Horse will not stand for farrier- wiggles, pulls away , nips,etc. Doubles the amount of time to be reshod. Has anyone used a molasses lick for something llike this? Iv tried tryp. mag. B vit etc. I have dorm gel but cant get it under tongue. Ideas or suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks
what training have you tried? What groundwork? Clicker training. Is he stiff anywhere? How is he restrained? Crossties? Many horses are much worse with their actual owners trying to hold them.
1 Like
I used to have to hold one that would not stand to be trimmed, over an hour for each appointment. Eventually I just started constantly shoveling alfalfa timothy pellets into his mouth whenever he was standing quietly with his hoof in the air while being trimmed. If he put his foot down, I would take my hand away and not feed until he was back to standing politely for the trim. It honestly made a huge difference and a few appointments later, we noticed he was automatically picking his feet up and waiting to be trimmed!
8 Likes
If your vet will rx dorm gel, will they rx dorm injectable to use IM or IV?
I also keep treats in my pocket to feed a fidgety boarder. I give her just one or two at a time and feed her steadily until the farrier is finished. On days where she seems chill, I may pause the treats for a bit. But I’m more interested in the farrier not getting injured and the horse having a positive experience than I am concerned about the horse getting over-fed.
4 Likes
Injectable dorm only done by vet. Horse will not tolerate crossties for farrier- had an unfortunate experience 1 1/2 years ago. Treats only produce pushy, nippy behavior. He is an over-reactive animal
My fidgety horse has learned that he gets a treat AFTER the farrier finishes with a hoof, so he’s motivated to stand still. I also distract him with scratches in his favorite spots–anything to get him to lower his head and relax. I use peanuts and pretzels for treats.
Treats in the absence of clear behavior modifications via clicker training can make a fussy mouthy horse for sure.
Groundwork long term is helpful. Like you were starting a colt from scratch.
4 Likes
Yep seconded what Scribbler said! In my experience, clicker training got rid of pushiness & nipping around food. If a horse is nipping or pushing and then they get a treat from a person as a “ahh fine go away” then all the horse thinks is “oh okay push/nip and then I get food”.
2 Likes
Please don’t think treats are used as distraction .We have never gone that route. Early on, if he was rewarded for good behavior, a treat was given but he would get agitated and insist on more. He is a sensitive, reactive guy. And large.
My original question re: molasses lick ( or somethinglike that) - during the second hour ( yes- second!) of farrier, while I am holding him in aisle, he moved his head close to feed door of stall and started licking . And licking- almost trance like. (no horse was in that stall).Producing endorphins from traces of feed maybe? For maybe 20 +minutes. Got me thinking anyways
2 Likes
The horse needs training and an experienced handler.
Gets nippy with treats
Can’t get dorm under tongue
Wiggly for farrier
Makes the farrier take hours to do feet
Can’t crosstie
How about some boundaries for Pookie? Reactive or not, pain or not, you need to put some boundaries on his behavior.
8 Likes
I have an old mare who seriously disliked cross ties - anywhere. Something about the open space behind her. My farrier and I had a discussion and decided to do her in an empty stall. Bingo problem solved. Initially gave her a small hay net, then not, and didn’t even need to tie the lead. Just let it hang through the bars.
Sounds like it would be worth it to have the vet out to sedate the horse for a couple cycles while you work on manners and teach him to stand politely. Don’t make the farrier suffer and his job that much harder while you’re installing that training.
In my experience, taking the option of bad behavior away also goes a long way to teaching them to stand. They do learn sedated.
1 Like
Google “Likit”. That’s the brand my farrier suggested for my horse when he was young (very mouthy gelded late) He eventually out grew needing me to hold him but it really helped early on .
Amazon and Valley Vet carry them
1 Like
I can’t imagine a farrier taking more than an hour. Any horse would be getting impatient.
My experience has been that if the horse is worried enough, no food bribe or clicker work will overcome that. Clicker can work to help a horse change how they feel about a situation but no treat can overcome fear in the moment.
This is a horse that does not yet feel globally comfortable in his world, and I expect there are other signs when farrier isn’t around.
2 Likes
First, this sounds like a horse training issue. Second, two hours for the farrier!!!
I do not understand why you can get dorm into the horse?
My mustang baby had a farrier visit skipped due to jackass behavior. He got crosstied, left there, and his feet handled heavily for the next 8 weeks. I had dorm on hand but he got a A+ the other day!
1 Like
I used a farrier once that was excellent. The problem was that he was so" thorough" it took him all day to shoe/ trim my 4 horses. It got to the point that my horses started getting neurotic when his truck pulled in, I felt sick and my little kids cried.
Are you sure the farrier isn’t part of your problem @Elliot12?
Honestly, it sounds like a lack of ground manners and training is the issue here. He needs to learn to stand tied and patience. I don’t like cross ties and I tie with twine just in case a horse would pull back but just tying a horse and letting them stand for an hour ( while you do stuff nearby) does wonders.
2 Likes
A horse that’s difficult and refuses to stand? Sure, that can take a couple hours to get done.
1 Like
Thanks for the comments.
I believe horses have personalities and he is quite opinionated… Add in a couple of unfortunate (maybe bad luck) situations. Just looking for some ideas to distract until he gets over his farrier anxiety.
Btw-to Endless Climb-
He does crosstie - not during farrier. Alot of horses are not fed treats by hand. He is 17.2 , 1500+ lbs and using dorm gel - -well his head can reach over 8 ft high. Tough to effectively squirt that syringe under tongue
He is definitely not nor would anyone consider him a “Pookie”
Whoosh, there goes my point!
4 Likes
