Boredom busting while training something monotonous.

[Flipo's Mum]

With renewed vigour (now it's not muddy and dark) I am again confronting Flipo's farrier issues this spring.
He will pretty much stand for shoe to be removed, foot trimmed and shoe back on (if the farrier lets him have a tiny rest just before shoe goes back on). But we still have issues with him putting his hoof up on the stand to knock nails down and filing.
I bought a small pony stand that the farrier will now happily use and my job is to get Flipo to rest his hoof on it unaided for long enough that the apprentice can finish off his feet.
Trouble is, apprentice isn't as fat as Flipo needs him to be and it turns into a war of Flipo just putting his hoof down when he wants.
So. I'm practicing with clicker just now, and am gradually increasing the time that he has to rest his hoof on the stand for. So far we are at a measly 15 seconds but that's more than before!
What worries me is boredom. I aim to do things little and often as it will help it sink in, but Flipo will get fed up of this routine and start to play up in a couple of weeks, I would count money on him deciding that he's done enough of what I ask and wants to move on to the next challenge.
So any ideas how i can keep this interesting for him. There is a logistical challenge involved in me keeping my foot on the stand and being crouched over just now to stop him removing his hoof when he wants, but hopefully he'll get to the point of standing unaided.
So far i painted his hooves tonight and have a hammer at the ready to tap the nails a bit, but any other ideas of variations to help us stay focused? I aim to get up to about three minutes with his hoof up. That's a long time for Flipo the toddler!! Help?!!!

Ps apprentice isn't as 'fast', not 'fat'. Flipo is entirely uninterested in his farrier's weight. Stupid iphone.

 

[Cortrasna]

As Flipo so obviously has some issues with the whole shoeing process, and you have given it your very best from every angle to assist the farrier to do his job without risk to life or limb.....would it be too much to request that the farrier himself finishes off the job each time, at a speed that will facilitate Flipo seeing the light and letting the finishing touches go ahead without any great drama?

I appreciate that 99 per cent of farriers are great divas and we have to bow and scrape and shuffle around them 'ever so 'umble' to keep them on side and not flinging their tools of the trade in the back of the van and disappearing out the yard at great speed, but I really feel that your fellah should be meeting you half way with this by now? Not much to ask when you have worked so hard to improve things - AND how much they charge us for the pleasure of having them shoe our nags?:redcarded:

 

[Rubic]

I did wonder if Flipo was being size-ist!:giggle:

When I am clicker training with Rubic I have found that if I ask something too often in one session she gets fend up and starts her pawing the ground/air/my legs stuff. How often to you ask him to hold his leg up for in one day? I'd just do once with each leg for whatever length of time you are at then call it a day, aim for a little longer each day. Perhaps in between you could do target training etc. Once you have got to the desired level then maybe only do it every 3/4 days, they do still remember these things! If that is what you are doing already then if you can imitate the banging and filing then that will be good, you could get him to touch a target while his hoof is up (obviously you can't move the target about a great deal but even if he has to hold his head slightly to the left then slightly to the right it is still something else). Then he is having to increase the number of things he is concentrating on?

 

[LindaAd]

I worked out that it was fast not fat It sounds as if you're doing a really good job with Flipo - maybe if you let it rest for two or three days then come back to it when he's had a break (do other things in between), he might get less impatient? As for the farrier, couldn't you get him to be a bit more patient too? Especially if he's an apprentice, he needs to learn that not every horse behaves exactly as he'd like. My farrier is very good with Barney, who's chronically lame in one hind leg - he just lets him put the foot down and have a rest when he needs to. It also helps if I'm at the front end dishing out treats ...

 

[notpoodle]

if it's about him keeping his hoof on there for longer periods of time, I'd work on 'relaxed' rather than 'focused'. He's a grown horse, she should be able to stand on three legs for a while once he gets used to the idea that all he has to do is plonk his foot on and wait (maybe snack on some hay as he waits), it shouldn't be too hard for him.

 

[notpoodle]

if it's about him keeping his hoof on there for longer periods of time, I'd work on 'relaxed' rather than 'focused'. He's a grown horse, she should be able to stand on three legs for a while once he gets used to the idea that all he has to do is plonk his foot on and wait (maybe snack on some hay as he waits), it shouldn't be too hard for him.

 

[Flipo's Mum]

Yeah Mrs C,you're probably right but admittedly Flipo is pretty crap at holding his hoof up on the stand so I think I need to get him holding it a bit longer, the farrier just tends to be better at playing the 'you're not putting your hoof down' game but he's sweating by the time he's done and I always feel bad.
I have only been doing maybe one or two practices a week, three 15 second bursts on each leg. I will try to increase it each week but get what you all say - not too much repetition and yes he's a big boy and will just have to stand but I'm all about setting us up for success and as soon as the grass puts in an appearance, Flipo won't touch a hay net until December so that won't unfortunately distract him. But yes, he should learn to stand with his hoof up there and not move, I guess I need to have the mindset that I'm not asking for too much - 5minutes out of 24 hours is not a lot!
I forgot about the target stuff, that might work as well.