i need help !!!!!!

[comet&joe]

i need help hoof picking! comet wont lift up his feet and i get so fustrated :L im doing pony camp this week and i just cant lift up his feet. its annoying me now! and i dont want him to have bad feet! can anyone help me pleaseee!! and give advice to lift up their feet?
thanksx

 

[attheponies]

If they won't pick up their feet, I gently run my hand down their leg and tug their fetlock, this usually works.

 

[horsecrazy25]

mmm tricky, not much help really but when you can pick his feet up everytime he picks it up for you reward him with a treat and then hopefully when you pick his feet up he will think of it as a good thing x

 

[comet&joe]

thankss

 

[attheponies]

Forgot to say I also lean gently against them to push them slightly off balance.

 

[zoelouisem]

Get your hoof pick and with the point press gently at the point between where the bulbs of his heals meet, 9 times out of 10 this will work, you dont need to be roung or anything, ive used this and it works, ive been to its a reflex apparently.

 

[Steorra]

Try squeezing his chestnuts.

 

[amc]

Try squeezing his chestnuts.

Second this, it nearly always works, xx

 

[comet&joe]

Try squeezing his chestnuts.

i feel silly asking this but where are his chestnuts?

 

[Steorra]

Sorry hun I should have said - they're the sticky out knobbly bits on the inside of his legs above his knees.

 

[juliette]

with my friend's pony who can be awkward, we ask him to pull his leg forward at the knee (like you do after you have girthed up) and then keep it up and pick out from there......

 

[comet&joe]

ohh yeh ino where they are now, thankss
whooo ill try all this tomorrow

 

[NeilM]

Try squeezing his chestnuts.

What a brilliant tip!

I tried it last night on our two (who will pick up their feet) and it worked perfectly. Even my OH, who has been around horses close to 40 years, didn't know about it, so that made me look good

 

[Splish & Masons mum]

I had this problem with my stubborn pony a few months ago, it was just his back legs though!
My instructor suggested using a lead rope, put it round, under the fetlock, stand by his shoulder, facing his bum and pull forwards, gradually moving your hand down the rope closer to his foot as his foot lifts up. when his foot is right up, put your hand on the hoof, drop the leadrope, (it will stay over his leg, but leave it to dangle) keep holding the foot high, and walk towards his bum, until the foot is in the "normal" picking out position. scratch his bum as you hold his foot up, then stop scratching before you release the foot - he will eventually come to associate picking his foot up nicely and holding it up, with nice bum scratches. I only had to do this a few times before he would pick his feet up fine. just make sure that your horse is happy with the lead rope flapping round his legs before you attempt to pick his feet up!
We did try this with my friends horse who wouldn't pick up her front feet and it worked just as well.
good luck!