Well, it's not my imagination nor a coincidence!

diamonddogs

diamonddogs

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My mare definitely lifts her feet out of the way when I'm mucking out around her. You know, that square of dirty straw they always manage to stand on even though there's acres of clean floor they could move on to. But no, she's done it over half a dozen times in the last few days. :D

Any clever tricks yours does without ever having been formally trained?
 
I thought bill had a swollen sheath the other day so was checking for any swelling and he kindly lifted his hind leg up for me to let me have a better check :p no mallice, no attempt to kick out, he just continued to eat his hay very happily :p

Was very funny, he literally just lifted it up and out and held it there - like a person would hold out their arm:p

It wasnt swollen, just caked mud on the skin thankfully :)
 
When I've done her girth up my girl lifts her feet ready for me to stretch her front legs, she's also very good at moving out the way without being asked
 
When brushing the mud out from under his girth area and "arm pits" he stretches that leg forward so I can give it a good brush lol!
 
only_me said:
I thought bill had a swollen sheath the other day so was checking for any swelling and he kindly lifted his hind leg up for me to let me have a better check :p no mallice, no attempt to kick out, he just continued to eat his hay very happily :p

Was very funny, he literally just lifted it up and out and held it there - like a person would hold out their arm:p

It wasnt swollen, just caked mud on the skin thankfully :)
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my mare does this so you can give her a good scratch / rub on her udders - it's one of her favourites
 
My horse lifts all legs up in turn and holds them up while I pick her feet out, whereas my other horse unhelpfully unties himself and helps himself to the hay. my other one will unlock his door and turn himself out! Aren't they just wonderful ;)
 
I wish mine did. The only trick he knows is to deliberately pick up the opposite leg to the one which you are trying to get when picking his feet out. Little sod
 
More a trick gone wrong but I used to do carrot stretches with my mare and taught her to bow... Now if she gets a carrot she will bow then look at you with big puppy dog style eyes if she doesn't get another treat as a reward :P
 
Tinner struggled a bit with learning to lift his feet up to be picked up so we were very patient and slow with him, and now as you move around him he has the next foot up and ready for you - thoughtful! Harley will move a little bit closer and closer to the mounting block if you say 'one step closer', again, handy!
 
Lots of things but one that always amuses me:

I have a mare that when she's tied up and I go to take her headcollar off, it doesn't matter what crazy angle or direction I come at her, she puts the buckle right in my hand.
The thing that gets me though, is her young daughter does the exact same thing. They've *never* been tied up together so I don't know how she learnt it, but I can take her in the field and put the rope over her neck while I turn round to do the gate, and then put my arm out sideways without even looking to see where she is, and she's turned round and the headcollar buckle is under my hand.
 
When I put my lads bridle on, he lowers his head for me so I can sort out his mane and forelock! He started doing it by himself, and does it every time I tack him up now :)
 
One of ours makes her own bed. Just pop a bale of shaving in, and she uses her feet /teeth to take it apart, then she carefully spreads it, then lies down on the new shavings.

Wish she would pick the poops out too:)

I like the sound of Caprioles with the headcollar, that's brilliant.
 
She picks up her feet up in rotation to be picked out, puts her head into her headcollar when I hold it out to her, lowers her head to have her bridle put on or to have her face and forelock brushed. Oh and holds her head absolutely still like a statue when I'm trimming her face.
 
i dont know if it counts but all 3 of mine have learnt to poo in the centre/back of their stables/shelter, and only there! they only poo in certain places in the field too - makes mucking out super easy!
 
Not exactly helpful, or my own horse. But I knew a horse that used to re-arrange his bedding. Every evening he'd have a perfect straw bed with banks and by morning it'd all be piled in a corner. We once stayed to watch him, using his feet and muzzle he'd move his entire bed into a pile in the corner. Very odd behaviour!
 
Not a horse but my dogs managed to turn the TV on while we were at work today! They also managed to turn the cooker hob on one time and nearly burn the house down!:-/
 
Scoots to over and I can chuck poo over her back into the wheelbarrow and she doesn't care (she only 14.1hh).

She picks up her feet and holds her fronts without me holding them the only flaw is I have to go in a certain order (nr fore, nr hind, off fore, off hind)
 
My old mare loves to have her point of shoulder rubbed and I have always said "Show me". Now if you say "Show me", she turns her head towards her shoulder and points to the area with her nose in a very demanding way and continues until you rub her shoulder. She'll also pick up either front leg for a Polo and can recognise when you say "The other one". Just conditioning I guess..!!
 
Aww this thread has just made me laugh and cry all at the same time!!

My mare used to very politely lift each foot up in turn, without me even touching her. When I first got her she wouldn't pick her feet up at all. She would also stretch out a back leg for the cleaning the boobies bit lol.

She was fairly bonkers with other things but I don't half miss her.
 
Oh I'd forgotten about rearranging her bed! Just chuck the straw in and she'll push it where she wants it. She even moved the whole bed back when I turned it at right angles so she didn't have the wind blowing into her stable.
 
My boy picks his feet up in turn...when he feels like it! He lowers his head once his bridle is on (like cobsgalore) for his forelock to be sorted out, and again when tied up after a ride for the bridle to be taken off. He managed to escape under a stable chain when on box rest (he's 14.1) and happily walked through/over the electric tape 5 times in one day as the power was off and the grass was soooo much greener! He can undo his leadrope, stands/steps up to the mounting block but just cant move over for you when being groomed without a shove! :P
 
Aw my lad made me so proud the other day by picking up one of his hooves for picking out! It sounds silly but when I first got him he was so scared of the whole process he would get really sweated up over it. I do them in the same order all the time so he's starting to learn now - 2 years down the line ha ha! - and as I worked my way round NF, NH, OF, OH he picked up his off hind before I'd even moved towards it :D
He was stood there holding it for me while I got all excited and gave him a pat and told him how good he was, so he gave it a tiny wiggle to remind me that I was actually supposed to be picking it out and he didn't have all day ;)
 
Ours do all the feet lifting, head lowering and o on, but one of the other liveries was a bit gobsmacked the other day when my youngster got his head caught up under his lead rope - she was about to rush across to sort him and I just said to him "put your head down", which he did, then I said "Back" and he extricated himself!! Stood there looking ever so pleased with himself! And when she said it was a fluke he did it again, without any guidance!!!
 
When I pick up the saddle off the door my horse marches over and prcticaly stands to attention ,for me to place saddle on him. Once tacked up he remains at the door until led out ,even with feed in his stable. He also has become a dab hand/hoof at gates . He marchse up ,flings the catch over with his nose and sholders the gate open ,all in one smooth move. The only down side is that if the gate sticks ,he unsticks it as only 700kg of Irish draught can!!!
 
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