truelevel              Oh this is fun.                  ( give this short video about 15 seconds to load ok ? that's at DSL speeds - so if you're still on dial up just be patient - please )      (-:      Oh .  and you'll need "Quicktime" player to display the clip - if you don't hvae it just google "Quicktime" and install the free download. 

               I have somewhat of an emergency request to explain what i've been talking about when it comes to a level foot. So i ran out to a job thinking my client "who does films for channel 9" would be there and help me with this quick little bit of filming, when i got there she had scheduled to leave for the day and couldn't help me.  So there i was working on this horse and when it came to filming i really needed two more hands , so forgive the "Lame" no pun intended clip, I'll redo this soon with a much better shot.

              So how to view this shot when you play it.  The shot is taken from the exact view/position you'll want to be in when you evaluate if your horse is "Level" or not.  Basically you'll pick up the foot and place your eyes directly over the top as you see in the video clip. The reason i spent so much time flexing the foot up and down is to drive home the fact that , that is for the most part the "Only" way that foot is designed to move ( UP and DOWN ). The feet are "NOT" designed to twist side to side like a lazy susan or you'll twist ligaments and joints and the feet are not designed to be Un-level which is shown with the rasp aligned to the hoof in the video. 

             What you are seeing is the Rasp lies on the foot as a 90 degree ( like a "T-Square" ) to the way the foot is flexing up and down. The up and down is the "Travel" and the T-Square is how the bottom of the foot should be trimmed. When i raise the rasp on one side or the other ( It's an exaggeration ) it's to indicate if that side of the foot was longer than the other side of the foot.   you should not trim one side of the foot longer of shorter than the other, you should always end up with the T-Square effect or else joints and ligaments are beiing stressed and tweaked especially when the horse is being worked.   It's still widely practiced and understood when you get a horse that toes out or toes in you should rasp one side of the foot shorter to "Force" the foot into the proper direction - OK ?  Well - when you "Force" the foot into direction you're "FORCING" twist and bind directly into the joints and ligaments of the foot - and trouble's a comming.  The "BONE" in the joints just "ARE NOT" shaped and designed by nature to tolerate twist and bind and all the problems that occur from all that.        

            Enough for now - i don't want to confuse -  I'll put some photos in later showing the "Bones" inside a foot "Real Bones" that will clarify what i'm talking about how the bones are not designed for twist, But for now just understand what level is and how to achieve it .  After your eyes learn how to pick up the visual recognition you're on your way and won't need to put a rasp accross the foot - sometimes it's good practice anyway to use the rasp as visually inspecting this is rather tricky and somewhat subjective so placing the rasp or some other straight edge amplifies the visual process and makes it easier to see. 

            Ok - now - when you trim a foot level as in the photo " real " level - sometimes you'll look at the foot after it's trimmed level and you'll see "Notice" that one side of the foot seems to be trimmed closer to the sole than the other side - as if the foot is "NOT" level -   YOU CAN'T GO BY THE LOOK OF THE SOLE OF THE FOOT - just like you can't go by the look of the hairline - neither of those two will give you true level - True level has to be measured by the articulation " Travel / Motion " of the foot as shown in the clip -- then trim your foot 90 degrees ( T-Square ) to that travel .  Doing it this way gives you a "True guage of True Level" - using the hairline or sole of the foot just is not accurate.  OK ?       

truelevel