perimeter to follow the shape of the hairline.
Shortening the toe from the top first helps me not take too much from the bottom, because over-trimming the bottom of the foot is a huge problem. The goal of the trim should be to maintain a sole thickness roughly equal to that of the dorsal hoof wall.
Our trim is guided by proportionality
A huge advantage of the Noble Trim Methodology is that it works with horses of any size, from draft horses to ponies, because it is based on proportions rather than specific lengths and depths.
In most cases when viewed from the top, the toe length is roughly one third the length of the entire length of the pastern to the ground. From underneath, one-third of the ground surface of the foot is ahead of the apex of the frog. Ideally, the concavity will slope upwards towards the toe when viewed from the bottom and will also be evenly deep mediolaterally, indicating a slight positive coffin angle. All four feet are trimmed before any shoes are put on so that proportions between pairs and between front and back can be checked and adjusted if possible.
Each farrier using the Noble Trim Methodology has a shared, concrete set of goals, patterns, priorities, and double-checks to try to ensure the best balance possible at the time. Shoes and other appliances, most often pads, are used to accomplish whatever we can’t accomplish in the trim in a given cycle. This process has its own set of goals, patterns, priorities, and double-checks to ensure consistency and reliable results.
Watch to learn more about Priorities and Landmarks
Check out our video on YouTube, Priorities and Landmarks, to get a quick rundown of these key features of a properly trimmed hoof and how we track our progress with each horse. Be sure to subscribe to the channel if you want to see frequent educational content (or just love seeing us work with happy horses).
Priorities and Landmarks explained by farrier Seth Noble
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f3n_iW-jus&list=PLxtlW8-Fg0eb4ZMcsVdXDDtz7LJjb62qV&index=1