09/11/2025
The second method I may use when handling feet is to let the horse be off line. I’ll add a disclaimer to this, in that I do a lot of prep work before I ever reach for a horse’s leg with my hand. More on that later, but the same idea applies whether you’re using a rope, a flag, a glove on a stick… With a horse that might be more on the reactive side, it can be helpful to not be confined. They need to learn to be okay with being put in a bind and not panic - while I’m holding a hoof isn’t necessarily the time to learn that for certain horses. MOST of the time, a horse will choose flight over fight. Here, Maggie knows she can leave, and that’s okay. She also know that if she leaves or takes her foot away, we’ll likely spend time trotting around. Having me handle her feet starts to sound like a better option pretty quickly. I’ll also use this approach to create “magnet” to the hoof stand and encourage rest and relaxation during hoof care. Notice the tension that occurs at 1:20 and the letting go of that tension at 1:50, she chose to stay and regulate her nervous system. I expect that tense spot will get shorter and shorter until it’s not present at all. It’s certainly not a method that works for every horse but for some, it’s proven more effective at creating the mindset I want around this activity than capturing the foot until the fight is gone.
