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trimming feet while anesthetized?

2K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  Deej 
#1 ·
I asked this question in another thread but thought I'd start a new one in the hope of getting a quicker response. My 2 year old is getting gelded next Tuesday. I've had him 2 months and have been having some problems handling his feet. I've been working with him on this and he IS improving, but I still don't feel comfortable about calling a farrier and he REALLY needs a trim. Can a farrier trim his feet while he is under anesthetic, or does he have to be standing? This may be a really stupid question but I just thought I'd ask!
 
#2 ·
Sure you can -- but it sure won't teach the horse anything.

Have you tried picking up his feet with a soft cotton rope? Works like a charm, keeps you out of harm's way and does not let the horse get spoiled by pulling his feet away. It takes about an hour to get most horses to the point where they will let you handle all four feet when you start with a rope. It could take longer if the horse is already spoiled.

It really works best to teach a horse to let you handle his feet if he never gets the chance to move away from you or take a foot away from you.
 
#3 ·
I can understand your reluctance about calling the farrier when your horse has foot handling issues. In all honesty, most of the farriers that I know carry a bottle of Rompum or Ace with them for horses that are unmanageable or dangerous to trim. From my understanding, it acts much like Valium, relaxes them and makes them not really care about what's going on without knocking them completely out. What I would do is go ahead and call the farrier and get it done by any means necessary but continue to work on his feet issues on your own time. He will certainly not learn anything by having them done when he is doped, but they need done and it won't hurt him.

As for having the trimming done while he is down for castration, I don't really know, that would be something to talk about with your individual farrier and vet. If they are both okay with it, I don't see a problem though the farrier may have a more difficult time judging angles and getting everything right when the horse is down instead of up.
 
#4 ·
Yep, definitely can do it while they're down. I've worked on a couple of poorly(well, more like un-) trained horses who prior to me coming along 'had to be' hobbled & thrown to have their feet done(!). I've also done 2 horses while the vet was gelding and done one poor acute lami pony who couldn't get up.

If the horse is 2yo & yet to have his feet done ever, chances are they're in a pretty bad way. If you're having probs with the handling, perhaps it's time to call someone in to help? 2 competent people can make the job easier. Good on you for not wanting to 'dump' him on some farrier without training... or dump some farrier on him<GG>, but if you know of any farriers/trimmers who are also very good with horses(unfortunately the 2 don't necessarily go together) and explain the situation, they may well be willing to come help you & the horse get comfortable with it all... & hopefully get a bit of trimming done in the meantime.
 
#5 ·
Actually he HAS had his feet done before- they were newly trimmed when I got him and lovely. I recently contacted the old owner and found out her dad used to trim them- he trained as a farrier in Germany years ago, but I found him a bit "rough" when I was there looking at the horses, and now suspect he must have used some kind of restraint when he did their feet.
 
#6 ·
Also I don't actually have a farrier yet. I have had one recommended to me and there are several in my area, but I don't know much about them. My old farrier who I used to use and was great has since retired and moved away. So I'm kind of "flying blind" at this point.
 
#7 ·
Also I don't actually have a farrier yet.
Can't help you there I'm afraid, unless you're in the vicinity of Victoria Australia! You'll have to tell where you're from if you want suggestions here. Did you have one organised for Tuesday or were you hoping to find one over the weekend?
 
#8 ·
I am close to Victoria, but not in Australia I'm afraid! Victoria BC. I was planning to phone a few over the weekend and see what they thought (or if they could even make it on Tues.) But it's probably unlikely. Meantime I have a friend coming tomorrow to help me and we'll maybe try and have a go at them with the rasp.
 
#9 ·
Well, the gelding was done and we were able to rasp his feet and put some thrush treatment on while he was down- a big load off my mind. I've been handling his feet daily ever since and he is much, much better now- still fights a bit but I think he is finally manageable enough to call a farrier. Today I picked out all four feet and applied Copper-Care, with very little problem! I'm thrilled to bits.
 
#11 ·
When I first got Rodeo, which too was about 2 months ago, was great about picking up his feet for about 3 days....after that, he started fighting me about it, not wanting to pick up his feet, didnt want me to hold on to them, ect, ect.

I worked with him everyday on it, and now he is perfectly fine with me picking up, and picking out all four feet! Granted, he still has his days, where he wants to see if he can get away with not getting them done, but at this point, he knows that they are going to get done, regardless of how he acts about it.

Glad to hear that your guy is getting better about it!! Good Luck!
 
#12 ·
Thanks, smrobs. I feel like I've come a long way, even though it seems small. I had been told that this horse had a lot of handling since birth but after purchasing him I realized he'd had very little- he was barely even halter-broke. I think what they meant by handling was petting! He was very pushy with me at first but I quickly realized he wasn't mean or ill-tempered- he just didn't know anything. Now he stands fairly quietly while tied for grooming, leads well in both the pasture and the round pen and lets me pick up all four feet. He behaved beautifully for the vet and hopefully will do so for the farrier as well!
 
#14 ·
Hi. I have a mare that is perfect to handle and trim. She is such a good girl, BUT when the farrier goes to put shoes on her its a whole different story! She is great until the first strike of the hammer with the nail on the shoe. She cannot stand the loud clang sound. It sends her over the edge! So I insist that my farrier use Ace on her. Its a mild sedative and it relaxes her and there fore no danger to herself or the farrier! I would recommend using something Just Until your colt learns to have his feet handled. I for one am glad farriers use this stuff instead of a twitch...
 
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