dreamofhorses
Registered: 15/05/06
Posts: 3
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Reply with quote | #1 |
I'm from the Australian coast, just turned twenty one and also new to the messageboards here, I recently bought my first horse an ex unraced and untrained standardbred of 10 years, some of you might say this is not the best choice as a new horse owner but I disagree she truly is one in a billion. She has been western and english ridden by previous owners, I learnt through the english system, I have come to treasure her with my life. We could spend hours standing in the paddock with her head at my shoulder.  The problem still exsists as this though; she refuses me every one of her feet except her right hind leg which she usually takes weight off when relaxed. So I thought it might be a weight bareing problem and she might be afraid to bare weight on me? Though it really is starting to become a consistent problem now. She seems to have no problem with picking that relaxed hoof up. But she go's all out to not pick up the others and she dosen't seem to have a problem with me tugging at her feet either, I think she finds it interesting now. I have picked out hooves before and had no mistakes I had worse problems accidently being kicked by a horse with thrush who I didn't realise had it at a local stable, but no I wouldn't want this happening to her so any ideas please!  Also! I have not found anyone at all helpful where I am or any of a kind word where I am staying who a certain fei dressage owner owns, I guess it was a matter of enough petrol in the planes engine to pull her to competitions that led her to agistment, and we are moving to a more structured and knowledgable environment. So please be gentle.  |
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bobbydazla
Registered: 12/05/06
Posts: 43
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Reply with quote | #2 |
Hi! Im assuming she moves well (evenly weight bearing in all paces)? you dont say if you are doing parelli, but if you are is your friendly game good? |
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shelley
Registered: 18/12/03
Posts: 1,587
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Reply with quote | #3 |
Hiya,
For a start to be honest I would get your horse vet out and good local farrier (probably the farrier first as they're pretty good at diagnosing hoof problems)
If you haven't got either of these then I'd get them asap.
Also, have I got it right that it's the right hind hoof that won't be picked up...it could be the left hind that has a problem! When we trim our lame cob it's the opposite leg to the one that hurts that she can't pick up. This is down to the fact that if she picks up the good leg the pressure all goes on the bad one.
Please get an expert out to this to eliminate anything wrong with the hoof/leg/hip! and let us know how it goes won't you
Shelley
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"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going to" |
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dreamofhorses
Registered: 15/05/06
Posts: 3
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shelley
Registered: 18/12/03
Posts: 1,587
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Reply with quote | #5 |
Okay that sounds like you're going in the right direction. The Founder could/would be a big problem with weight issues and the trimming regime you've set up will help get her through this as having long feet will be painful for her. Also I think that if her feet were long and you've had them trimmed and she's had founder this in itself initially could be a painful experience.
We bought one of our horses with extremely long feet and it was quite a while before her hooves were balanced again, we had to make sure our farrier only trimmed bits often as to have done it all in one go would have strained her back leg ligaments. So that is something to think about.
If the vet cannot see/think of anything else (is he a recommended horse vet?) then it may be something to do with a new home. How long have you owned her? Changing homes/owners is very very traumatic for horses and picking up the feet (which are it's only way of flight away from scary situations) is the last thing they want to do. I would maybe not make an issue out of the feet as this will make it harder for your horse to comply with your wishes. I would spend time grooming especially the legs all the way down, make her know that you are her friend and that this is her new home. Get her into a good routine so that things settle down for her. Then I would probably use another rope to put behind the leg and rub it back and forwards, up and down her legs as a 'friendly' gesture. You may find that she doesn't like it at first so don't be persistant about going where it worries her, use an approach and retreat method whereby you go as far as she will take it then back off. Keep doing this with all four legs until you can go the entire leg with her standing still and calm, head lowered is a good sign. Try these things first, go very slowly and remember there are tons of issues our horses have from previous lives with other humans that weren't so nice as us so just treat her like a new kid at school and win her over by being kindness itself while being firm about your space.
It's good that you have a longer lead which allows her to 'drift' when being led, make sure you do it safely and I would encourage you to find out about Parelli (http://www.parelli.com) as this will really help you with safety issues and problems that you may not realise are there. So be safe. The fact that she's wandering about when being led could be a confidence issue and you're going to have to try to keep her leading with a loose lead if possible (as this always gives horses a better sense of not being claustraphobic or 'caught') but so that you are at least shoulder to shoulder, both sides too, don't just do everything from the one side as most normal horsey people do!
When looking at natural trainers locally make sure they are exactly what they say they are, go and watch them working other horses and never let your horse go to anyone that you don't instinctually trust, see if they'll work with you and your horse at home.
