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Chapter 8 Restraint of Animals 149

FIGURE 8.64 Picking up front foot. Source: Sheldon, Sonsthagen, and
Topel, 2017. Reproduced with permission of Elsevier.
FIGURE 8.66 Stanchion head gate – cow being haltered. Source:
Sheldon, Sonsthagen, and Topel, 2017. Reproduced with permission
of Elsevier.

clean the hoof. (Figure 8.65).When finished with a foot,
do not just drop the leg, set it down gently.
To return a horse to its stall send them through the
door as previously explained. This time you stay outside
of the stall, give a gentle tug to turn them around and
remove the halter. Step up to the left side of the head,
unbuckle the neck strap and lower the halter off the
nose. A treat and a pat are always appreciated, step back
and close the door to the stall.

Learning Exercise

Practice! If possible, try to get more practice on
horse restraint. List the techniques described and
then schedule an appointment with your school
to have access to a horse. If that isn’t possible, do
you know someone that has a horse that would
be appropriate for you to practice with? Is there
a stable near you that would allow you to prac-
FIGURE 8.65 Holding back foot on knee. Source: Sheldon, Sonstha- tice on one of their horses? Keep track of how the
gen, and Topel, 2017. Reproduced with permission of Elsevier. horse reacted to each technique. Did you learn
any tricks or techniques?
leg face the rear end of the horse. Slide your hand down
the leg to the fetlock, encircle and lift up, giving the
command “lift” or “give.” If the horse doesn’t pick up its Beef cattle are worked upon in a chute. This YouTube
foot, lean into it and that will usually make it either shift video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjWsNOls5_M)
its weight or pick up the foot (Figure 8.64). is an excellent demonstration of how that piece of equip-
Hold the foot on a bended knee or while holding the ment is used. If the head needs to be worked on, a halter is
foot slip your inside leg around the horse’s leg and hold place on the head and tied to the side of the chute. Dairy
the foot between your legs. This frees up the hands to cattle are usually haltered and worked on in a stanchion.
hold and clean the hoof. The rear leg is picked up in a This is like a horse stock with a head gate at one end that
similar manner, but never put it between your legs! Once prevents forward and backward motion, and solid posts
the foot is picked up stretch the leg out behind the horse with horizontal bars to prevent side to side movement
and rest it on your knee. Again, this frees the hands to (Figure 8.66).