Seeing a pony in pain made me rethink competition trims.
I always thought cutting hooves extra short for shows was okay. Last year, I did a trim on a pony that limped for a week after. The owner insisted on a super neat look to win. Watching that pony hurt made me see I was wrong. Now I refuse to trim past what keeps the horse happy. A blue ribbon means nothing if the animal suffers. What do you guys do when clients ask for too much?
Have you thought about how easy it is to hurt yourself during a trim? I knew someone who slipped on wet grass while trimming and really messed up his knee. He walked funny for a week after, and it started right after he finished the job. It doesn't take much to get a real injury from simple yard work.
Oh man, don't get me started on yard work injuries! Last time I tried to trim a bush, I ended up with a weird crick in my neck from looking up the whole time. Walked around like a confused turtle for days. Pretty sure my neighbors thought I'd been in a car crash, not just battling some overgrown azaleas. It's crazy what counts as a workout once you hit a certain age.