picking up feet - help

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i am trying to get murphy to accept that i need to pick up his feet he starts off by trying to shake his leg free but has realised that this does not work - good news you would think - NO. now he starts off with the above and then brings into play plan B - he has now started to lean towards me and on a few occassions has nearly fallen on top of me resulting in me having no option but to leave go.

any advise would be appreciated as seren is a nightmare when having her hooves trimmed but murphy is going to be much bigger and stronger than her and it is something i need to sort out while he is young
 
If he is leaning on you maybe he hasn't found his balance?
How do you ask for his hooves? Do you give him time to rebalance his body before you take his feet?
If he struggles when you hold on to his foot and then resorts to leaning it's possible that he honestly is just off balance and if you hold on to his foot for dear life it's hard for him to shift the other legs to be able to stand for long.
I always thought our farrier had a reputation of being a bit firm with the horses btu I've watched him and I have noticed some things taht he does that I really appreciate. This is one of them. He doesn't just rush on and grab a foot. He asks for the foot, giving the horse a little time to readjust its body and balance on three feet. When she lifts her foots she is ready to stand still.

It's something you migth have to teach. If it's a true balance issue then hanging on to the foot as long as you can won't teach anything. But it sounds as if your horse is still young. Just practice with him so he can learn what is going to happen.
 
i tap the bottom of his leg and just ask 'up' and he will lift his legs rather than me pulling them. but you are right he does not change his position before doing this.
 
Hold onto the tip of the hoof rather than the fetlock when you clean. By holding the tip, it keeps you from holding all the weight. Instead, he has to hold his weight and it'll be difficult for him to lean if he has to do this.

Make sure he's rather safe with picking out though before you do so as its easier for them to kick out without you feeling it coming.
 
OK, if he hasnt got good balance, and is only leaning on you to balance himself, you cannot tell him off for that. But, if you dont think that is the problem heres something to try:

Start at the top of his leg, run your hand down and then gently squeeze (or tap) the fetlock, very gently. If he does not respond, ask a little more firmly, then if he is just leaning on this leg to prevent you from picking it up, lean on him slightly and squeeze the back of his fetlock. Do not get into a pushing fight with him- he will win!!! Once he releases and picks up his foot, hold the foot gently but release any pressure and praise him with your voice. Also, do not lean against him, there needs to be a gap between him and you, so he cant physically lean on you! Move the foot around a little bit and then place it gently back down. Praise him again and then move onto the next foot.

Repeat this every time you pick out his feet, be patient and move slowly and gently around him, only put pressure on if he doenst respond.

Best of luck

Jo
 
thanks ill try that - it might have been a balance issue to begin with but this is a colt that is quick to catch on to things and i think he might be outsmarting me at the moment
 
Hackdoff- Im not so sure this would be a good idea, I guess a horse can just about stand on two legs, but its not comfortable and if he does have balancing problems, I dont think putting him in a more unbalanced postition will do the trick.

Although, you never know what does the trick with these horses :D

Jo
 
If he's unbalanced you could try backing him up a step, then forward again and asking for the leg as he takes the weight off it?
 
CS- it depends whether its evasion or true lack of balance. If its evasion it will work as the horse will have to stand still. If its lack of balance then no it wont, but it might just show up which of the two it is.....................
Personally, I've resorted to bribery, my gelding gets a pasture stick for each hoof i get without a struggle ;)
 
picking up feet

hi there

when i first got my pony he was unbacked and not particuly handled alot i started picking up the rear feet with a rope, just put the rope buy the fetlock and pull then catch the foot and do the bussiness. i was told the method by richard maxwell and it worked really well for me, the front ones he was alright with excepted he was reather sharp but now all is fine its just confidience and balance!
 
My boy was bad with his balance and the lady I brought him from used to pick up his feet with a length of hose pipe. 5 years on he still panics a bit about his back feet being held up for long and we have major issues going near a hose pipe. I would be very careful if you use anything to help pick up feet.
I would always make sure a baby is stood square before asking for a foot, they often wont do this on their own to start with so you may have to help them on their way, once you have the foot only hold it for a very short time and put it down before they struggle (then they shouldn't get in the habbit) and then praise and gradually increase the ammount of time you hold it for. You have to remember the to your horse his legs are the most important thing, in the wild if a leg got restricted like that it would probably cost them their life, so it can take a while before they are happy to hold it up for any period of time. If the horse has realised he can lean on you to get his foot back and is just taking the mick you could try picking it up (only front feet) from the oposite side of him, stand at the shoulder and reach accross behind his other leg, this way your'e not there to be leant on.

J
 
I have the same problem with sort of the opposite cause - my old fellow can't really manage on three legs due to some joint issues. He and I have worked out a truce with his back feet - I leave his toe on the ground, frog turned upwards, and crouch beside him to pick out his hoof. Would it be safe for you to do your young'un like this? If he seems happy with this method, then you might think it was only a balance problem.
 
when i first got my pony she tried to pull the 'ha! you cant just pick up my feet' one (my pony is older though and KNOWS the picking up feet business inside out, she was just trying me out on this occasion). I just hung on for dear life so she soon realised trying to pull the feet away was pointless. she tried leaning a couple of times as well, i just pushed her back the way she should stand. she understood that quickly as well.

now she lifts her feet up when i just say 'right then!' :)

julia
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