Beforehand...
- Get your horse some exercise prior to the appointment -- turnout, riding, anything to help expend energy.
- Schedule the visit at a time when the barn is quiet.
- Avoid appointments that coincide with the horse's turnout time or feeding.
- Clear the aisleway of objects, obstructions, children/dogs, etc.
- Practice farrier tasks with your horse -- pick up feet, tap feet with hoof pick, etc.
- Relax! You'll communicate your mood to the horse, so focus on staying relaxed and calm.
- Relax the arm holding the lead rope.
- Give a moderate amount of lead rope. Keeping a chokehold on the lead will make the horse tense and resentful.
- You need to monitor your horse's behavior but don't stare at him. Prey animals are uncomfortable when someone is staring. Try to "take in the whole scene" rather than focusing too much on your charge.
- Pay attention. Farrier work with a difficult horse is dangerous, and you need to focus. Every 3-5 seconds scan the horse's behavior for signs he/she may be about to misbehave. No cell phones, no conversations, no distractions.
- Get the horse's attention. The horse should be focusing on you. How to make this happen?
- Jiggle the lead line when they seem distracted.
- Use a low, authoritative tone when you say whoa or stand up.
- Warn the farrier before making a strong correction.
- Do not permit the horse to nibble or nudge the farrier.
- Don't pet, tease, or play with the horse.
- No treats or toys. I've been guilty of trying to "make my horse happy" like a parent trying to placate a cranky child with toys. You aren't the entertainment. You're the handler. Besides, toys and treats will tend to agitate.
- Position yourself. Stand at the horse's shoulder. When working on the front feet, the farrier will usually want you to stand on the same side she/he is working on; stand on the opposite side for the back feet.
- Position the horse. Pay attention to what the farrier is doing and position the horse accordingly...
- Square the horse up before the farrier picks up a foot.
- Tilt the horses head toward the farrier. This will keep the horse from swinging into you, and will allow the horse a view of what is happening.
- Don't worry if the horse gravitates to a wall, as long as the farrier is not in danger of being pinned. Some horses will feel more secure standing close to a wall.
- Keep the horse's head somewhat raised -- a lowered head makes it easier for the horse to throw weight around.
- If the horse starts to lean on the farrier, position their head over the opposite leg.
- If the horse starts to lean on the foot stand, move his nose back toward his chest.
- Pay close attention when the farrier is nailing the shoe on -- this is a dangerous time for the horse and the farrier.
- Extra control. Most farriers prefer not to work with restraints or drugs. A cotton lead rope over the gums is a mild restraint that keeps the horse in a good frame of mind.
Farrier articles
Horse holding 101 from Danvers Child web site (foxtailforge.com)
Horse holder positions for the farrier from Tri-state horseshoeing
Be nice to the farrier or the art of horse holding from bwfa.net
Farrier friendly horses from myhorse.com
Holding a horse for the farrier (illustrated) from Horse handling and grooming (book)
Hold your horse safely for your farrier from Online Magazine of Pamlico County North Carolina
Preparing a horse for the farrier from Andalusian Dressage Partners
How to hold a horse for the farrier from helium.com
Restraint/manners articles
Restraining a horse from The Horse magazine
Teaching a horse to stand from professorshouse.com
How do deal with a difficult horse from Proceedings of the Annual AAEP Convention 1999
Restraining a horse (excerpt from Understanding Basic Horse Care by Michael A. Ball, DVM. ) from The Horse magazine
How to hold your horses
Restraining Methods from Professional Care of the Racehorse
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Lots and lots of practice when the farrier is not there....holding the horse's hoof between your legs as a farrier will, tapping--as you suggest--, and just general foot handling goes far in teaching a horse to be patient and cooperative.
ReplyDeleteAlso, just general groundwork and leading can help too. Many horses do not get enough ground handling.
All that being said, it took a while for my Tucker to become mannerly with my farrier, but his patience and good horse handling made a huge difference too.
In general, whether the front or hind limbs are being worked on, it is always best to stand on the same side as the person working. If you are on the opposite side and the horse misbehaves, you will tend to swing the hindend towards the person on the opposite side. If you're on the same side, you can at least swing the hind end away from the farrier/vet/etc.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely correct and so few people know this.
DeleteExcellent post!
ReplyDeleteHowever I also believe the handler stays on the same side as the farrier for front and rear.
I read all the articles and the issue of where to stand is not universal. Most articles suggested the positioning I wrote about in the blog -- but not all of them did. One article stated explicitly to ask each farrier where they want you to stand.
ReplyDeleteI'll add one other tip: Give your farrier carte blanche to discipline your horse (within reason, of course) if your horse should act up.
ReplyDeleteI used to own a mare that would be a big old, well, you know with each new farrier (due to several moves, we have had a few farriers). I always said "I can discipline up here at the front, but nothing says 'knock-it-off' like a tap in the back end. Do what you must." Each new farrier would get to the point, in the first appointment, where what I was doing on the front end was having no effect, and then they would give a smack or a tap on the belly with the rasp or whatever was needed to correct the situation on the back end, and viola, problem solved. It was like she needed to hear it from the farrier's mouth that it was not OK to be a pushy sack of bones. (Just one of many reasons I no longer own her, but that's another story.)
