Picking Up A Horse's Hoof
The idea of picking up a horse's hooves can intimidate some owners since a well-placed horse kick would really hurt! Such caution is good, but in reality if you pick up a horse's hoof properly you provide him with no leverage or ability to kick you. This is a situation where a person's worst fears can cause him to imagine an incident that is highly unlikely to occur with careful handling. Here's how to safely pick up a horse's hoof: Starting with the front hoof, approach your horse diagonally from his front so that he clearly knows you are there ? you don't want to surprise him. Place yourself even with his shoulder and make sure to face his rear; you will both be facing opposite directions during the hoof picking process. Making sure that your feet aren't too close to the horse's hoof, start running the hand parallel to him down his shoulder and along the length of his leg, finally stopping just above his ankle.
Gently grasp the ankle portion and click (or otherwise verbally cue him) to ask him to raise his leg. If he's well trained, that small cue will be more than enough and he'll do just what you requested. You're now free to begin picking his hoof. If your horse is being a bit stubborn or hasn't learned how to pick up his legs yet try leaning into his shoulder as you run your hand down the back of his cannon bone. You can also gently squeeze/pinch the tendons to further cue him to what you would like.
As you perform these physical cues make sure you provide a verbal one also (I make a clicking sound) so the horse later associates your sound with the requested response. Increase the weight you push against his shoulder until he finally lifts his leg as requested. When picking a horse's hoof you want to remove all debris from the hoof clefts as well as the rim and frog. Be careful around the frog because it can sometimes be a bit sensitive, particularly if the horse has thrush. Once you have finished cleaning the front hoof carefully guide it back to the floor; you don't want to allow the horse to slam it, potentially hitting your foot in the process.
Praise your horse and pat him on the front shoulder a bit so he understands that you are pleased with his cooperation, then run your hand along his back to his rear leg. Place yourself in the same position as you did with his front leg and do the process over again. There is a slight difference between lifting a rear foot and front foot, even though your basic positioning and actions are nearly identical. When you lift your horse's rear foot he will probably give a little jerk that you might misinterpret as a kick. This is a common reflex reaction among horses and nothing for you to worry about.
Secondly, when you raise your horse's rear leg you'll want to step into him a bit so that your hip is underneath his leg. Rest his leg on your thigh, grab his hoof and gently flex it upwards. By doing this you lend him some support and more importantly the position of his leg and his flexed hoof will prevent him from being able to kick you. Clean the hoof, lower it cautiously as you did the first and praise him. Congratulations ? you're halfway done! The opposite side will be done exactly the same way, but try to return to his front and start the opposite side rather than move around his rear.
It's bad practice to approach or circle all but the most trusted horses via the rear in such close quarters since a horse would be within range to strike. When lifting any hoof try to make sure your horse is properly squared (balanced evenly on all four legs) so that when you lift one hoof he can easily balance on his remaining three. At no time should the horse actually lean his weight on you! Even when you rest his rear leg on your thigh you're not allowing him to use you as a crutch. Once you have picked your horse's hooves a few times it will probably become very simple and take less than 5 minutes to clear all hooves. Most trained horses will raise their hoof for you the moment they feel your leg run down their leg.
It is a very good idea to control your horse's head while you are picking his hooves. This can be done by attaching his halter to crossties or asking a partner hold your horse's head. By controlling his head you ensure your horse can't move away from you while you're trying to pick his hooves, or worse? turn around and take a bite at your rear!Visit http://www.alphahorse.com/horse-care.html to view other articles pertaining to horse care..
Jeffrey Rolo, owner of AlphaHorse and an experienced horse trainer and breeder, is the author of the above article.You will find many other informational articles dealing with horse training and care as well as games and other horse fun on his website:
http://www.alphahorse.comCopyright © 2004 AlphaHorse. All Rights Reserved.webmaster@alphahorse.com
Enjoy Luxury South Lake Tahoe Vacation Rentals At 40% Off
Lake Tahoe, CA / NV (ContentDesk) January 6, 2005 -- Lake Tahoe Lodging, Inc. offers 40 percent off on mid-week Lake Tahoe vacation rentals with a 2 night minimum stay.
