now_loves_mares
Well-Known Member
Today was farrier day, some of you were kind enough to give advice on a problem I was having (link if you are interested)
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/sh...rue#Post5141073
Basically I had to change farriers as mine wasn't getting rid of a hoof crack, so the new farrier was doing a great job. BUT - my horse wouldn't let him shoe her hinds, got very stressed and violent about it. Last time she ended up wearing only 3 shoes. We had snow for about 4 weeks so this didn't really matter, but I've been trying her without since then. This wasn't working as she was wearing her feet down too much and was getting sore
. So we HAD to get hind shoes on; I decided to get my old farrier back.
So weirdly, or perhaps not, 4 shiny shoes! She was totally donkey like for the fronts, he got her hinds off no bother but did say her shoeless foot was very sore (that answers the question firmly about whether she can go barefoot!). Anyway when he went to the difficult leg to start nailing the shoe on, her stressed face came on and she snatched it away a few times, barging about, but it was definitely stress not naughtiness. I'd primed him already and said we had to go the softly softly route; so he was brilliant, didn't react at all, tried a few times, then just went and quietly did her other hind. She relaxed a bit and started eating hay again, so he just moved on to the bad foot, she quietly lifted it and stood like a lamb while he finished.
A couple of things occur to me - other farrier was very tall, and also whenever she started reacting he swore at her and had quite a "negative" vibe, though obviously I never let him thrash her; also he used a grinder to box off the shoes, and my mare hates clippers so I wonder if that set her off. Finally, today's farrer didn't just grab her leg and lift it up, he bent down and touched it, giving her the cue to lift (which is what all my horses learn - ie I go round their legs one at a time and they know the ropes and lift when you just tap their legs).
So all in all I am delighted, my mare has 4 shoes so I can keep riding her, nobody got stressed, and no drugs were involved! Thought it might be interesting to you as it appears it really was just a personality issue. I also had the dentist last week, and had been a wee bit stressed about this too, as when the vet did them last time he had quite a problem with the same mare. But again I chose my dentist with care as someone who had a nice way with the horses, and he managed without a murmur from either of them, he even used power tools which I thought the clipper-shy one would hate
So I am so proud of my girl today as she wasn't being naughty, she really had got into a stress, but was very brave! Farrier wondered if the other one had given her a nail prick at some point, causing the stress
Now for the drama - when taking my horses in today, it nearly ended in tears. I take them along a quiet road, then cut through the field behind my house to the stables. Half way across this field, my other mare rolled. They seem to like the mud here particularly
. I ended up letting go of her as she was doing mega fast rolls and I couldn't hold her. She stood up, paused, then something spooked her and she bolted. Away from me and her friend and her stables, back in the direction of her empty field
. She fled down the road, me holding on to the other one who was rearing a bit but luckily not trying to gallop after her. I was shouting like a mad thing, praying no cars came. She then stopped and turned round and came back in the right direction at full gallop, but went past the field gate and galloping towards the main road. By this point I was BRICKING it, screaming at her to come back. Thank god, she did, eventually coming back into the field I was in. Of course it's entirely my own fault as I didn't shut the gate behind me; this had been a deliberate decision as normally I have to take them in when it's dark and cold and by trial and error have discovered that if they are misbehaving, keeping them walking forward is far safer than stopping to turn round to shut an old off-the-hinges gate; but clearly I will revise this plan now
Thank god no harm done, and this was before the shoeing so I was even more proud of them for just relaxing and letting farrier get on with it. But a fairly scary moment, I can tell you
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/sh...rue#Post5141073
Basically I had to change farriers as mine wasn't getting rid of a hoof crack, so the new farrier was doing a great job. BUT - my horse wouldn't let him shoe her hinds, got very stressed and violent about it. Last time she ended up wearing only 3 shoes. We had snow for about 4 weeks so this didn't really matter, but I've been trying her without since then. This wasn't working as she was wearing her feet down too much and was getting sore
So weirdly, or perhaps not, 4 shiny shoes! She was totally donkey like for the fronts, he got her hinds off no bother but did say her shoeless foot was very sore (that answers the question firmly about whether she can go barefoot!). Anyway when he went to the difficult leg to start nailing the shoe on, her stressed face came on and she snatched it away a few times, barging about, but it was definitely stress not naughtiness. I'd primed him already and said we had to go the softly softly route; so he was brilliant, didn't react at all, tried a few times, then just went and quietly did her other hind. She relaxed a bit and started eating hay again, so he just moved on to the bad foot, she quietly lifted it and stood like a lamb while he finished.
A couple of things occur to me - other farrier was very tall, and also whenever she started reacting he swore at her and had quite a "negative" vibe, though obviously I never let him thrash her; also he used a grinder to box off the shoes, and my mare hates clippers so I wonder if that set her off. Finally, today's farrer didn't just grab her leg and lift it up, he bent down and touched it, giving her the cue to lift (which is what all my horses learn - ie I go round their legs one at a time and they know the ropes and lift when you just tap their legs).
So all in all I am delighted, my mare has 4 shoes so I can keep riding her, nobody got stressed, and no drugs were involved! Thought it might be interesting to you as it appears it really was just a personality issue. I also had the dentist last week, and had been a wee bit stressed about this too, as when the vet did them last time he had quite a problem with the same mare. But again I chose my dentist with care as someone who had a nice way with the horses, and he managed without a murmur from either of them, he even used power tools which I thought the clipper-shy one would hate
So I am so proud of my girl today as she wasn't being naughty, she really had got into a stress, but was very brave! Farrier wondered if the other one had given her a nail prick at some point, causing the stress
Now for the drama - when taking my horses in today, it nearly ended in tears. I take them along a quiet road, then cut through the field behind my house to the stables. Half way across this field, my other mare rolled. They seem to like the mud here particularly
Thank god no harm done, and this was before the shoeing so I was even more proud of them for just relaxing and letting farrier get on with it. But a fairly scary moment, I can tell you
