my pony hates her feet being picked she'll knock me into her stable walls if i try to pick them up!!! how can i make it easier and safer to pick them?:?:-|
When I got my mare she wouldn't even let me touch her legs. I just spent time brushing lower and lower onto them, rubbing them, and then finally picking them up for little bits at a time and doing a quick clean. She realized I wasn't going to do anything scary down there. She's still iffy but taking little steps turned into leaps within a few days. Maybe doing little foot exercises like that would help your pony?
My horse was the same, but now he picks his feet up before i even really have to ask. It will just take time so be patient and don't get mad at your horse. Keep rubbing her legs and don't attempt to pick her feet up until she completely accepts you touching her legs and doesn't flinch. This may take several days so don't rush and be patient. Start with the front legs, and pick them up, when she picks them up, put it back down and praise her. Don't pick them until she's confident picking both front feet up and holding for a little while. Remember to always praise.
Then do the same with the back feet , with my horse we just used to tilt his feet on to the toe so they weren't off the ground and empty them as he hadn't worked out how to balance himself, but he picks them all up fine now, just be patient
Collect together, Hard hat, gloves, stout boots, and a long soft cotton rope.
I was going to explain it all, but I'll just find the video instead :lol:
Here we go, so much easier to watch rather than explain
My horse had baaaaaaad farrier experiences in his past so he was very frightened about anything happening to his hinds. Whether it was picking, lifting, moving, trimming... anything really. All it took was patience and accepting a little at a time. Now the worst he does is refuses to hold up his own hind feet so I got to figure out how to teach him that's a no-no without going backwards.. sigh.
I would start gradually brushing her, farther and farther down her legs, then graduate slowly, into rubbing her legs with your hands, just make it as comfortable as possible for her. Then, I would move towards picking them up quickly, and putting them down just as quickly, so that she gets the feel for what you're doing. The main point I'm trying to get across, is make it as plain and simple as possible, and make her feel as comfortable as possible in order to reduce her energy level.
Is your pony aggressive or disrespectful about it? Is she fearful?
How exactly does she act when you try to pick up her feet? (Swings her butt over? Kicks? Becomes very tense? etc)
Has she always been temperamental about having her feet handled?
Is she otherwise disrespectful in any of her behaviour?
she leaps about;+swings her butt over.
and ime not really sure i asked her old owner; if she was cos i thought it was bcause she hadn't settled in properly. but ive had her a year!. and no shes really loyal and respectful to me x
Have her hooves been checked for any illnesses? For example, my horse was diagnosed with thrush and, ever since his treatment has been started and the thrush - gradually removed, as well as corrective trimming given, he has become more sensitive about his hooves and dislikes them being picked, because the frogs hurt a little when touched directly, until healed.
I second this.. when my guy had thrush on the backs.. he would start kicking out because he knew I had to clean them and it hurt him a little (it was tender.. he was just being a big ol' baby :P)
But it's good to do it in an open space, like an aisle or outside. Better to be held than in cross-ties in case she gets fresh.
If you can do the fronts for a little bit, work on those and leave the backs alone. Just work on rubbing them without asking anything. Then over time, ask for a weight shift.. then ask for her to pick it up (and you don't catch it) and then ask for her to pick it up, catch it.. put it back down after 2 seconds.. then build on the time.
If you go too fast.. then she'll slam them down or kick at you or loose her balance (maybe that's what is frustrating her?)
Do you do any basic yielding/lateral groundwork with her? As in moving her hind over, her body over, her front over ?
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