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2K views 15 replies 5 participants last post by  Speed Racer 
#1 ·
alright soo theres this horse where im keeping fury and i fell in love with him buut his owners (the people who own the place) hardly pay a lick of attention to him .i finally brushed him down and got out his dread locks and hes gorgeous. Only issue is that he supposedly doesnt like his feet touched. they told me he gets aggressive and runs. Well i tested this and touched up nd down his legs he let me so i asked him to lift his feet but he moved away nd i didnt have the time to actually test him farther, but what are some ways to get horses used to lifting there feet nd having them touched and what not. this boy is inn real need of farrier work nd the owners havent got a farrier out because he has to be doped up to have em done supposedly.
 
#2 ·
Have his owners asked you to work with him? If not, you really shouldn't be touching him.

I understand you only want to help, but if he's as bad as they say you could get hurt. They could also blame you if something happens to him while you're trying to get him to give you his feet.

Bottom line is this isn't your horse or or your problem. The BO is the one who should be working with this animal's owners on training him, not you.
 
#3 ·
speed racer- they are family friends and i have been working with them and there horses since i was about 7. The owner pays no attention to this horse and i can not let him be the one suffering because she wants to run off with a guy. The only time she has talked to him was when we offered to get his feet done for her since they supposedly cant afford it.
he is not aggressive as they say or he woullda went after me when i tried to pick his feet up the first time as that is what they said he does..he doesnt he simply moves away from you.
 
#4 ·
^

You are completely wrong and your lack of education into how an aggressive horse operates has me concerned you are going to be badly hurt. Show me a group of horses with severe foot handling issues, and I will show you 90% of a group that will allow me to touch their leg and even pick up their foot before they pull it back.

The aggression in foot problem horses does not arise from you touching the leg or even handling the foot - it will surface when you INSIST on KEEPING the foot. I have seen the quietest horse turn into a psycotic demon the minute someone wouldn't give the foot back.

Speed_Racer is right - it's not your business, period. I know TONS of people, people who are actually considered reputable breeders, who don't keep up on farrier work for non-riding horses because they believe horses will knock the growth off themselves. If you're THAT concerned, contact someone of authority to check into it before you get yourself hurt.
 
#5 ·
While this is all good advice, and generally, I would advise BarrelRacingArabian to stay away from this guy, that is not answering her question. And it's her problem if she gets injured, not yours. So I would rather give her information on how to keep herself safe and do it properly than have her hurt herself.
I've worked with plenty of horses with this problem. And done a lot of work with rescues, just so you know.
I find it really helps to get them used to you touching their legs. While he might not have minded it, I suggest keep doing that regularly on all four legs. Especially around his ankles and down by the actual hoof. Watch that you don't get kicked and make sure you read his body language to tell if he is about to do anything or is uncomfortable. When you start actually trying to pick his feet up, don't go right to picking them out with a hoof pick. The first time you do it, just be happy that he picked it up for you. Give his leg a rub and put it down. Give him some pats and move on. He will get bored and annoyed easily if you work on it too much at one time. If you can get someone to help you that would really help though. Get them to stand on the opposite side you are working on, up by his head. Keeping one hand on his halter and the other on his neck/shoulder, just giving him pats and talking too him. Keep a soft, baby talking voice and encourage him everytime he does something you ask. Even if he only lifts it for a moment. It may take a while but don't spend too much time on one foot.
Good luck !
 
#6 ·
Start by rubbing his leg up top and working your way down, a little at a time. If he's uncomfortable with you touching a spot, go back up just a hair and if he stands still when you go back up give her a short break for a couple of seconds. Start from the top and work your way back down again. Once she will let you touch all four legs comfortably, try to pick up a hoof just for a split second. If she picks it up, rub her leg with your other hand and put it back down quick. As long as she's comfortable with it, try to keep her feet up for a little bit longer at a time. Stay safe and hope it works!
 
#7 · (Edited)
For all of you giving her advice, she's obviously doing it without permission from the owner. I'd also lay odds that they're not even aware she's trying to handle this horse on her own.

She has no business trying to 'fix' this animal. It's not her problem; it's the BO's and the owner's.

If she's so concerned about the animal's care she should speak to the BO about it, not just blaze on ahead because she thinks she knows what's best.

Who's to blame if she gets hurt badly by this animal? It'll be her own fault, but I'm betting she's a minor and her 'rents would have a field day suing the horse owner as well as the BO if that should happen.

She has no business butting in, nor was she asked to help. Your advice is just adding fuel to the fire, and if she gets hurt you take some responsibility for it by encouraging her. She needs to back off and let this play out between the BO and owner.

It's simply not the OP's place to train this animal. She needs to focus on her own horse and leave this one alone.

I've seen this before; some tween/teen thinks they're going to 'save' a horse, because in their eyes the animal isn't being cared for properly.

I've had some idjit child think they were going to 'train' my spazzy, reactive Arabian gelding by reading how in some book. I nixed that idea pretty decisively and told her parents if I found the kid around my horse, things would get ugly very quickly.

That stupid child would have gotten her fool head kicked off, and her parents would have blamed ME for it.

So no, I don't think the OP needs to butt in where she hasn't been asked. It's simply not her place, and she needs to let go of this saviour complex she has and concentrate on her own animal.
 
#9 ·
For all of you giving her advice, she's obviously doing it without permission from the owner. I'd also lay odds that they're not even aware she's trying to handle this horse on her own.

