Preparing the Horse for the Farrier

Preparing the Horse How not to Hurt the Farrier

Two big challenges for many horse owners are trailer loading and having their horse stand well for the farrier.

Yesterday, I was speaking with my farrier at my summer base. He has a soft touch, truly likes the horses, and is empathetic in how he handles them.

He makes adjustments when/how he holds a horse's hoof depending on what makes the horse is most comfortable. He is slow when needed. He has no ego about shoeing. He is not looking to pick a fight with the horse. And he spent years riding roughstock bucking horses, so dramatic movement does not ruffle him.

As we talked and caught up about challenges he had faced with a multitude of horses, here is some of what his recent experiences were:

A horse grabbed him by the muscle above his collarbone, picked him up like a ragdoll, threw him to the ground, and then proceeded to strike at him with his front legs.

Working with a new client's horses that obviously had been manhandled, the horse would double barrel kick when he attempted to get near the hind feet.

Horses that had a "time limit" and if the shoeing job wasn't done within that time, they would get big and dramatic, trying to get away.

Horses that had "never" done _______, (i.e. bite, kick, rear up,) before... until he showed up.

You get the idea. Unfortunately, for a lot of farriers, especially in remote areas such as where I'm at, however quality their horse handling skills may or may not be, they also wind up becoming "trainers" to trim or shoe.

They arrive at a property and find out:

Can't catch the horse.
Can't tie the horse.
Horse is defensive towards humans.
Defensive about standing in a certain place.
Horse is concerned about picking up his feet.
Horse is physically unreasonable when concerned.
Horse has physical limitations triggering pain causing defensive behaviors.

I believe the farrier shouldn't have to "deal" with any of this.

On the other hand, no horse should be asked to trust the farrier without proper preparation so that the equine can be mentally present during the experience to think and try what is being asked of him.

I find, as most with most things that make folks uncomfortable, the approach is usually, "This could be stressful, so let's just hurry up and get this done as soon as possible." This creates hurried, rough handling of the horse, and attempts of "making" him contain his fear and stress to remain physically compliant.

And where does that leave the horse for the next time the farrier shows up? What does that teach the horse about the human experience when he is concerned? 

So for that all the posts when I write about the quality of the Conversation, starting from the catching, haltering, leading, intentionally segmenting going out the gate with the horse, just remember, YOU are setting (or not) the standard for every future scenario with the horse, including when the farrier has to get under your horse.

Think of each thing that will be asked and imposed upon the horse when the farrier is working with him. If the only time the horse is exposed to these behaviors is when the farrier is underneath him, not only is that unfair to both your farrier and the horse, it leads to the building of many future, fear-based dangerous equine behaviors.

If during previous equine Conversations the horse's feedback that reflected anticipation, defensiveness, avoidance, tension, etc., were considered and addressed in a manner that had value to him, the farrier experiences would become "uneventful."

This "practice" helps the horse learn to be mentally be (and stay) present, emotionally calm, and physically adaptable to engage in a reasonable, willing manner, such as when a farrier is working with him.

There should be a handler helping support the horse. The farrier and handler should communicate and working together to build the horse's trust even if a situation is unfamiliar.

If you are going to expose and ask the horse to do completely unnatural things, such as stand on three legs and trust someone rasping, nipping, or hammering foreign metal objects into his hoof, please prioritize building a quality foundation based on specific, intentional, and clear communication.

Remember this is a huge Learning Opportunity that either encourages the horse to try or to become defensive towards ALL human imposed pressure.

Pictured is a Mustang mare that had a horrific start in her first year and a half of handling. She would attack, bite, and kick. Here I am handling her feet in an uneventful Conversation.