Hey all!
I just got a 4yr old paint mare rescue. She had been kept in a box stall most of her life, with no outside access. To top it off, she was beat about the head with a manure rake every time the stable guy came in to clean! She has had pro training, I'm told, and has been ridden. My problem is this: When grooming, she will not allow her feet to be picked up She doesn't kick, but will turn her butt to me, or move around a lot, so there is no safe place for me to stand.
I have started to just rub her neck and shoulder, working my way down her leg, and ask for her foot when I get to the hoof. On her left side, she started to offer her front foot, putting it down quickly, and moving away. I can't even get near her right front or either of the rear feet!
I want her to be stable for the farrier when that time comes, and I want her to trust me, and for me to trust her. I don't have a barn, the horses are outside, and safely tied to a post. The problem is when she moves, I can get squeezed into the fence if I don't jump away in time, and she MOVES quick!
Yes, I am new to horses, have only been in the game 3 years or so, so please no rude remarks.
I just got a 4yr old paint mare rescue. She had been kept in a box stall most of her life, with no outside access. To top it off, she was beat about the head with a manure rake every time the stable guy came in to clean! She has had pro training, I'm told, and has been ridden. My problem is this: When grooming, she will not allow her feet to be picked up She doesn't kick, but will turn her butt to me, or move around a lot, so there is no safe place for me to stand.
I have started to just rub her neck and shoulder, working my way down her leg, and ask for her foot when I get to the hoof. On her left side, she started to offer her front foot, putting it down quickly, and moving away. I can't even get near her right front or either of the rear feet!
I want her to be stable for the farrier when that time comes, and I want her to trust me, and for me to trust her. I don't have a barn, the horses are outside, and safely tied to a post. The problem is when she moves, I can get squeezed into the fence if I don't jump away in time, and she MOVES quick!
Yes, I am new to horses, have only been in the game 3 years or so, so please no rude remarks.