How did I ever get addicted to watching hoof-trimming videos?

Oh, I know how I discovered the Hoof GP, but not why I find myself watching for his videos every week.

I discovered Tom Pemberton some time ago. Tom is a prolific YouTuber. He runs a dairy farm up in Lancashire – very near to where my father’s family originated - and puts out videos twice and sometimes three times a week. I follow them because I’m interested in farming (you can take the girl out of the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the girl), and because Tom is a charismatic character who produces excellent content. His cows are impeccably looked after and he’s always looking for ways to upgrade his farm. Watching week by week is almost like being there.

Cows need their hooves trimming regularly. When you think about the weight each hoof bears – most full-grown cows weigh more than half a tonne – it’s not surprising they need attention. Sometimes cows can, for a variety of reasons, become lame, and the problem is usually with their hooves. Tom mostly looks after his cows himself, but occasionally he needs the help of a professional – which is where the Hoof GP, Graeme Parker, comes in.

Graeme normally works within a 25-mile radius of his home in Wigtown, Southwest Scotland, but he came down to Lancashire as a favour to Tom and I “met” him there. From then on, I started to follow his channel too.

Why is watching cows’ hooves so soothing? I really can’t tell you. I love cows, but that’s not it. Part of it is the compassion that Graeme and his team show the cows, and especially the lame ones where they can usually relieve the pain and start the hoof on its way to healing. Partly it’s the mixture of repetition and of interest when something new crops up. Partly it’s Graeme’s sense of humour and the camaraderie he has with his team. It’s a lot of things, but none of them really explain why the Hoof GP has over three million subscribers and has gained over two billion viewings of his videos; it’s not just me who finds hoof trimming addictive.

When reading the comments I find a surprising number of people saying they have mental health issues and that these videos help. Graeme himself says he used to struggle with his mental health but, since starting to make these videos, things have improved.

It’s not just agricultural videos I watch. My hobby is card making and I especially love making interactive cards with intricate folds. I watch many videos from card makers which give me new ideas. I find the concentration needed to make these cards gets me into the “zone,” which is very similar to a meditative state.

YouTube undoubtedly has much content that is negative, but there’s a lot of good stuff out there too.

What do you watch, if anything, and how does this affect your mental state?

Mary

A Moodscope member