Pick your feet up!!!

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Witchy

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I've had Joe for about 8 weeks now and have recently cut all his feathers off because of mites. Ever since I've really struggled to pick his feet up.

He was a bit of a sod before but I could grab the feathers and eventually he'd pick them up but now I have nothing and he's really making me cross
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It seems the only way to make him give me his feet is to give him a good slap which upsets me to do.

The vet has been out twice already to do jabs anyway and treat the mites and he has said that he's just being stubborn. I spend ages trying to get his feet up but he either walks forward, backwards or step out of the way.

Also what makes it a bit more awkward is I've got a a weak back after having a disc prolapse and I'm careful because I don't want to hurt myself. I've been recovered for 18 months now but was close to having an operation - I dont want to do myself damage just to pick his feet out.

It's really embarressing, what can I do? My husband has to do it for me and Joe just looks at me like his won that battle because I couldn't do it....
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Help
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I had the same problem with my boy, it's too slippery to get any grip! Farrier taught me a trick, you pull their feet forwards, it'a bit awkward to explain but you pull their leg forwards as if you were stretching it to get rid of the wrinkles under their girth when tacked up, does that make sense?! The you move your hand and their leg into feet picking position! Worked for me. x
 
Clicker train him that he gets a small treat everytime your OH says foot and he picks his feet up of his own accord. D was really naughty when I first got her and she now offers her feet on a vocal command, the farrier loves her. It only took a couple of weeks of consistent training for her to get really good and i haven't had to give her a treat for years now.
 
Someone sent me this once on how she dealt with a horse awkward about picking its feet up. (Edited version)
Hope it will help a bit.

The way I worked on his feet was in the field, every time I saw him, I picked up his feet. He would walk away, barge me and generally object or even kick a little. But I just kept going, happy with just a lift initially, but asking for longer as time went on. Just repetition and no emotion, just kept hassling him. What I do is give him a small handful of mix after work in a bucket, but he doesn’t get the mix until I have groomed off the marks and picked out his feet basically finished. So the more he protested the longer it took for the mix to arrive.

I teach them to lift their feet by tapping their knees or hocks and saying “this one”.. in my world of logic if I need to treat their feet or trim feathers I don’t want them offering me their foot and besides which, why should I bend down that far and tug ? They can lift the foot, arrange their balance and I don’t have to hold them up. So what I do, is tap the knee and lean on them slightly and ask. I then, gently, step on their foot just above the coronet band, finger or hand pressure at the most and as they snatch up the leg, praise them but not necessarily hold it or at least not for very long and not too high, just allowing me to hold it is a good start. Once they get the idea of shifting their weight off that leg and lifting it a small amount, I can then reach for it as they lift. And build it up over time... it is a lot less effort!! And people are so impressed when you just walk to a leg and say “this one” and it is offered!
 
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Clicker train him that he gets a small treat everytime your OH says foot and he picks his feet up of his own accord. D was really naughty when I first got her and she now offers her feet on a vocal command, the farrier loves her. It only took a couple of weeks of consistent training for her to get really good and i haven't had to give her a treat for years now.

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Ditto that - defo do some training so that he picks up feet on voice commands. I also have a prolapsed disc which I did 3 years ago and my pony has learnt to pick his feet up on voice commands. My back had recovered but I managed to aggravate it this week and was very glad to be able to only need voice commands to get his feet up.
 
Genie used to be a terror for this... You couldn't lean into her shoulder either as she'd just lean back on you. One day I got frustrated and poked her in the fetlock and she picked her foot up. Got it sorted now!
 
Slip a lead rope or some other rope around the leg hold together loosely tap hock and lift. (Keeps you out of harms way from a kick or a barge but you can still let go if need be. As others say you must keep doing it every time you handle him eventually he'll be fine.
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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Clicker train him that he gets a small treat everytime your OH says foot and he picks his feet up of his own accord. D was really naughty when I first got her and she now offers her feet on a vocal command, the farrier loves her. It only took a couple of weeks of consistent training for her to get really good and i haven't had to give her a treat for years now.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto that - defo do some training so that he picks up feet on voice commands. I also have a prolapsed disc which I did 3 years ago and my pony has learnt to pick his feet up on voice commands. My back had recovered but I managed to aggravate it this week and was very glad to be able to only need voice commands to get his feet up.

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FB too lifts his feet on command - taught by clicker training. I can stand a metre away from him and just point at a foreleg and he will lift it. Hinds, I just stand next to him, facing his tail, and tap him on the stifle and he rolls his toe forward and lifts his foot.
 
Something else that works is squeezing their chestnut and saying up or whatever your chosen command is.

I used to deal with a lot of irish cobs most of whom had never been taught how to pick their feet up and this used to work really well.
 
Hey Bex, I've started to wake up in the mornings as stiff as a board and not being able to move. I get a dead left foot as well so I'm scared to death that I may have to go in for the op.

My disc actually burst and killed all feeling from my waist down, I ended up at home for 8 weeks and could only lay or stand - I really don't want to have to do that again as I don't get paid if I'm not at work (probation) at the moment.

That's why I bought Joe, riding is the best form of exercise for our kinda problem. Think I've aggrovated it somehow
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Thanks for all your advice, I will certainaly try each one in turn until I get him to pick his feet up
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oh poor you
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I got off very lightly - just a slight prolapse but the associated swelling trapped my sciatic nerve for 18 months...riding was the only thing that relieved the pain. My hands slipped lifting a table on Tuesday and I've now got sciatic pain down the other leg so must have aggravated it
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It's really important that you get horsey to cooperate to make sure you don't hurt yourself - you really don't want to be having to tug and pull! Can you get your husband to help get your horse trained to lift on command? Hope you get it sorted
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Is that your horse in your avatar? Looks a bit like my coblet!
 
It took me a maximum of 3 weeks to train each one of my horses. The worst one was the "biggest one" and boy did he have heavy feet. Every morning and night I would pick up their feet - in the same order and after the last one they would get a carrot. Now I walk in and tap the first foot - up it comes, and all the rest follow - cheeky lad tries to fool me and pick up his front one next ! so he can get his carrot. Again the farrier loves them and cannot believe how good they are - and the big one is the best
 
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