Okay, my 1st attempt at adding photos along with text.Here is a very misshapen front left hoof. There is not one particular thing wrong except it is run a-muck. It is long in the toe, but also, the heels have run forward. The 2nd photo is my attempt to initially trim half the foot to begin showing the process of bringing the hoof back to its norm. Notice the difference in heel length/placement. The untrimmed side is too far forward. The red on the trimmed side is bruising from having the heel and bar region compressed in the wrong configuration and taking weight that wasn't distributed properly. (at least that is my guess)
The third photo shows the hoof trimmed, notice the more rounded shape. The bar on the bruised side was broken so I removed it. the frog "wanted" to disappear into the sole which indicates that the hoof was elongating too much at the toe. And typically the sole can be removed so you can see the true apex of the frog. Which is one indicater to use to help in gauging how much toe to take when you don't have x-rays. this horse was toed out and still is toed out due to conformation. Most of my decision on how to trim a foot comes from what I see on the ground surface of the hoof. When everything a lines on the bottom you can pretty much have a balanced foot, minus having to remove flares from the dorsal hoof wall.Hope some of this made sense. This was my quick overview
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