Page 28 - Canada Spring 2022

EQUINE HEALTH
Foals and young horses understand the concept of discipline because this is how the pecking order works in the herd.
For example: A youngster that is too aggressive when nursing his mother (bunting and impatient) gets a nip on the backside.
all when you run your hand down the leg or try to pick up a foot, but they still try to jerk it away because they didn’t learn to yield during the imprinting session.
“People also need to realize
that it takes more handling than just the first day,” says Boudreau. There is no substitute for spending a lot of time with a horse, starting slowly with gradual steps, to gain their trust and keep it.
“You have to treat them like your own kids. You want them to love you, but you also want them to respect you. There has to be some firmness along with kindness because you don’t want to spoil a young horse. Sometimes it takes 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 having the foot held up, start holding it in shoeing position - between your legs for
“You have to treat them like your own kids. You want them to love you, but you also want them to respect you.
There has to be some firmness along with kindness...”
– Tommy Boudreau
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 holding 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.
26 SPEEDHORSE CANADA Spring 2022
EMILY PAULK, SPEEDHORSE