Picking up feet

I_A_P

I_A_P

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My youngster is a little iffy about icking his feet up...especially his backs..one back one in particular is very difficlut.

I guess it is just practice practice and more practice...but when they really refuse to pick up one foot..is there anything you would recommend to help?
 
My tb has this habit of snatching with his hinds. (He came with it) Its just patience really. I try to just run my hand down his leg and then let go, leave him to snatch and then pick his feet out. But i've stopped shoeing his backs because he's so difficult with the farrier.

I think the trick is to not get angry, rough. or impatient with them, as this can cause habits like this.
 
How old is he? With our foals at work, we use a lead rope to do back feet. Gives you more leverage and keeps your head out of the danger zone! Also means if they are kicking it around you can hang on better so they know they cant get away with it. If your horse has sticky feet (that are stuck to the floor!) then try leaning on him to shift his weight, or making him walk a step forward/back to take his weight off the foot you want.
 
yep, just practise! and also a word command helps, so they know exactly what you want. i say 'FOOT' and run my hand down the leg to get mine to pick his up.

when i first got him he didn't know what i wanted when i went to pick out his feet. even after he was okay with three legs, he wouldn't let me pick out one of his fronts without an argument! i asked the vet when she came to do his vaccs if there could be anything wrong, but she said it was just behavioural. and so i picked out his feet before i ride as well as every night when i put him to bed!
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and now he's perfect!
 
Can you use a clicker to reward him when he does pick a foot up so that he gets a really clear understanding of the word "foot"? I know that its considered a bit tree hugging to do it with horses but it really does work and it'd be quite normal if I suggested it with a dog.

I did it with Daisy and she learned very qucikly
 
I bought a two and a half year old welsh D filly in August and she was clueless about picking her feet up. We used a soft rope on her legs and the command "foot" and after a few days of short sessions, she got the idea and is really good now. It was too dangerous to use hands on her legs as she cow kicked everytime her hinds were touched and it's a bit unnerving to have a sharp hoof flying past you at close quarters!
 
youngsters have not got the best balance and co-ordination. Just as they work it all out they grow again and it all goes to pot.

Making sure the horse is balanced, and has his weight on the other legs will help a lot. It is amazing how many people just snatch up a leg regardless of how the horse is standing and expect it to cope. Above all talk to the horse so he knows what is happening.

If it was my horse, I woudl look in to the reluctance to lift a particular leg. It could be indicative of some discomfort... not especialy in the leg in gquestion. Could be something in the back or another leg.
 
What everyone else said. My 4 year old wouldn't pick up backs at all when I first got her. The rope idea worked well as I needed the leverage but it was mostly balance with her. Pointless asking if she's not stood properly.

She's fine now
 
Random, but squeeze their chestnuts. They will then pick their feet up without a scuffle. Reinforce this with a command, and you can soon teach them
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Start off with a small amount of pressure, and incresethe "Pinch" until they react, then release the pressure straight away. It does work
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thanks everyone..hes is fine with 3 legs lol...its just one, he is coming up 6 so hes not awfully young...i guess its just being firm and practising then
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i will put your tips into practise
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My 9 year olds just as bad, but thats because she's had about as much handling as a yearling. She's learning though and we use all the methods mentioned on here. Good luck
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Just wanna say thanks for the tip of squeezing chestnuts to get horse to pick up feet. I have had my new youngster a couple of weeks now and he is really stubbon at picking up one of his front feet. He just plants it solid, so I tried the chestnut trick last night and he picked up immediately. Great tip thanks
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