[VACowgirl]

My horse is kind of a jerk when I pick his hooves - Usually, he'll lift three of them easily, but he'll pick one leg that he's just going to keep grounded no matter what. I lean into him, but no matter what, he won't budge. It's not one particular leg, he'll just pick whichever one he doesn't feel like lifting.

Any tips?

 

[riccil0ve]

Take the hoof pick and give him a rap of increasing sharpness and annoyance on the fetlock/pastern and bumb his body [not lean, he can just lean back].
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[Spotted]

I like to give a little squeze on the chestnut.

 

[VACowgirl]

Thank you! I didn't think of that! And leaning definitely wasn't helping - he was pushing back and it was like this little tug-of-war game. Not fun!

 

[Tarpan]

Squeezing the chestnut works, if my horse won't pick it up with a little squeeze I would squeeze harder and if he still didn't do it I would start twisting it. Praise when it comes up and sometimes a treat if he's especially good. Now I only have to run my hand gently down the inside of his leg.

My horse used to lean on me too until I started letting him fall or shoving him back REALLY hard so he'd go off balance. I think geldings lean on each other like a game? I guess I let him know that it wasn't a game.

 

[QuietHeartHorses]

My horse stopped picking up his feet for me for some reason this past summer. I have no idea why, I guess he just decided one day that he didn't wanna do it anymore. I leaned, I petted, I poked, I tugged the hair on his fetlocks, I pinched the chestnut... nothing!

He wasn't sore, he wasn't acting up or being feisty, he just stopped. Before this incident, he was an angel about it. He would pick them up when I asked, not grabbed, but just verbally asked. So when this started, I was really puzzled.

Finally, I said that's it... If you aren't going to pick up your feet, you're going to move them. I made him back up a few steps, then tried again. If he was still stubborn, I made him walk up a few steps. I repeated this game over and over and over again. I never got angry, never yelled, just back and fourth, back and fourth. Eventually, he got the idea that he was going to dance in the aisle or pick up those footsies. I guess dancing was worse than having his feet picked.

He's back to picking them up when I ask, he's such a good boy!

 

[Prinella]

Tapping with the hoof pick works Every time for me.
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[windspeed]

Hmmmm....!!! Let's take a step back and think about WHY your horse may not like to pick up his foot.
Is it really a behavior issue? Make sure to rule out pain issues first before you label your horse a jerk or a stubborn (*^&%&&.

Some horses refuse to pick up one foot when the other foot or leg is sore bearing all the weight while you clean the foot.

Give your horse the benefit of the doubt ;-).

 

[Corporal]

When I was training my young geldings to pick up their feet, I'd leave them to stand tied and relax. When I see one foot cocked, I'd start with that one first bc he's already balancing on the other 3 feet. I lean on my horse to get him balanced on the other 3 feet before I run my hand down the leg and squeeze either the chestnut or the cannon bone.
Something I'm about to try in the training ring will help, too. Using a rope and isolating each foot and pulling the balance to the side. This is prep for hobbling and getting the horse to wait for you when he gets a foot caught, instead of panicking.

 

[primaxo]

Sometimes it is the placement of the horse which is why they don't pick up their feet. If the hoof you are asking to be placed up is in front of his body, they he won't do it because he will have trouble holding himself stable. When my horse simply will not pick up his leg I ask a friend to back him up and catch his leg, only if I reaaally neeeeeeed to.

 

[justashowmom]

I used to ride a 20 something year old arab/app cross in lessons. His favorite game was called "I will not pick up my feet". You could pinch, poke, lean, jab - you name it and he just stood there. Made it really hard when you were on a time schedule for a lesson.

So, I resorted to bribes. For each foot, a piece of carrot. Eventually, we got to a piece of carrot after all 4 feet.

Spring forward several months after not riding him. There I am, picking his feet just like always and he refuses to give me the third foot. I just look at him as if to say, "really?". So I start brushing and let him think about it. Went back the offending foot, and he gave it like a charm. And he got his treat after the 4th. Guess he remembered. LOL

Still miss that stubborn old coot!

 

[equestrianforever]

squeeze his chestnut as hard as you can like your going to peel it off, that usually works for me when i try and pick up stubborn horses feet