Standing for the Farrier

[LilDunFilly]

How long did it take for your horses to learn to consistently stand still for the farrier?

My filly is a coming 2-year old and she still gets a bit iffy about having to stand for our farrier. She’ll pick her feet up but will try to snatch them back and/or walk off. She’s never tried kicking or biting, just avoiding him. Thankfully, the farrier is patient with her. Obviously, it is not my farrier’s job to train my horse and I want her to be a solid citizen.

My challenge is that she is NOT like that when I handle her! I’m able to pick up all four feet, pull them in all sorts of directions, hold them up for a few minutes, pick them up using a rope, pull on/off bell boots, you name it. I believe her behavior has more to do with being uneasy around “strangers” than it has to do with holding her feet. Filly improves every time he comes out, but that is roughly every 8 weeks. I’m concerned about how long it could potentially take for her to relax around the farrier. So I’d like to see how long it took others’ horses to learn to just chill out.

[Bluey]

If you think is a stranger making her wary, could you line up some friends/barn workers you trust to be sensible about helping train her without fighting her and have them all go thru picking her feet?

[LilDunFilly]

Thank you for the suggestion! I’ve been having other people handle her, but unfortunately, there are only about 5 people consistently on the property and she’s out to pasture so it is a challenge to have it done regularly. I will definitely have my friend (also keeps her horse there) try picking up Filly’s feet as well.

[GraceLikeRain]

@LilDunFilly

I believe her behavior has more to do with being uneasy around “strangers” than it has to do with holding her feet.

That seems like an astute observation. Could you recruit some trusted people in your life to pop by every now and then and go through some of the basic motions?

My mare is not super trusting of strangers and she too is less confident about trusting her feet to someone she doesn’t see daily.

I don’t think its possible to put a timeline on it. If you aren’t able to work on it between sessions I would expect little to no progress working on a behavior once every six weeks. If you’re able to do sessions in between, I’d expect to see much more improvement visit to visit.

[LilDunFilly]

Unfortunately, all my trusted people (and myself) live a few hours away from where she is. Due to her age I wanted Filly to live out on pasture which is not common in my area. I drive down to see and handle her every week. I’m planning to move her closer to me at the end of the year.

I definitely can get people who aren’t me to try handling her feet between farrier visits! Thank you for the suggestions.

[lenapesadie]

My horse started standing still for farrier immediately. Since his first foal trim.

Picking up his foot on the first ask for the farrier was a different story lol. Took him about 3 months to get good for his most recent farrier that started working on him as a seven year old. His best record yet.

[NancyM]

It’s a classic issue. Especially with a young horse, who isn’t in daily training and handling. Every person has slightly different approach and feel for the horse, and it is repetition, soothing and reward that brings about acceptance, IMO. Some horses have a bit of a “claustrophobic” response to giving over control of a limb to someone else, the foot is “caught”, and panic can start to raise it’s ugly head. They have to learn that the foot is not “caught”, that it’s just being temporarily held by the human, and that that is OK. And they are more likely to accept that from a human that they know, rather than one who comes by only ever 8 weeks and that they have no other contact with, and no long term relationship with. Some are easier than others, to gain that acceptance for just anyone to do this to them.

[JB]

I would ask your farrier if you can pay him for a little training session. I’m assuming you trust him and his patience and horsemanship skills for what sounds like just a basic issue, not a major battle.

If there’s any way he can come for a separate session, even just 15 minutes, in between his regular visits, that would help too. It likely won’t take many sessions at all before she learns he’s a good guy, and that will help the general Stranger Danger deal too.

[AMackechnie]

My excellent farrier has done this for some horses at my boarding barn and it’s worth every penny.

[candyappy]

It depends on the horse and the farrier. Sometimes the farrier will hold the foot up higher than you do or in a position that you do not when working with them and it is just too uncomfortable for the horse to tolerate for long.

Especially on the front legs where they hold them so tightly between their knees? I don’t see may horse owners do that to clean the foot.

I have had 2 instances over the years where my horses are just not good for a certain farrier and when acquiring a new farrier they stand like a rock.

The best thing you can do is watch what your farrier is doing that may be the problem and trying to work on that.

[LilDunFilly]

@NancyM, @JB, @AMackechnie, @candyappy

Just wanted to thank you all for the feedback! I took the combined feedback (ie. have more people handle her, spend more time just holding her leg, holding it like the farrier would) to work with her between farrier visits. She’s doing better every time, though we still have quite a bit of work to do.

[JB]

Yay! You’ll have her standing like a pro in no time

[candyappy]

Great news!