Picking out her feet is becoming a nightmare

antonia :)

antonia :)

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Apr 18, 2007
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Well as its getting near winter, the fields are getting muddy and our equines feet need picking out ans washing.

Suki on the other hand has other ideas. At our yard when the horses have come in a they have hooves caked in mud we have to wash them off and pick them out thoroughly (we always do anyway). I am usually the one that has to get in suki and she is really good on the yard when i am washing her feet but when it comes to picking them up she tucks her back leg under, almost as if she is going to kick out. She is known to be a grumpy mare with other horses and kick but never with humans. I am really puzzled as to what to do because she is so gentle with her legs. She holds them up for you bless her.:p

But the point im gettin at is. . . is she showing any behaviour like she WILL kick out, or is she in pain?? Or just being typical? I have never really thought of this but would like to teach her not to tense up. Any ideas? Im scared she will be unpredictable and cause an accident. xxxx
 
my new horsey tally is a bit sensitive about her feet being picked up. she seems to have quite sore heels though and was snatching her feet up when I touched where the feathers are - to the extent she scraped the inside of her opposite leg. I found by slowly stroking down her leg and avoiding touch the sensitive bit she picked them up ok. SHe was holding her back ones in like you said as I was trying to get hold of them to spray - it was more her trying to hold them out of my reach than kick.
 
Shes great when shes picks them she instantly knows so takes the weirght off her leg and dosent lean sort of thing so its just like im holding a pillow or something as she is so light.
 
Some horses do pick up their back legs a bit high and then relax and let you have them. Sometimes is related to soreness, sometimes just the way they are used to doing it. Shivers can make them pick back legs up in an odd way as well. If she's perfectly happy to let you hold onto the foot after its up and isn't showing any signs of aiming grumps (actually kicking or snatching or ears back) at you then I wouldn't worry.
 
i washed tally's feet today and she stood like a lamb.

how do you pick her feet up? does she have feathers - do you hold onto them ? I think that was the prob with Tally, as she is sensitive round her feathering. ONce I picked her feet up without holdingthe feathers she didnt do it. Think she may have heel mites:rolleyes:
 
antonia :) said:
i just thought she might be in pain aswell or is that me worrying??
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I agree with MelanieD - if she's just holding it up a bit tight, then relaxing it's probably nothing. Often it's just a bit of reluctance to give the foot - bear in mind they are vulnerable in their own eyes if they let you take control of a foot - it compromises their escape abilities. Make sure you stroke the leg gently when she relaxes it to make it clear that relaxing was the safe and right thing to do. If she were in pain, I think you'd see other symptoms.
 
j behaves similarly with his back legs. i think its a combination of stiffness (we think hes broken his pelvis in the past) and reluctance to let you take hold of the foot.
he is better when hes on cortaflex - when i run out, he gets worse.

i am just a bit more wary around his back legs - he would never deliberately kick to hurt anyone, but sometimes does wave them around a bit and could catch you if you were in the way;)
 
Roofio said:
i am just a bit more wary around his back legs - he would never deliberately kick to hurt anyone, but sometimes does wave them around a bit and could catch you if you were in the way;)
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Suki can be a bit like that too bless her :p she does get a bit clumsy with her backend
 
It can be soreness.. fatty picks her back feet up really high and is a bit reluctant to relax when her back legs are a bit stiff.. but it can be because of very mild soreness or stiffness or just a habit so not something to worry too much about if the horse seems fine otherwise and has no problems letting you move the leg to the position you want once you have got hold of the foot.
 
Thanks for the advice. Sometimes shes a bit reluctant to let me put her leg in a better position so i never force her but just have to keep picking her foot up then back down as it hurts having to pull away.
 
My cob is a pain with his back feet but fine with the front ones - I think it's because he's a bit stiff in his back legs. I've squeezed his hock a little first and that seems to work - but sometimes it literally has beena case of moving him over/walking him around and then trying again! :D
 
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