When I first got my horse at 2 years old he was absolutely phobic about having his feet handled or picked up. He was terrified but only tried to get away from people or the farrier. His feet were in really bad shape and needed to be done so the vet was called out and sedated him. This worked the first time but the farrier refused to work on him because he was afraid of being "squished" So I went to work desensitizing and gentling him for the next 3 months, but no luck. Again he would not let the farrier trim his feet. He acted like anyone or anything around trying to pick up his feet was pretty much like asking him to give up his very life! I suspect he was brutally mishandled, tied up and possibly whipped for him to be so reactive.
I have found a temporary solution by finding a farrier that uses a tipper so that at least he doesn't go lame but this still is not the answer. I want him to not be afraid and do it willingly and comfortably so that I can check his feet, clean them, and hold him for the farrier. But mostly I really want to help overcome this fear that I know bothers him so much. Thank you from my horse for your replies.
Hi. Need more info. You say you worked to help your horse with no success. Have you used Monty's methods? Have you achieved successful Join ups? Are you using a dually head collar? Have you desensitised your horse with plastic? It may well be that this horse has been very badly treated but using the same techniques as suggested for the ear issues you raised previously, you can help him with all his issues. Cheers, Jo.
Hi; I have worked with a few horses that have been very very foot shy and it does take a lot of time, patience, and repetition, and above all correct timing. If, after three months you have made no progress I have to say it is likely that there is an issue with your technique. Please don't think I am being unkind or judgemental; it's just that three months is a long time to have no progress and if you carry on " doing what you are doing you will carry on getting what you get".
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If you could describe in detail exactly how you have been working with him we can see if things need modifying a bit. Take heart, it can be done :-)
I am one month new to Monty's methods. The period of time I speak of was approximately 4 years ago. I will admit at that time I was just a horse lover and knew very little about horse psychology or training. I looked to the people around me for guidance such as my boarder, the farrier, other horse owners etc. But over time I have read books, researched natural horsemanship, tried new techniques, had successes and failures,and learned my horses ideosyncrasies. I have desensitized him to ropes, plastic bags, I can touch and groom him everywhere (he has learned to trust me)I have give him his first bath, learned about pressure and release, taught him to catch me and feel safe with me. I am still learning. But yes my horses two biggest problem are a lot of fear of other people including kids and extremely untrusting of having anyone pick up his feet. I will say I am still a little intimidated because he is a very big horse ( 18 1/2 Clydesdale)But I know from experience that he will not hurt me so I keep working at it.
It sounds as if you have done a wonderful job and have a lot to be proud of. Clydesdale's feet are soooooooooo big and heavy aren't they! :-)
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When I asked about the detail I meant exactly how are you teaching him to tolerate his feet being lifted - sorry if I wasn't clear, but lovely to hear the stuff that you have achieved so far.
Hi Vicci,
Ok, I have used advance and retreat methods with a five foot stick with a leather tip (just touching and rubbing) until he was able to accept it comfortably. I also used soft ropes in a methodical repetitive "hugging" manner until he could accept this too. then I moved on to gently massaging his legs and feet (using approach and retreat) and then to thoroughly grooming his feather on his front legs without a problem while he is ground tied but I am still working on his back legs (to groom them totally) but I can rub his hooves and tap them a bit with the brush while he is standing. I hope this helps :)
Hi. You have a BIG BOY. You have done well. Remember, do not repeat when it's not working. Repeat when he accepts it. Timing is key. Keep studying the Uni as there is such a wealth of information for you there. The forum offers support & advice - you are not alone! Cheers, Jo.
Hi allmyphonestuff,
Now this sounds like you've come quite far!
You mention using a soft rope and your horse accepting it around his legs.
I recently worked with a big hunter/jumper, that didn't want to stand to have his feet treated for thrush.
I starterd with a Join-up, then moved on to touch him all over with a soft rope.
Next I had the rope around his leg and played with it, so he got used to the rope moving around. Then I had the rope at his fetlock and slowly lifted the foot, always keeping the weight, so he learned to trust me to pick up and to put back his foot in a respectful way. This I did with all 4 feet. The next step was to shorten the rope, so slowly I got closer to picking up his feet with my hand. After he started to trust that I wouldn't just drop his feet, but put them back, he actually started to like having his feet done!
Advance-and-retreat and also breathing out, when you pick up or release the foot can help a lot. Maybe this could work for your horse too.
Keep us posted on your progress,
Miriam
You're doing great. The time has come though to get his feet off the floor I think ;-)Great suggestions from Miriam - also a walking stick is good and means you can stay well out of the way if you are wary. While I don't want to fix a timescale I would suggest you have a rough target in your head (for example by next farrier visit) so that you can move things along bit. Sometimes if we are a little nervous we hold back from taking the next step.
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I would also gt an old rasp that you can start to tap his hooves with/desensitise him to the feel of the rasp when you do get his foot up. Keep us posted :-)
Thanks for the support and ideas everyone! as I will try with the rope and move on to my hands and find an old rasp. And concentrate on deep breathing. I think I have a tendency to hold my breath when I think he might act up and that could be part of the problem too.
Thanks so much :) Monique