Horse playing up for farrier- what would you do? *Long sorry*

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Coffee_Bean

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Ok this could be long, so I apoligise in advance.

I have owned my mare for nearly 3 years, and she has been good with the farrier on 90% of occasions. She does not trust people easily, and is a bit of a typical mare in some ways... the first time she has a new farrier she is always a little iffy, but not dangerous. After a positive experience, she is fine.

My old farrier basically did a crap job, putting her feet horribly out of balance and making her bilaterally lame in front. So she had xrays, which proved what we already thought- sole too thick, toes too long, pedal bone wrong angle, balance incorrect. She had a remedial farrier shoe her after looking at the xrays.

He made some quite radical changes to the feet, and she was quite sore for a few days after (she was on bute too) and was not quite level for another 3 weeks (she was being monitered by a vet the whole time, who said this is completely normal). Whilst nailing on the front shoes, she was playing up a bit, and slamming down on her sore feet by doing mini rears, making herself hurt more. I cannot fault my farrier, he was patient, did not hit her or shout at her, and did everything right.

The next time she had shoes on, I was unable to be there, so she was being supervised by my YO. The farrier did her back shoes fine, but Bean obviously remembers that she was sore after, and would not let him nail on the fronts. She kicked out twice, which she has never done before. My farrier and YO decided it was time to stop, as she needs to have a good job done with the balance, and it was not fair for either of them to get hurt, they were right to stop when they did.

The next week the vet came and sedated her, and we put the fronts on, she was fine of course.


Now, the thing is, I really do not want to have to rack up £45 each time she is shod for sedation, and my parents are understandably a little annoyed about it, it's no ones fault, just bloody unlucky.

So my question is- what would you do in my situation?? Also, bear in mind that I was planning on selling her before the end of the year (hopelessly outgrown), I want to sell her honestly- but would you buy a horse that needed to be sedated for the farrier
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? So does anyone have any bright tips that might be worth a try?? I don't want to piss off my farrier, but was thinking about doing sh*tloads of groundwork and messing around with her feet before next time, and then try with a tube of sedalin?

Any suggestions welcome. Sorry it was so long!
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Can yuo leave her shoeless for a while?

My old pony was as bad so we took his shoes off, and then ( although the payment for doing it wss a pain) just ask the farrier when he was in the area to come and just pick his feet up, and then progress to picking out and then onto a trim.

My farrier did not mnd, as long as he was in the area, which he generaly is.

It worked for us
 
id do some work with a small hammer, start off myself picking up her feet and giveing them taps, inside and out, then getting strangers to do the same.

the other thing is id still sedate, but lower the does each time.

id also encourage the farrier to giver her a good rub all over including legs, finished by a treat.
 
[ QUOTE ]
id do some work with a small hammer, start off myself picking up her feet and giveing them taps, inside and out, then getting strangers to do the same.

the other thing is id still sedate, but lower the does each time.

id also encourage the farrier to giver her a good rub all over including legs, finished by a treat.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto this. I'm afraid I'm a bit 'fluffy woolly' in some respects and taught my horse to lift his feet and have them messed about with using clicker training.
 
Oh she lets me do anything with her feet- she just seems to have taken a dislike to my farrier
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With the groundwork I meant using a pressure halter, and seeing what happens with that, as that worked wonders for her loading. Thanks for the suggestions though.
 
Ask your vet for some Sedaline, you can self administer it - probably only need a couple of clicks - and then wean the horse off it with each consecutive shoeing.
 
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Cant you just twitch her?

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Twitching does not last long enough to fit two front shoes. The endorphin rush wears off between eight and ten minutes.
 
You will be doing well to sell her with a history of foot lameness requiring remedial farriery. Even if the foot balance and angles are corrected the damage has often already been done.
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I don't like the sound of how your horse is reacting to this treatment, and I'd be inclined to turn away shoeless for a while instead.
 
Is she now back in work? Fews opitions... Work the hell out of her before, use sedalin or ACP, offer haynet of haylage for a treat or bucket of feed. If you sedate her for a few times she should start getting easier so you can wean her off. Ask the farrier (may be worth considering wearing a low cut top!!) to pop in had have a play if he's passing. Tell the farrier that if she's being differcult, it doesn't sound like she's scared, you don't mind him telling her off. I will no doubt get told off for saying this but sometimes in a protentialy dangerous situation some zero tolerance is best IMO.
 
F_M_N- she gets more wound up if you smack her.

Flame_- please explain that? What don't you like the sound of? The horse is sound, just being a bit of a cow towards the farrier. She doesn't forget things easily. Before I bought her she had her wolf teeth out by the dentist, she now has to be sedated for the dentist. Without realising, I had the same guy out to clip her over 2 years later... she would not let him near her. I bought some clippers and had no problem. She has a very low pain threshold and tends to overreact, and she doesn't forget.

Twitching- I'm afraid it has the opposite effect to the desired on her
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Jeez I'm making her sound like a right nut job, she's really not!!
 
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Whilst nailing on the front shoes, she was playing up a bit, and slamming down on her sore feet by doing mini rears, making herself hurt more....

Bean obviously remembers that she was sore after, and would not let him nail on the fronts. She kicked out twice, which she has never done before.

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She either doesn't like something about these shoes being put on, or the way they are being nailed on. It is a reaction to something she feels, not what she remembers and expects to feel IMO.
 
i would think it will take more than 3 weeks and one set of remedial shoeing to be confident she is not uncomfortable.my horse has taken a few years with a fab farrier to sort her feet out.
 
debsflo-Her feet weren't shocking to start with, just not right. We have had follow up xrays to prove the progress.

Flame_- I think we'll agree to disagree on this then. I know my horse, quirks and all, I didn't ask why she was doing this, just what people would do in my shoes. I have a pretty good idea why given past experiences.

And yes I agree that her leg muscles and tendons will have adapted etc, which is why we are shoeing in accordance with her conformation, and if she is a sound horse, which she is, we are happy.
 
Mine does the same as your horse. He is sensitive to clench up. The first time he was shod as a 3 yr old he was bad on 1 hind so we gave him a couple of ml of sedalin. Did this a couple of times was then OK
 
In his situation I would first remove the pain aspect, so there is no pain assosciated with the farrier ( Bute or as Vet advises).
Secondly remove the tension, behaviour aspect. First shoeing, full sedation, second occasion 3/4 sedation, third occasion sedalin, 4th reduced sedalin, 5th hopefully normal.
Continue painkillers until it is unlikely that there could be any discomfort after shoeing.
If this is a learned behaviour she has to "unlearn" it and has to be given a new set of parameters ie. farriers will not hurt her AND she has to be obedient. But you may find a new farrier will be needed, that she doesn't assosciate with the bad experience.
Hope this helps.
 
My horse is being a bit silly, he is a pain in the backside with both his back feet. He isnt that bad that its dangerous, more of a too fidgety to actually do anything. but it has been since having an abcess in his foot he will not stand still.
Going to have to get the vet up to sedate mine I think.

My farrier does reckon as he was good that with a couple of times sedating and lowering the dosage as time goes on that he will be fine. This may well be the case for yours.
 
You weren't there the time it went "wrong" with the farrier. Have you been present at a shoeing session since that time to see if she will cooperate without being sedated when you are there to hold her hoof so to speak?

I have a very unmareish mare, but she is funny about who does her pedicures, she only allows the one chap to do it, if his son or the apprentice go near her she will sit down
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For Tim the boss, she is perfectly behaved in every way, and doesn't need to be held or bribed.
 
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