Lake Tahoe Lodging, Inc. (LTL) A provider of Luxury Lake Tahoe accommodations announces their Get into winter special offering 40% off on mid-week vacation rentals.Known for its vacation rental bonuses and immaculately kept quality properties, LTL is providing this special mid-week savings to guests who book a minimum two-night stay at any of LTLs properties. This is a great opportunity for guests to visit us for a mid-week stay...
Horse > Enjoy Luxury South Lake Tahoe Vacation Rentals At 40% Off
Don't Panic!
We can learn a lot from horses; I sure did. Before my wifegot me interested in them, I couldn't even spell hoarse (!);now I am learning from them while learning about them.Today's lesson was learned when Kelly, our mare, found herway into the breezeway of the barn. The breezeway is thearea where we humans walk when we feed or visit the horses,and also serves as a storage area for horse-relatedsupplies. It runs alongside the two stalls, which are onthe left as you walk in. (We get into the stalls from thebreezeway, the horses enter and exit through doorways on theopposite side.) The breezeway is full of horsey temptationsand dangers, including bags of food, treats, and medicationsthat, if ingested in large quantities could make themseriously ill: think of it as a candy store for horses.
Avery narrow candy store for horses.Kelly got in there when I carelessly left a gate open thatshould have been closed. There she was, sniffing away andlooking for goodies in a fairly confined space,...
Don't Panic!
Horse > Don't Panic!
DSL Is Really Very Easy To Understand - Needs and Compatibility
Confused about DSL? So was I at one time! However, it is no big deal to get an understanding about what it is, how it works and how it compares to your other choices for getting high speed internet access.
Faster and faster dialup telephone modems were all the rage, until DSL and cable modems came about. We can laughingly look back at those old slow modems and the tell tale dialing sounds that you could hear as they attempted to log on.
You may also wonder why DSL...
Horse > DSL Is Really Very Easy To Understand - Needs and Compatibility
Online Short Term Health Insurance Available for Students and Others by miQuotes.com
miQuotes.com, a leading online insurance agency, has added short term health insurance and student health insurance to their catalogue of available insurance products."The cost of medical care is so high that no one can really afford to be without insurance, especially when the unthinkable happens," said Bill McEvoy, Vice President of Marketing at miQuotes.com. "We've decided to offer
Picking Up A Horse's Hoof Horse Online Short Term Health Insurance Available for Students and Others by miQuotes.com term life insurance
Horse > Online Short Term Health Insurance Available for Students and Others by miQuotes.com
EarthSearch Communications Encourages Usage-Based Insurance System via AUTOSEARCH GPS Device At No Cost To Insurers
When EarthSearch Communications (ESC) launches AutoSearch this month in the US, the focus will be on insurers, commercial fleets and the automotive industry. After successful tests and pacts with automakers and telecommunications companies in South America, EarthSearch will approach the US insurance industry with a revolutionary program that offers their premiere GPS product AutoSearch at no cost. In earlier attempts to use GPS technology for determining a usage-based rating system, by monitoring...
Picking Up A Horse's Hoof Horse
Horse > EarthSearch Communications Encourages Usage-Based Insurance System via AUTOSEARCH GPS Device At No Cost To Insurers
The History of Coffee
The History of Coffee Coffee was discovered in Eastern Africa in an area known as Ethiopia. A popular legend tells of a goat herder named Kaldi. One day he noticed his goats acting frisky after eating berries from a bush. Kaldi tried the berries. He found he had renewed energy.
The news of this amazing fruit spread throughout the region. Monks started drying the berries to transport to distant monasteries. They reconstituted the berries by soaking them in water. They would eat the fruit...
Picking Up A Horse's Hoof Horse
Horse > The History of Coffee