06/27/2025
Grid Lock or Open Lines?
Why don’t you hear more about the grid when debating hoof care methodology, when in my opinion, it is the most reliable and cheapest way to gauge progress.
If everyone asked, “ How do I get my horse’s feet to have a better grid?” We could all be having a conversation about it instead of an argument. This might get rid of the bickering and confusion that exists in the trimming world today. It also might have the effect of pulling back the curtain and revealing the Wizard of Oz…who is using confusing language and complicated information to hide what they are really doing. Radiographs, MRIs, and Venograms would not be necessary in most cases.
What is the grid?
The hoof capsule grows down from the coronary band at the rate of 1 mm every 3 days. The growth rings are created by hoof horn being produced at the coronary band. They should stay parallel to the coronary band all the way to the ground. The horn tubules are lines that are also created by hoof horn being produced at the coronary band and they should remain parallel from the dorsal wall all the way to the heel. Together these growth lines intersect and form a grid. Every line in this grid contains information about the horse’s weight distribution during the time it was produced and how it responds to weight distribution until it grows out and finally wears off at the bottom of the wall. The alignment of the grid relies on growth/wear equilibrium ( adequate miles of wear or simulated miles of wear ).
Understanding and assessing the grid gives you much needed validation as to growth/wear equilibrium and weight distribution ( posture ). When the grid is correct, the hoof capsule is properly balanced around P3. If the hoof capsule is properly balanced around P3, the soft tissue and live sole will reach optimal depth ( true hoof capsule depth ). Imo, no other pathologies or lameness can be properly diagnosed until and unless all 4 hooves are properly balanced and optimally built. Only then can you assess what other issues may be present. I have had clients that received grim diagnoses by vets that “disappeared” when the feet were rehabbed.
Fix the foundation first…
Feet First
Due to the high volume of blood that is intended to flow through the entire hoof capsule…the more distorted the hoof capsule is, the less blood flow there is in the feet and the less circulation there is throughout the body.
The PA shouldn’t be determined by flattening the bottom of the hoof or propping it up with wedges to create a favorable angle for the coffin bone, that only balances it to the ground. The PA should be determined by the growth rings and horn tubules growing down the hoof capsule from the hairline to the ground, without any deviation from the dorsal wall to the heels. This is built from the inside, not carved from the outside.
The age old debate about barefoot vs shoes should be obsolete. The more recent debate about leaving long toes or chopping them off should also go away. We would only be talking about how fast we can realign the grid and how far we can build soft tissue and live sole. A “realignment trim” and a “derotation trim” would come to mean the same thing. We’d all be on the same page. The writing is on the wall…it’s a universal language just waiting for us to learn how to read it.
Read the Grid
Of course we’ll all still have to do something about it, not just talk about it, but at least we’d know who can keep the horses going in the right direction and who needs to get out of the way.
- - -
(David Landreville, June 2024)
