The Hoof GP: The Scottish cow hoof trimmer watched by millions – BBC News

“I was freeze branding cows – so basically putting numbers on cows’ bums all over Scotland, the Highlands, the islands – I absolutely loved it, I really, really did,” he said.

“My customers would always constantly tell me – you should be hoof trimming because you’ve got an eye for detail.”

“And I said: ‘Who on Earth would want to be at the wrong end of the cow, trimming their feet? It is a dirty job, I’ll never, ever trim a cow’s foot’.”

Things have changed pretty quickly.

“Fast forward a few years and I’m now probably the best-known person in the world for trimming cows’ feet,” he said.

“It was reluctant to begin with but I absolutely love what I do now.”

The filming was initially meant to share with the local agricultural community.

“To begin with, it was nothing to do with the public, it wasn’t for public consumption,” he said.

He used to take photos to show his work to farmers but it became clear it would be easier to stick a video on YouTube and share the link.

“At the time there were hoof trimming videos on YouTube but they were all of a cow’s foot that looked almost perfect being made to look a bit more perfect,” he said.

“Nobody wanted to show lameness and part of that is part of the problem, I think within agriculture, people are scared to show the reality of it.

“The reality of it is there are problems, but everybody tries to fix those problems.”

He quickly started to realise that the questions he was being asked online were not coming from the agricultural sector.

“The videos grew,” he explained. “Within the first month we had about 1,000 subscribers – that was five years ago.

“Now there are 6.8 million people who follow us religiously across all social media channels, and we get anywhere from 120 to 160 or 170 million views per month.”

It has become a business that employs five people and has a worldwide reach.

“Things have got quite big, but I’m still a hoof trimmer who hoof trims and that is my job,” he said.

“All the other stuff, I always think, I just kind of play at.”

He never for a minute imagined it would be so popular and its reach would go so far.

“I’ve met people who have these fantastic stories attached to the Hoof GP who are completely removed from my life,” he said.

He is keen for people to see beyond the image displayed on social media, however, and is now writing a book.

Graeme also uses his work to promote the south-west of Scotland.

“I describe where we live as an island,” he said.

“Clearly it’s not an island, but the Machars of Wigtownshire are surrounded on three sides by water and to the north there’s a bank of hills which kind of separates you from everybody.

“So we’ve got that kind of island community feel about it with none of the drawbacks, we don’t need to get a boat to go anywhere.”

At the heart of it all, is the day job.

“It is multi-faceted how good hoof trimming can impact a cow’s life and a farmer’s life,” he said.

“At the end of the day, I care about these animals. I really care about their health.

“I want them to be comfortable.”

That also helps with the bottom line.

“But, forgetting all of that, this is an industry that we’re working in – it’s a commercial industry and these cows are there to make money,” he added.

“The healthier those cows are, the better they are at making money.

“It’s good for the cow, it’s good for us, it’s good for the end consumer.

“It’s just better for everybody if cows’ feet are as comfortable as possible.”