Doing It On The Hoof

Borders farm worker Graeme Parker has become an online sensation as the Hoof GP, educating millions of followers

- KATRINA MACARTHUR

YOU wouldn't think that trimming animal hooves would attract much of a following online. But one humble hoof trimmer from Dumfries and Galloway has transformed this often overlooked agricultural health service into a global phenomenon.

Known as the Hoof GP, Graeme Parker from Wigtown trims the hooves of 300 cows every week. Now this seemingly routine job has catapulted him to fame. With more than 2.4 million subscribers to his YouTube and more than 100 million views a month, he is the world's most successful agricultural YouTuber. He has also amassed 2.5 million Facebook followers from across the globe, leading one newspaper in Australia to call the Scot "the biggest agricultural influencer on planet earth".

Running his business within a 40km (25-mile) radius of his home, Graeme's weekly schedule is packed.

He's worked on well over 200,000 cows' feet in his 15-year career, sharing his knowledge and skills with a growing global audience.

"I get about 5,000 to 7,500 comments on social media channels a day," Graeme says.

His wife Ashley helps manage the messages from agricultural enthusiasts and curious onlookers, alongside handling the business's paperwork.

Graeme's journey didn't start in the spotlight.

"I grew up on a 700-acre beef and sheep farm in Wigtownshire," he explains, recalling his childhood with 300 beef cows and 600 breeding ewes.

Graeme's life was meant to follow a different path he had always intended to take over the family farm.

"Devastatingly, my father died when I was 15 and things changed," he says.

After school, Graeme stepped away from farming and entered the hospitality sector, running award-winning restaurants, pubs and coffee shops.

The father-of-three's return to the farming world was driven by necessity.