Tentative sketches of trim for founder details
(After I think I have the sole trimmed pretty well, I feel the whole sole, running my finger over it, to feel for lumps and high spots. We are looking for nice, harmonic curves. Lumpy, high spots will create pressure points, much like a pebble in my own shoe would hurt me, so I make a point of checking for them. I also hold the hoof much like the illustration above, only tilted even more, so I can see if the bottom is pretty much a flat plane, or if there are high spots that need to be corrected.)
(Please note: the measurement from the tops of the lateral cartilages in the heels, down to the ground, should be at most about 4 cm. in an average hoof, or around 1-1/2". Or at least that is what we are shooting for! You may not get it right away, but it is something to work towards.)
WARNING! Opening cuts can actually promote more contraction, not less, if the horse is living on soft footing! For opening cuts to work, you need firmer footing. If the horse is on soft footing most of the time, don't do them.
ALSO--if the breakover is too far forward, you are likely to have contraction despite doing opening cuts. You need to keep the toes backed up to spread heels, too. Letting toes get slippered forward tends to contract heels.
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