To a person, each farrier has thanked me for being realistic and unemotional about the issue of discipline. I guess a lot of owners don't want Trigger or Muffy or Jerkabella reprimanded by the farrier, which is just nuts if you ask me since farriers are incredibly vulnerable at various times in the process, and let's face it, their number one tool is their body's ability to perform the work.
I'll add one other tip: Give your farrier carte blanche to discipline your horse (within reason, of course) if your horse should act up.
ReplyDeleteI used to own a mare that would be a big old, well, you know with each new farrier (due to several moves, we have had a few farriers). I always said "I can discipline up here at the front, but nothing says 'knock-it-off' like a tap in the back end. Do what you must." Each new farrier would get to the point, in the first appointment, where what I was doing on the front end was having no effect, and then they would give a smack or a tap on the belly with the rasp or whatever was needed to correct the situation on the back end, and viola, problem solved. It was like she needed to hear it from the farrier's mouth that it was not OK to be a pushy sack of bones. (Just one of many reasons I no longer own her, but that's another story.)
To a person, each farrier has thanked me for being realistic and unemotional about the issue of discipline. I guess a lot of owners don't want Trigger or Muffy or Jerkabella reprimanded by the farrier, which is just nuts if you ask me since farriers are incredibly vulnerable at various times in the process, and let's face it, their number one tool is their body's ability to perform the work.
I have seen a farrier hit a horse with a rasp -- think it was just an impulse, the horse NEEDED correction and it happened to be in his hand. Whip, hand, rope, broom(!) are okay with me but a rasp seems ill-advised. This horse was none worse for the wear, and the owner was not arround.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens in the barn, stays in the barn.
I will say that a good and patient farrier is worth his weight in gold. Regular handling of feet is definitely a huge help too. Not sure it matters specifically where you stand, other than out of the way, (duh :o) but positioning your body at a slight angle to the horse instead of straight on is another positive body language you can give your horse to help facilitate calm.
ReplyDeleteI trim my horse's feet, which required that I learn to communicate with him while working at hoof level. Thankfully, he is a willing customer, but trimming takes a long time and he does have a limit to his patience. Here are some things that work for us that have not been previously mentioned:
ReplyDeleteGive him breaks so he can put his foot down, but only at my discretion. I can feel when he needs a break, but I also try to put his foot down before he asks.
My horse prefers a lower head position, so he can relax his back.
One swift smack on the rump or shoulder is better understood than 50 wimpy corrections, but I must be certain that my horse is truly testing me.
Praise and pet my horse when he stands like a gentleman! He knows that he will get carrots when we are all done. :)
I am lucky when it comes to my horses...they both are great for the farrier. In fact, my farrier got another job and dropped all but 6 of his clients, and I was one of the ones he kept because my horses are so easy. He can trim them both in about half an hour. For all their other short-comings, standing for the farrier is not one of them.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Haha...Jerkabella...that was hilarious, HLS.
I made the mistake one time of scheduling the farrier during feed time at a large boarding farm. Never again. My horse was frenetic that he was going to miss dinner and it took the poor farrier 2x the time for just a trim. Good advice.
ReplyDeleteMy guy started out great with farriers. Then, after one visit with a farrier we later didn't like, he hated having his feet done. I'm not even sure what happened. He would try to kick at or knock over the farrier. At 18.1 hands, that's a lot of kicking reach. We got so fed up with it we started to drug him for his appointments. And that, more than anything else I think, helped; well, that and finding a good farrier, aka our trainer does everyone now. He went through a year or two of needing to be drugged, then the next time we tried without drugging, and he was fine. And he's been great ever since. He's not the most patient horse, but he no longer kicks, threatens, or pushes his weight around.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, knowing how to hold a horse for the farrier really makes or break a session. Though, I will say that I have to "fuss" over my guy while he's being done, which does kind of go against your tip about not playing with them, but some horses need something to "pass the time," and so long as your careful about not distracting them too much and in the wrong way, it can be really helpful.
I've been lucky enough to own mostly horses who go to sleep while being shod. A lot of handling, and the example of a nice calm horse being done in front of your horse before his first time are helpful.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has very good points, but let me add: if you need a twitch, use a twitch. Don't let your horse dance on top of your farrier because you're trying to train him. The farrier is breakable. More often than not the silliest horse in the world will calm right down and stand patiently with a humane twitch.
Only thing I'd add is if the horse has particular pain issues, such as arthritis in a specific joint, make sure your farrier knows about it - a good farrier will work with the horse to make him comfortable so the experience is good for all. My mare with soundness issues gets 1 gram Bute the night before and 1 gram the morning of her farrier appointment - this has made things much easier.
ReplyDeleteAlso - listen to your horse - if your horse hates a particular farrier there's probably a good reason - particularly if you weren't there when the horse was done. I've seem some pretty abusive behavior from a few farriers.
A good way to help your horse get used to his feet being messed with is to mess with your horses feet as much as you can. Spend extra time when you are picking your horses hooves out and take your palm and pat you horses hoof. If they have trouble with this then you know you need to get them more used to it. Chances are if your horse is giving you problems with the farrier, he's not comfortable with his feet.
ReplyDelete~Gina
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