I have seen different farriers trim the frog differently when shoeing or even when just trimming the feet. Some cut it down very short and others don't. I thought the frog was to carry some of the weight and have a purpose. It can't if cut so short. What is your opinion?
thanks,
JIM

In a perfect world, the frog would shed twice a year, and slough evenly in layers the rest of the time. Since most horses don't have the perfect environment, the job of the farrier is to do the job that the environment did not do. With even constant wear, farriers would not be needed. When we trim, we are basically wearing away 6 to 8 weeks of growth at once instead of slowly. The frog should be trimmed on some feet, and not on others. The shape, consistency, position, hygiene, and environment for every horse makes an impact on how the frog should or should not be trimmed. I trim the frog on about 90% of the horses I shoe, so that means I don't trim in on about 10%.