problem picking up back hoof

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gertiepie1

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Hello, am new to this, but am hoping for some advice please!
Our mare has been treated for laminitis since beginning of June and has been really patient with all the treatment she has needed so far, but when she went back to the vets last Friday for specialist shoeing and review, there was alot of activity in the yard whilst she was being shod. We had been treating her for an abcess in her right hind hoof for a week prior to the visit by hot-tubbing and poulticing and we had no problems handling her hoof at all. (The abcess has drained) She has been shod by this farrier since she developed laminitis with no problems at all until now.

Whilst she was being shod at the vets, the farrier dropped this hoof , causing it to bleed and insisted on twitching her, then had her sedated as he said she was playing up (she wasn't, she had been really patient for ages, then a large lorry was unloaded next to her so she got a bit anxious). Whilst she was sedated, he again dropped her hoof.

Instructions from the vet are to continue to tub her hoof daily and apply iodine and sugar paste, however, she now is refusing to let us pick her right hind hoof up at all. She kicks us away and if that fails she bucks so we have no chance of hanging on. She allows us to pick up her other 3 hooves with no problem. We don't get a chance to just lift the leg and put it down without doing anything as she kicks out. We have been stroking and grooming her legs which she has been fine with, it's just when we attempt to pick her leg up that we have problems. She has never been a problem to shoe or when handling her feet before now.

Is there anything else we can try so we can continue to treat the abcess, or is it just a case of persistence until she realises we will not hurt her?
Any advice would be appreciated!! She is not due back at the vets for another 4 weeks.
 
keep persevering. take no nonsense. you might have to get bossy. tough love. a good hard slap, i mean hard then she should give in. tub pooultice whatever. get friend or yo to help dress foot. get a farrier who is not a poof will sort this. and why did you let it get so fat it went off its feet? or is it mechanical or cushings related? laminitis is a human induced complaint!. horses were not bred to watch telly or eat. work///
 
Blimey ocyc! Toughen up why don't you????

Gertiepie1, she has clearly been hurt by the farrier dropping her sore foot back hard to the ground. I was always taught to PUT the horse's foot back on the ground when you'd finished whatever you were doing, not just drop it. Naughty farrier. So she's worried that if anyone picks that foot up again she'll be hurt again. So you have to convince her you aren't going to hurt her. You've made good progress just grooming the leg but I think to go straight from that to lifting it is too much too soon. Why not groom then HOLD the leg (where you'd pick it up for picking out feet) for a split second and release. Head rubs. Do this loads of times until you finally GRIP the leg firmly and immediately release. I'd leave it there then. Next day same stuff but whizz through the early stages a bit faster and then GRIP the leg and LIFT just the skin if you see what I mean, ie foot stays on floor but your hand pushes the skin up the leg and lets go. At all times, be ready to move out of harms way but do continue. She'll let you know if she's ready to move on a bit but don't rush her. Then just move it on a bit day by day always rewarding the tiniest try and going back a stage if she gets worried.

If you give her a good hard slap for being frightened when she had good cause to be frightened, you risk her losing trust in you.
 
Agree with Box of Frogs, just do little and often until she's relaxed and reassured about it. It sounds as though it would have been a traumatic experience for any horse at the vet's yard.

Ocyc, where did you learn your horsemanship skills?
 
Goodness ocyc do you know this horse or do you always make such judgements
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That was very unkind.
It sounds as though the mare is in discomfort so slapping her and getting a tough farrier for a previously cooperative horse sounds a bit off to me.

OP I hope your mare gets better with time and perseverance -no suggestions I am afraid except maybe try a lead rope round the pastern to hold the leg gently??? - just a thought that I have heard used with foals who kick out. Never tried it myself though.

Good luck.
 
Get someone else to hold the leg with a piece of baler twine supporting it underneath (just below pastern) so that they can stand a bit away, if she does kick out they won't get hurt and can just let one end of the twine go. This does work but don't tie the twine around her foot just hold loosely so the foot is held up - hope that makes sense
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ETS: Didn't read the last post, but this is the same thing - a lead rope would probably be softer too.
 
Thanks for this Box of Frogs. we are letting her set the pace like you suggest and she is beginning to relax and let us do a little more each time.
 
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