# Trimming - HoofJack or TruComfort?



## Brindles (Apr 30, 2010)

Edit: guess I put this in the wrong section accidentally. Mods feel free to move it if necessary. 

How many of you guys trim your own horses? I'm just getting into it, and it's time to buy a hoof stand. I only want to spend money on this once, so I want a nice one that will last me. I will be trimming my own two horses, and maybe more down the road if I am confident enough with my skills.

The HoofJack has been around for a while, and everyone seems to have good things to say about it. There's just something I don't like about the plastic stand. The TruComfort is newer and I have not heard much about it, but works on the same principle. It is a tad more pricey and it looks nicer to me.









Hoofjack - Hoof Stand, The Ultimate Hoof Support System









The Institute of Applied Equine Podiatry - Sole Mates Tru-Comfort Hoof Stand

What do you think?


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## Spirithorse (Jun 21, 2007)

I trim my horse's feet, and at the moment I have a home-made hoof stand but I plan on buying the HoofJack. I've seen it in person and it's pretty darn durable.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Yeah, it's probably better to move to different section. 

Getting back to your question... I used 2nd one (not exactly same brand, but similar design), mostly because I was able to get it twice cheaper than the 1st one off eBay. Worked for me just fine. But the farrier I talked to said 1st (plastic) one is more safe if you do horses on regular basis (which I didn't trimming just my own 2 horses). The reason is the flat bottom of my current stand is metallic and it's getting pretty sharp with time and accidentally may injure the horse. My feeling is 2nd one on your pic is not metallic so I'd think should be safe, but I've seen 1st one cheaper then $195 2nd one cost. So my choice would be 1st one! 

BTW, I found the piece for the hoof to lay on to trim the bottom is pretty useless - it's much more convenient to rest it on your knees.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

I really like my Hoof Jack, haven't tried the other one. The only thing is I'd like the Hoof Jack to be lower as my old mare finds it difficult to lift her legs high enough.


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## BigGreyHorse (Sep 28, 2009)

I have drafts and the hoof jack is a lifesaver! It's great to have around for foot training, general cleaning & our farrier gets to use it too. My boys pick up for cleaning pretty well but they don't like to stretch forward so the farrier can smooth edges & flares. Used the hoof jack & post this morning for a training session. Got mine off ebay at a fairly discounted price.


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## Brindles (Apr 30, 2010)

kitten_Val said:


> BTW, I found the piece for the hoof to lay on to trim the bottom is pretty useless - it's much more convenient to rest it on your knees.


You mean the canvas cradle part? That's what attracts me most. It really hurts my back and my knees when I get up under them.



MN Tigerstripes said:


> I really like my Hoof Jack, haven't tried the other one. The only thing is I'd like the Hoof Jack to be lower as my old mare finds it difficult to lift her legs high enough.


They make one for geriatric horses now. 
Hoofjack Hoof Stand, Ultimate Hoof Support System - Geriatric Hoofjack

Good idea on Ebay. I didn't even think to check. I found this one:
Farrier tools horse shoeing or trimming hoof stand - eBay (item 300424866299 end time May-12-10 21:26:40 PDT)
It's pretty simple, doesn't look like it's adjustable. What do you guys think about that one?


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Brindles said:


> You mean the canvas cradle part? That's what attracts me most. It really hurts my back and my knees when I get up under them.


Lol! I liked the idea too, but when I starte using it it was just more secure and comfortable for me to use my laps instead. When you use that cradle and rasp the foot moves quite a lot. I do use other one (the one you put foot on to deal with the flares and rounding) every time though.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

I've been trimming our three mares for years. I'm tall (6'4") and not as young as I used to be (50+), started using the Hoof Jack a couple years ago, and it really does save my back. Although the base is plastic, it still looks as good as new, and is wide and heavy enough that you'll never tip it. The cradle does help a lot, but I did have to change the distance I worked at and get used to bracing the horse's leg with mine to keep the hoof secure (If I remember right, they show you in the video), so your horse has to get used to a slightly different leg position and feel. The change took me much longer to get used to than any of our mares...they had no problem at all. Bottom line is that it works well if you find the right distance and position...otherwise you'll have lots of hoof movement in the cradle.
Doing the tops is no different than any other hoof stand, but the HoofJack does have a nice large rubber top that provides much more support than other stands I've used and since the height is adjustable you have more options on how high/far your horse has to lift and/or stretch.
It's a bit pricey even on eBay in my opinion, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again for the aches and pains it has saved me from.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

Thanks Brindles, I'll check it out. 

I have to agree with Painthorsemares on the canvas cradle. If you get it to the correct height and brace the horse's leg with yours you shouldn't have problems with the hoof moving. Sometimes I still put the hoof between my legs and two fist it, but that's pretty rare. For my old horse I've been using my leg alot because it is lower (I'm basically sitting).


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