Page 167 - February 2021

EQUINE HEALTH
“I teach people to pick their horse’s feet up and hold them, so the horse gets used to the idea of having its foot held, and not just jerk it away.”
According to farrier Dean Moshier, having the foal watch its mom get her feet done helps the foal feel more relaxed.
a firm jerk on the lead rope or a back hand to the belly if they are trying to bite or paw at you or go over the top of you. They have to learn their limits of behavior and respect you.”
Foals and young horses understand the concept of discipline because this is how the pecking order works in the herd. A youngster that is too aggressive when nursing his mother (bunting and impatient) gets a nip on the backside. A bold youngster who tries to have his own way gets put in his place by a more dominant herd member. Sassy foals also need to learn respect when you are working with them, and realize that nipping, biting, kicking, or temper tantrums when you pick up a foot are not allowed.
When you first start picking up feet, make sure the foal is standing in a position that he
can balance on the other three feet, and help him shift his weight if necessary. After you get the foal accustomed to shifting his weight and letting you pick up a foot, start holding the foot up a little longer each time. Don’t just pick the foot up for a few seconds and put it back down again. If he tried to take it away, hold it until he relaxes and then put it down. He needs to learn that you are the one deciding when to put it down, not him, or he will think he can jerk it away whenever he wishes.
As you progress with his acceptance of hav- ing the foot held up, start holding it in shoeing position - between your legs for a front foot and resting across your thigh with a hind foot. Then start using a hoof pick to actually clean it and tap on the hoof with the hoof pick to get him used to the feel of it. If he gets accustomed
to having the foot held up for a longer time, he will be less impatient when the farrier trims, and later shoes, him. Young horses, like young children, have a short attention span and very little patience, so start gradually extending the time you hold up the leg - and always try to keep him happy and comfortable by not hold- ing it too high nor out to the side.
Put the leg down again before the horse becomes impatient and wants to take it away from you. If you are trimming him yourself, this may mean doing part of the job on one foot, letting the horse have it back, going on to the next foot, and coming back to that one. Alternating work on each foot in short stints gives the horse a positional rest and keeps him more comfortable, and he’s less apt to try to take the foot away.
Horses instinctively want to be ready to run away from predators, and they feel vulnerable if they don’t have control of their feet and legs.
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