hi all im new and need advise

tania01

tania01

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 August 2007
Messages
1,973
Location
Derbyshire
Visit site
hi im tania and completly new to computers but not horses i have 3 just purchased last one 2 weeks ago he is a 2 year old hardly touched and so far a dream and very quite other then he really does not like his legs and feet touched when picking it up he will do whetever he can to put it back down as in strike his foot out ,pull it away anyone had this prob and best way to handle it as never had this problem before thanks
 
Hi and welcome.

I think the trick to this is patience and perseverance. Daily handling will get him more used to being touched all over his body. Start with just rubbing your hands down his legs gently, and progress to picking up his feet, and asking him to hold it up until you say he can put it back down.

Good luck!
 
definitely perserverance and patience and loads and loads of soothing voices. they only do this as part of their flight mechanism ie fear factor. once he trusts you he will be fine. my boy would not let me touch his feet when i got him, i was at my wits end for a while but less and 12 weeks later, perfect so just go with it. my oh loses patience and this does not work.
 
My three year old is funny about me touching one leg and picking that foot out (he had a bit of mud fever in the heel last winter). He gets in a right state if you go near him with any hoof oil or cream etc and runs at you. What I tried the other day was whilst stroking his neck and reassuring him, I touched that leg all over with a stick and he soon relaxed and let me pick it up. It's going to take time the important thing is to try and not make too much of an issue of it.
 
Hi Tania and welcome to the forum. The problem is the same as i had when I bought my pony completly unhandled as a youngster. It took time but I got him to trust me enough to pick up all four feet without flinching, I started by running my hand down each leg to the point that he flinched from my touch , I did this a couple of times a day until eventually i could run my hands up and down all 4 legs with no problems. Then i started to work on picking up his feet just enough so that each foot was off the ground then put it down before he got stressed after a few days maybe a week he was quite happy for me to pick up all feet and hold them. My advice is only do what he is comfortable with and do a tiny bit more as he is ready. Good luck patience and perseverence will pay off
grin.gif
 
Hi Tania and welcome! It's hard for babies to trust us enough to hold a foot off the ground - it puts them off balance which is a very difficult thing for them to learn, and it also puts them in a vulnerable position as they feel they can't easily get away. Some trainers suggest rubbing a soft rope down their leg and using that to sort of 'hook' the foot towards you - this way you are out of the way of flying feet!

However, I prefer to use my hands gently down the legs. Grooming with a mitt works really well, and just take your time! Don't try and do all four feet in the same session, if he gives you one foot willingly, make a massive fuss out of him and leave it for the day.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hi Tania and welcome! It's hard for babies to trust us enough to hold a foot off the ground - it puts them off balance which is a very difficult thing for them to learn, and it also puts them in a vulnerable position as they feel they can't easily get away. Some trainers suggest rubbing a soft rope down their leg and using that to sort of 'hook' the foot towards you - this way you are out of the way of flying feet!

However, I prefer to use my hands gently down the legs. Grooming with a mitt works really well, and just take your time! Don't try and do all four feet in the same session, if he gives you one foot willingly, make a massive fuss out of him and leave it for the day.

[/ QUOTE ]hi thanks for the very good advise it makesalot of sence i have farrier coming today for him so will see how it goes thank you
 
Beau used to do this when I got him, he had broken his old owners foot and lots of toes!

I w just really firm with him, he would either stamp his foot down, or strike either backwards or forwards with his leg, like was said, just time, patience and not giving up will work.

Within a few days Beau was picking his feet up perfectly, and I only need to look at it and move towards it now and he will hold it up for me.

Praise when they do right is the key.

I would heng onto his leg until he stopped trying to pull it away and was still, not easy with a 17.3hh LOL, but he wasnt nasty, just seeing what he could get away with and being stubborn.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top