The Parelli home study system would be great as it teaches and empowers you to learn these skills yourself thereby gaining your horses trust even more. I never send my horses away to anyone else to train as for one it will upset the trust you and your horse are gaining by being together and also you can never be sure they will train the way you want or the way they said they were going to unless you're there 24/7. Hope some of this helps Shelley
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"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going to" |
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dreamofhorses
Registered: 15/05/06
Posts: 3
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Savvy_Sofi
Registered: 28/07/09
Posts: 3
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Reply with quote | #7 |
I know this has been a dead thread for a while now but I'm a new member and I was just browsing through the topics and found this. I thought I might have something to add just in case anyone comes across this again for the same problem.
First off I would definately get a farrier or vet out if a situation like this ever arises but this could also be a confidence issue so I thought I'd ellaborate on ways to make picking the foot up a good experience for any horse.
The first thing you could do is to simply invest some time just massaging your horses legs to gain confidence there. Of course pay attention to your horses signals and use an approach and retreat method to keep yourself safe. Start at the shoulder or hindquarters and get steadily lower. If your horse is relaxed then you can continue on down to the hoof and repeat but if your horse shows any signs of tension then retreat back up the leg and try again. This might seem like taking more time than neccesary but your horse has thresholds just like you do and they will appreciate that you recognise these thresholds and understand their needs as a horse (SAFETY, COMFORT, PLAY and FOOD).
Once you've gained confidence with your horse around their legs you can progress to picking them up. Whatever you do DONT squeeze the tendons (or anywhere below the knee) as this actually causes the horse to put weight ON to the leg. On the other hand if you squeeze the knee (or even better the chestnut) this causes the horse to take weight OFF the leg.
I would start by rubbing the chestnut in a friendly way then progressing to a very light squeeze (or a phase 1 if you follow Parelli like me  ) then if your horse doesn't respond you squeeze a little harder and so on until your horse reacts. This might be just a slight shift of weight off the leg but as soon as you get even the slightest try then release all pressure. If you had to go to a phase 3 or 4 then rub the chestnut afterwards to regain confidence in that area, as the horse may be a little defensive as to him it feels like you bit him there, just like a dominant horse would.
You can repeat this process, always rewarding the slightest try, until your horse happily lifts his feet at light pressure on the chestnut and trusts you enough to keep his feet lifted happily. Practice plenty of approach and retreat. Don't trap your horse by grabbing and lifting his hoof just as soon as he learns to take his weight off the foot as this is like tricking him into lifting his foot and he won't be so trusting in the future.
Of course I don't pretend to be a Parelli professional (yet! ) so first and foremost I would go to one of these for advice. You can find them on the Parelli website. DO NOT take my advice as standard, I was merely repeating what I have seen through Parelli endorsed material but I am by no means a professional on the matter so my advice is just that... advice.
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Take the time it takes so it takes less time - Pat Parelli
Communication is two or more individuals sharing and understanding an idea - Pat Parelli
Prior and Proper Preperation Prevents P*ss Poor Performance - Pat Parelli
KEEP IT NATURAL!!!!!! |
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Thankyou both a bunch for your replies, no the right hind seems to be about the only hoof I can keep up she seems to take most weight off it, when she relaxes and I can pick it up with no effort. The other legs I just cannot seem to hold up for longer then about two seconds if that.
I have got the vet in recently to float her teeth and to see them as when i got her they were cutting the sides of her mouth, and I also have seen the vet for trimming her feet and now she isn't shod she will have them trimmed every two weeks as i prefer the hoof to be able to grow back, she seems to be ok and has no diseases but she did have founder and it's now starting to finally disappear could this cause her weight issues with lifting her front feet up so much? Even the vet was having trouble with her leaning on him too but he seemed to be able to get it up at least. Though the vet did say she had founder issues before a year or so ago and they were going now she was a little stiff as she had to have more constant exercise. I have no idea about natural horsemanship but have read a few tricks about it to do with leading and the idea of the alpha horse, and leading her with a longer rope seems to calm her when she wants to turn me around in circles even though I still hear shouts of tie her up and keep her on a short lead from certain agistment owners and she has never bitten or has no other behaviour problems whatsoever maybe she is a little too trusting sometimes, but she is a sweetie! So yes any ideas on a more balanced and natural way would help and I've even been looking into some natural trainers nearby. 
Thanks again shelley, yes that has helped clear some things out I was racking my brain about,
and I can see now how some of her behaviour was deffinately weight/founder related with her picking up her feet, and I also think she does need a whole lot of time to adjust to me and her new environment having her since the 2nd of May(my birthdate)
, we have made progress already and she hasn't ran from me when I catch her since the first day I caught her myself to bring her into the smaller paddock and groom/feed her everyday now. Yes I always brush her legs down too through with our trust everyday it has built since I first floated her the day I got her but we need so much more time and then some more trust I won't argue with that. I today also ordered Skye-Dancer and I some inspirational thinking with Monty Robert's fix up dvds and a Parelli 'Natural horsemanship' book on the way. I hope this contains some area of interest for her at least! 
