relationship of angles/length front and back on a racing trotter

Question
Being new to racing trotting bred horses, I put faith in people who also race. I have a 5 yr old trotter who knows when you put the harness on, it is time to work. My question is, as we progressed through the season (now over), his feet were trimmed and apparently the rear heals were cut to low and the front toes to short. He finished the season running more than trotting. What should be the correct relationship of toe length/angle tofront and rear feet?


Answer
Hi Paul ... on any horse the correct relationship is going to depend on the individual hoof on the individual horse. Ideally, the angle of the front hoofwall should be a straight one from the periople on down to the toe edge. This is true for all the hooves. For the most natural gait of any horse, regardless of breed, the hooves should be at a 1/3:2/3 ratio for maximum health. This means that the weight bearing should be in the rear 2/3rds of the hoof with a heel-first landing. The toe length will reflect whether or not this is correct on the hoof.  

If you go to: http://www.barefoottrim.com and look under "Education" for the article on Balanced Hooves, you'll find explanations and photos that will help you understand the ratios and balance for a healthy, barefootted horse there.

Any horse will move his best when the hooves are trimmed correctly for the individual hoof and horse.

Hope this is somewhat helpful to you.

:) -- Gwen