I completely agree that just because one is trained it does not mean they are competent for the needs of metabolic horses. or any horse, for that matter. Owners can make a big difference for their horses by learning what the foot needs and why.  It honestly is usually the last place folks (read: owners) want to visit. Even if one is not going to help with the actual trimming, we can learn to recognize when any given professional is not doing what is needed, or at least learn to discuss with them as to why. They may have a valid reason or they may not know what to do. Or they are afraid. From my experience, hoof pros like to talk about their work with people who have a bit of understanding.

I've been revisiting farrier Gene Ovnicek's work on evaluating the foot recently for my own boys. For those who don't know, he's very well-known. His hoof mapping and trimming vids are well-regarded by both barefoot and shoe folks. This is a look at mapping a live foot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dkmQmyS6wY

He trims the foot here. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDcEcK3oDMw

IMPORTANT CAVEAT: There are things he does for this video presentation that would not be recommended for rehabbing a rotated and foundered foot. Exfoliating  the flakey sole down to live for one example, or trimming the hoof wall from the top. There are differences for barefoot and those who are to be shod. Folks can debate the trim on ECHoof, but I wanted to share these two videos as a tool to advance learning the foot.

If you really want to geek out, this is a 2017 update of how ELPO teaches hoof mapping to examine a foot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfEzM_SPemQ

This is their recs for a barefoot trim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK17KR_jjjo

Note they chose to not trim out exfoliating sole for the sake of the horse's comfort.

If we get OT, we'll need to go to ECHoof.
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Nancy C in NH
ECIR Moderator 2003
ECIR Group Inc. President/Treasurer  2021-2022