Horses may react different for shoer--theory

When I ask a client about a new young colt, I will hear “Oh, I can pick up their feet”, however, when I start trimming it wants to pull away and get excited. My theory is that when the customer works with the colt they may stand next to the colt and pick the foot up with one hand and can gradually hold the foot for longer periods of time, but when I put the front foot between my legs the horse feels more trapped and needs to escape. Horses are flight animals and until they learn to trust us they like having the freedom to use their feet to run away. If they haven’t learned to trust us then they can feel uneasy when their foot is captured between the legs of the shoer. I think that is why I often find young horses are more tolerant to having their hind hooves worked on compared to the font. Because resting it on the shoer’s legs holds the hind leg it is not under the same restraint as when holding the front leg. I want to encourage people to make sure when working with their young horses to put the horse through all the positions a horseshoer works when trimming and shoeing. Not only will this help the farrier, but I am convinced, when a horse is confident with restraints to his feet and legs he will show more trust throughout his training. Please see my article, From the Ground Up, in the March/April 2008 Eclectic Horseman magazine.