She has no business trying to 'fix' this animal. It's not her problem; it's the BO's and the owner's.

If she's so concerned about the animal's care she should speak to the BO about it, not just blaze on ahead because she thinks she knows what's best.

Who's to blame if she gets hurt badly by this animal? It'll be her own fault, but I'm betting she's a minor and her 'rents would have a field day suing the horse owner as well as the BO if that should happen.

She has no business butting in, nor was she asked to help. Your advice is just adding fuel to the fire, and if she gets hurt you take some responsibility for it by encouraging her. She needs to back off and let this play out between the BO and owner.

It's simply not the OP's place to train this animal. She needs to focus on her own horse and leave this one alone.

I've seen this before; some tween/teen thinks they're going to 'save' a horse because in their eyes, the animal isn't being cared for properly.

I've had some idjit child think they were going to 'train' my spazzy, reactive Arabian gelding by reading how in some book. I nixed that idea pretty decisively and told her parents if I found the kid around my horse, things would get ugly very quickly.

That stupid child would have gotten her fool head kicked off, and her parents would have blamed ME for it.

So no, I don't think the OP needs to butt in where she hasn't been asked. It's simply not her place, and she needs to let go of this saviour complex she has and concentrate on her own animal.

I was assuming she had permission. If she doesn't, she definitely needs to ask first. If anybody's worried about legal issues, maybe her parents could sign a waiver?
 
#8 ·
Speed Racer, I totally agree with you. Like I said, I would generally advise her to stay away from this horse. But if she does get permission from the owners and doesn't mind risking her health, or even life possibly, I don't think some people on a forum are going to stop her. That's why I gave her the information. Not to 'add fuel to the fire'. In no way am I encouraging her to do this. But like I said, it's her choice if she wants to risk getting hurt. Or even having something happen to the animal. And my advice is only there to keep her from getting hurt or hurting the horse.
So let's not get feisty. I only had good intentions. And in no way did I mean to undermine you or MacabreMikolaj, I agree with you both on this one.
 
#12 ·
Speed Racer, I totally agree with you. So let's not get feisty. I only had good intentions. And in no way did I mean to undermine you or MacabreMikolaj, I agree with you both on this one.
You haven't seen me feisty yet, Branded. :wink:

I understand why you gave her the advice you did, but to the OP this will translate as you approving of what she's doing, while Macabre and I are just meanie doodie heads for telling her to back off and leave the horse alone.

I didn't feel you were undermining me at all, but I didn't want you to give her advice that may get her head kicked in because she doesn't have enough sense not to touch another person's horse.

For everyone who thinks I'm just a mean ole stick in the mud, reverse the situation. What if it were your horse and some clueless youngster just decided you weren't doing enough, so they're going to step in and 'train' your animal?

How would that make you feel? Mad as hell that someone felt entitled to handle your animal without permission? Yeah, me too.

I don't want the OP getting hurt or dead, and her own animal has enough temperament and training issues on which she needs to get a handle.

Spare me from children who think they're some kind of wunderkind trainer who can 'fix' other people's horses, when their own animal has rank, nasty behavioural issues of its own that need to be addressed.
 
#10 ·
^

For the record, a waiver isn't worth the ink it's written with. If someone is seriously hurt handling my horse, I better pray to god I have insurance or a good lawyer regardless of how many signs, contracts or waivers may be in place.

I can understand your position Branded Heart, but your post does tell me you haven't likely worked with an actually dangerous animal, as in a horse so desperate to not have his feet handled that even drugging him does little to solve the problem. These horses are DANGEROUS because if they reach a breaking point (and it's VERY easy to reach it when they're this neurotic), they will go on the fight to kill.

I am not saying this horse is like this, I'm saying it scares me how often people forget that a horse is one of the single most deadly prey animals around when they go on the fight. I have seen horses get downright vicious time and time again and if a professional had not been handling them, the person would likely be dead.

While I think forums are fantastic for getting advice, what she needs to learn cannot be found online. For sure she can attempt to follow your advice, but it's very unfortunate how many people take forums as "gospel" and run off thinking they're all smart about it now (books are no better). Sometimes it IS better to discourage a person instead of giving them options to try out and get themselves killed. It's a fine line between how much you're helping and how much you're hindering.
 
#11 ·
Actually, I have. If you call a 19hh perch. gelding who, even while drugged, would throw the farrier to the other side of the yard with a kick because he refused to pick up his feet. And would trample anyone who tried to pick them up, a 'dangerous' horse.
And I appreciate your understanding, but not so much your lack of confidence in me. I understand where you are coming from, saying that discouraging her would be a better option. And that's fine with me, next time I'll be sure to do that rather than give them advice.
 
#13 ·
^

Fantastic post, and a great analogy. Shay-la has dealt with almost every boarder at our new place asking her "Whoa, shouldn't you trim her feet?" when she does touch ups on her every week. She has really weird Draft feet that need constant attention, and I don't know how anyone could confuse that for neglected feet, but I've also gotten the general impression most of them don't know a hoof from a paw anyway.

Shay-la went to Alberta for a week - so now she's not even seen around to handle her "neglected hooves" horse.

I pity the fool who would have dared assume she was a "neglectful owner" and had the nerve to start messing around with Eve. They wouldn't have even had to worry about the HORSE, just what SHAY-LA would have done when she caught them! :lol:
 
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