Hoof, Please!
September 25, 2012
Horse training from the ground up: Asking politely for your horse's feet.
From AQHA's “Fundamentals of Horsemanship”
If you’ve messed with very many horses’ hooves, most likely you’ve come across the type of horse who anticipates the request to lift a hoof, raising up his foot just as you run your hand down his leg. That’s well and good, unless you’re trying to doctor or wrap that leg.
You’ve also likely encountered horses who resist, either by pulling their legs away or leaning heavily on the person holding the hoof. That is also well and good, unless you want to take care of your back or your farrier.
The solution is to give the horse a specific cue that means: “I’d like you to give me your foot.” From Step 1 of AQHA’s “Fundamentals of Horsemanship,” here’s how to do it:
First, make sure you are able to rub each leg. Begin on a foreleg by standing in close to the horse’s shoulder, with the lead rope draped over the arm closest to the horse and held in the opposite hand. Slide the closest hand down the horse’s leg and begin rubbing his leg.
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If the horse picks up his leg and offers it to you, don’t take it. Just keep rubbing the leg until it’s still. You don’t want the horse to anticipate because one day when you need to treat an injury or put on a bandage or protective boot, the horse will be lifting his leg when you don’t want him to.
Once the leg stays still as you rub it, slide your hand down to the chestnut. Start pinching the chestnut very softly between your thumb and forefinger, and gradually increase the pressure until the horse lifts up his foot.
At first, release the chestnut as soon as the horse lifts his hoof. Then slide your hand down and take the hoof when he lifts it. Tap on the hoof with your hand to simulate farrier work.
Soon, a light pressure on the chestnut will be enough for the horse to lift his hoof, and this will be your “switch” to clearly tell him what you’d like and avoid having to pull his hoof up.
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On back legs, it’s much the same. Keep the horse’s head turned slightly toward you and stand with your shoulder next to his, holding the rope as described above. Stay in close to the horse for your safety.
Keep rubbing a back leg until it’s still, then pinch the cap of the horse’s hock. Very gradually, increase the pressure, and when the horse offers you his leg, take it and simulate farrier work.
Remember, it’s not your farrier’s job to train your horse; that’s your job.
If the horse moves, continue rubbing his leg as if you were painting it and do not stop until he stops moving, then start again. You can not prevent him from moving, but you can make it less comfortable for him to do so.
Comments
11 Comments on “Hoof, Please!”
September 26th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
How do you teach him not to kick when rubbing back legs?
September 26th, 2012 at 11:00 pm
Hi Cindy. You can safely teach him not to kick by rubbing with something other than your hand at first. I’ve found that attaching an old glove stuffed with tissue to a stick or riding crop works well. The trick is to rub the leg with it and try to keep the glove touching the leg even if the horse kicks. Keep the glove touching the leg until the horse puts the leg down, then remove it instantly and praise and stroke/scratch the horse (whatever he likes best). Remember, keep the touch of the glove on when the horse is doing what you don’t want (kicking), and remove it when he is good. You will eventually leave it on and stroke the leg with it for longer periods when the horse is leaving the leg on the ground. When he is no longer reactive at all, you can start using your real hand. Hope this helps!
September 28th, 2012 at 3:09 am
Also you can bring him for training and we will work that out plus any other bad habits and work on his riding. Phone number is 903 246 5901 anyone that needs a horse started or tuned up. We also train for western pleasure.
September 28th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
One of my horses, a 5 year old quarter mare, has started giving problems with her right front foot when we try to shoe her. This started about 6 months ago and seems to be getting progressively worse. She stands well with the other three. When the farrier tries to work with this foot, she starts throwing and pulling it and yesterday she even reared up. There is no sign of swelling or any limping or heat. He even gave her a shot of Rompum. She normally has great ground manners and is careful not to overstep her boundaries.
I don’t want her to hurt the farrier, plus I am afraid he will quit shoeing her and I can’t blame him. I am going to take her to the vet but since she is not showing any signs when ridden or worked I am unsure if he will find anything. If we rule this out, what would be the best method to try to fix this problem?
September 29th, 2012 at 1:42 pm
I own a rescued mare. It took almost 1.5 years just to be able to touch her hind legs. I can rub and massage all day on her hind laegs now but as soon as I try to pick it up it becoame a cow kicking mess. Any suggestions?PLS
September 30th, 2012 at 11:36 am
My gelding is excellent with his feet except he leans on the person holding his foot. Any cure for leaning?
September 30th, 2012 at 12:51 pm
Rick work with her with a lead rope touching it until the rope is no problem then easy with put rope around right above hoof but make sure you do not tie ot on. Then lift leg using rope and when she kicks just hold it up until she stops kicking then let her have it back. It might take a few weeks of doing this then slowly stop using rope. The rope is just extension of arm in this deal.
October 1st, 2012 at 9:14 am
Hi All,
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October 2nd, 2012 at 12:52 pm
Glenna,
I would suspect that the problem is not in the foot you are picking up, but perhaps in the opposite one. If she has some kind of pain in the opposite foot, it would hurt more when she has to put all her weight on it. She may be developing an abscess or it could be something else. Just a thought.
October 2nd, 2012 at 11:32 pm
Susan could be right. My young mare took a while to settle for the farrier even though she picked up all her feet for me. I tried sedating her to begin with and then reducing the amount as her behaviour improved. She is a good girl now. I also use a reward system for any good behaviour which she responds to very well.
October 3rd, 2012 at 6:24 am
I have found that teaching a horse to “lead” by using a soft cotton rope on each foot, one at a time, helps them yield to pressure on that foot. This also helps them stand quietly if they get a foot hung up in a fence. I think this helped save a gelding we had that got one leg down in a cattle guard one night. Just loop the rope around the foot, don’t tie on.