Foot Maintenance at Home
Lee Olsen: There is definitely work you need to be doing at home in between your regular farrier appointments. You need to be picking their feet out, regularly. Every time you ride, you should check the feet. This is an important practice for several reasons:
#1 – Picking the feet out often keeps bacteria out.
#2 – While you are picking them, you can check for loose shoes, thrush, or any other problem and catch it early.
#3 – It teaches the horse to respect you and gets them used to you picking their feet up off the ground.
Training for the Farrier
Lee Olsen: It’s dangerous for yourself and the horse if you can’t pick up the feet and pick them out. Whether their scared or just spoiled, you need to train them to let you pick their feet up off the ground. One of my closest friends is Chris Cox and I’m a huge fan of how he works with horses. You don’t have to be mean or hurt the horse. Basically, they are like a child or a toddler. You cannot reward bad behavior. What Chris does, is that if we’re working a horse and they jerk their foot…he puts them to work on the lunge line. Then brings that horse right back and we start working again. If the horse stays still, it gets a reward. If it doesn’t, it goes right back to work. This is a great method for correcting bad behavior in your horse before they get to the farrier.
Hi-Pro Feeds wants to thank Lee Olsen for sharing his time and advice. Do you have questions about your horse and foot health? Message us on Facebook!
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