I used to hate picking out hoofs but now..

I don't know how in the heck I did it but somehow my horse has learnt to pick up his feet without my help as I walk to each one with a hoof pick and say up, I absolutely love it! :)

Any tricks you guys "accidentally" taught your horse?

My gelding started doing that after I would always routinely clean his hooves but I used the word "give", lol. My filly I have only had for a month is actually catching on pretty fast and will pretty much put her hoof gently in your hand after you say "give". It is especially nice with the rear feet.

Lacey does that too...kinda. She doesn't pick her feet up all the way until I touch them (once I touch them though she has them up in the air and at the ready) but since I always start on her left side and go to her right she'll dramatically (she's a drama queen, I think she puts all her weight on the foot she knows I'll get to next just so she can make it into a big production) shift her weight off each foot as I get to it. It's super cute.

I accidentally taught Lacey to come when I say "Come here Lacey girl!" (in a really high pitched squeal-y voice) because I say that every time I reel her in on the lunge line. Haha

To pass the time, I used to play with one of the smartest geldings we had (Toby). I'd give him oats when he tapped the barn door with his front hoof. One day I walked up to the barn to check on my rabbits, but the horse had
tapped the lock open and used his teeth to pull the door open to get at the oats... the barn was left in total disarray and I found I only had one rabbit left... Horse 1, kid 0.

I bet the bunnies were happy! ;) YAY freedom!

Yeah my horse Tango comes to my high pitched voice, I can't help but use one when I'm around him :P

I accidentally did the hoof thing. I always picked my gelding's feet in the same order so he would have his weight off waiting when I got there. It made him perfect to teach my little brother how to work with horse's feet...lol.

We had a horse tha someone had taught to stick out his tongue on command...I don't know how, but he realized when my little sister wasn't happy with me she would stick out her tongue. He started sticking his tongue out at me any time he didn't want to do something...It was so funny, but I'm not really sure how he picked it up.

I was surprised when Toby started lifting his feet. Today I surprised him a bit and didn't go in my usual order. He was a bit confused. lol

Some horses are absolute darlings when it comes to picking up their hooves for you to clean....others.......ugh! They are a nightmare! Takes years to get them to lift their feet, then it takes so much strength just to hold it! = P

I taught my old horse to hold up his own feet for picking. Unless they were really bad I didn't have to touch them! I taught that on purpose though