21/06/2024
Of course this doesn't apply to the majority of our wonderful clients 🙂 ... but it's handy info for those who aren't perhaps aware of the necessity of looking after their hoof care providers 🙂
I’ve two horses here who are so bad with their feet, I cannot—or will not—have them see my farrier. The one is quite new here and the other, I’ve had long enough to fix. This is not a proud admission, by the way.
But there it is. When these two horses’ feet need doing, I am the one who is left dealing, which is as it should be. I own them; it is my responsibility. While I may acknowledge the situation, I am not wholly accepting of it. I bought them, thinking these problems would be an easy fix.
I was wrong.
Both horses can have their feet picked out. When having them trimmed and rasped, however, all bets are off. This tells me that it’s not a fear issue, so much as a trained response.
Both horses come from somewhat dodgy, largely unknown backgrounds. Judging by their behaviours and reactions to certain other things in their lives, I’d say that nobody took the time, early on when they were colts, to show either horse how to accept having its feet done. How to balance on three legs, knowing that a rest break would come.
Nobody since has had the chops to correct what has spiraled down into bad territory.
Thing is, that was then. They’re now mine.
I woke up last night with the stark realization that these horses both need their trimming issues brought to the forefront. That they have been quietly falling through the cracks all their lives.
I can see that they are still not great around the feet and lower legs, despite having done some solid rope work with them, late last fall. Teaching them to ‘lead with their feet’, to accept handling, giving and taking back calmly, all were improved.
Somewhat… but not enough. Both can still sn**ch their feet away, in a flash. The one isn’t above taking a shot at you, on the way down.
“Oops, did your knee get in the way of my foot? My bad.” This sort of thing is enough to keep them from ever being Keystone sale horses, no matter their charms under saddle.
I’ve been working around them, thinking they’ll get better as they progress in their riding. So many times, we see that the problems with handling feet are often a sign that the horse is worried, tense and afraid. As the working relationship grows and deepens, those iffy things can fade away.
We’re not dealing with that here, however. We’re dealing with something else. It’s important to be able to see the difference.
I’m faced with the product of years of iffy handling that is now sitting squarely on my plate. It’s my problem and not my farrier’s… and I urge you, if you have a similar situation, to get cracking. If you need help, there are worse reasons to send a horse to a professional trainer. We cannot expect our hoof guy, or gal, to gamely deal with the fallout from our lack of prep.
Farriers and trimmers do feet; they’re not to be ‘used’ as horse trainers. More importantly, if your horse puts them out of commission through injury, they’re going to be unable to pay their own bills. Being a good client, therefore, comes with responsibility.
Some horses, because of what they’ve been through in the past, what they’ve perceived as legit behaviour for prior wrongdoing, will just not come around with ordinary measures. The old-fashioned word for this is ‘spoiled’, though it is an unpalatable word for many of us, any more.
No matter my choice of words, it is up to me to find the nature of the problem.
Can it properly be addressed with more effort? Most horses, yes. Others may be in pain on a hard floor and need soft support underfoot. Some are committed enough to say no to any sort of change. They may need safe bodily restraint, such as a set of stocks. They may need some expert handling with a soft rope, to learn to ‘lead with their feet’. They may need a scotch hobble, for the horse who habitually kicks at the handler.
Safety, first, then. Done well, none of these methods are unkind… though they can be, if done wrongly. We will do our best to avoid them but I’m not out of tools, if needs be.
Some horses may need a little sedative from the veterinarian, if they prove dangerous to themselves and to everyone around them. Most horses who have a problem with having their feet done just need more help from someone who is dedicated to seeing them get better. I’ll keep you posted as we go along.
I will say that our farriers can be helpful, if we ask what they see as the problem and what might be done to help. Invited to be part of the team, the solution, they are an invaluable resource.
One thing I know for sure, that when we concentrate on filling that one big hole, most times, the other little bumps smooth out, too. Filling holes is always a worthwhile endeavour.
Shown here is Cisco, a horse who, for the whole of her life, absolutely fought the traditional clamping of the foot between the farrier’s knees. Mike found that the mare would stand all day long, if only one squatted down and allowed her to rest her foot on one’s thigh. It was a leap of faith, at first, a reminder that sometimes we have to think outside the box to solve our problems.
In this picture, Cisco is calmly getting a last minute ‘re-tread’, before heading out in the drizzle to gather bulls. She was an excellent horse for our entire family and I love Iain's quiet support, up at her head. Their overall kinship had me pause, amid a usual ranching day’s 'busy-ness' to take the shot. Years later, I’m so glad that I did.
