Rooing and Trimming Hoofs

Sheep Wrestling (Summer, 2009)

Rooing and trimming of hoofs can be a challenge. Sometimes it can be quick and painless, like the five minutes it took me to roo Anabal. Other times it's not, like the one hour it took Laurinda and myself to roo Seònaidh, whose mostly felted fleece looked like it had never been done. We had done half of him the previous year but then had to use the scissors to take off most of the back fleece. Sometimes if we're lucky it comes off in clumps (like with Anabal) but more often we have to resort to plucking it locket by locket.

Trimming can be an equal challenge, and a dangerous one. I cut myself on my second goat this year. Still it went better (and quicker) than expected, perhaps because I had already done most of them the previous fall. The newer animals (the Angoras) simply laid down which made the task a lot easier and safer. The only job I like less is giving them needles.