Problems with my cob can anyone help??

KatieDiddle

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Hii,

Right I have a 14year old 16.2hh piebald cob, I am having difficulty in picking up his feet... he hasnt always been like this only the past 6months all because i found a hole in his frog that was home to a load of maggotts so i flushed it out with hydrogen peroxide the neautralised it with IPA.

But after all that he moves around and refuses to have both front feet picked up. i even have problems with the farrier he rears but when he does theres no weight in his front legs its like he wants to get away. but after the farrier has had ago he will just stand there its just breaking throught that barrier. how can i do the same without getting hurt??

Is it a good idea to use a calmer for the first couple of times? Only his frogs are starting to rott and i really need help big time now :(

Thankyou.
 

touchstone

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He's probably associating picking up his feet with soreness. I'd try treating the thrush by getting him to stand in some dilute Milton or Golden Hoof, if you can find a shallow tray that is safe to use you won't need to physically pick up his feet.

As for picking his feet up I'd just start by asking him to lift a hoof by running your hand down the top of his leg chances are he'll move away but persevere, then when he does lift it up put it straight down and praise him. Build up the time you can lift it up and when he is comfortable with that then start picking them out etc. Make sure you wear a hard hat when doing it and remain calm but firm yourself.
 

debsg

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Agree with Touchstone. If you pick his feet up now and start more treatment on his frogs, he will associate picking up with something unpleasant happening.
 

libiff

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Hi,

my boy was funny with lifting his front legs. Wot ive bn doin is gettin some1 to stand in front o him way a pack o polo's and keeping his attention while i ran my hand down his leg to lift. When he lifts without a struggle he was rewarded. now i can pick out his hoofs and he looks for his reward from me once we r through. like any man-the way to his heart is his tummy!! good luck
 

NoltonSeaShell

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I've just been getting my cob x used to have his feet picked up. What I did was just desensitized him to me running my hand up and down his leg, then giving him a treat! Also picked his feet up when hes having dinner so hes too busy focused on eating to care about me picking his feet up! Now you just say lift and he picks his feet up by himself!

I think you just need to change about he feels about getting his feet picked up, at the moment he associates it with pain, Id try so he associates it with treats etc! and being a cob i can assume hes driven by food :D All mine have been!!
 

Moomin1

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My mare is a funny so and so with her legs and feet. She is 100% with farrier and to pick feet out etc, but try and get any wound cream on her or bandages etc and she needs pinning down by numerous people. This is even when she isn't injured. She had a small injury on her near fore about a year and a half ago and she still is funny with me lifting that leg up. I have tried to desensitize her to allsorts of things with her legs but never gets any better really. :confused:
 

NoltonSeaShell

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Moomin1 - I always find mares a bit more difficult, well the ones i've come across anyway :D Try it when shes eating her food, my boy never used to bat an eyelid as he was too busy scoffing! haha
 
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