So I'm only a week into my "training" when I encounter this picking up the feet problem. Here's what I wrote to Julia.
Subject: Re: Catching and Haltering
Ok so I haven't even had a chance to try this yet as I have another problem. (this being moving the horses, back forward, side). Oh by the way the haltering is going well! This morning, they both came to the barn, stopped "outside" and waited for me to put their halters on! OH YEA! Still working with them to wait til I'm ready before they go for it, but it's way better than before so making progress there. OK back to my problem. Two days ago I went up and noticed Dixie is limping. The guy I usually call to help me with feet problems is dealing with physical ailments and I didn't want to bother him. So I decide I've got to look at this horses feet. Dixie would let me lift the foot on the left (front) but not the right. I worked with her until I finally was able to get it lifted and cleaned it off a little. OK so I've decided I need to work with these girls and get them to let me lift their feet. I have to admit I'm a little afraid of the back ones. So haven't gone there yet. Gracie is pretty good with letting me lift the front ones. Dixie fights me on the right everytime. I don't know if it's because that's the one that hurts her. Anyway, I could use some help on this. I can actually feel Dixie planting that foot the minute I go for it. LOL Now I know she knows how to do this because no one else has problems with her in this area. This morning I was finally able to get both the front ones cleaned off pretty good, and I don't know, I think she was walking better when I left. The thing is I don't know what I'm looking for. I've watched all kinds of video's on this and read and read and read, as the first year I had the horses Gracie got an abscess in one of her feet and we (my old horse friend that's ailing) doctored it all summer. Actually we treated her for thrush as that's what my vet thought it was without looking at her, and when my Ferrier was trimming her he hit the abscess by accident and broke it loose and it got better. Anyway, I need some confidence building in this area, messing with their feet makes me nervous. I know it's something I need to get over.
Ok, now back to the video, So your tapping on the rump to try to get them to move towards you. What if they won't move! LOL sorry, but I have that problem! Now I've worked with them in moving the back end and the shoulder and I think I have that down fairly well, but the tapping to move towards me I'm going to have to work on. LOL that's what frustrated me to the point of contacting you, lol so I know it's going to be a challenge. I will work on all of it like you showed though to make sure we are on the same page.
Susan
Here's what Julia replied:
Ok, now back to the video, So your tapping on the rump to try to get them to move towards you.
Noooo!!! You gotta get the hind end to move AWAY from you first. The only reason I showed the moving towards me, is cause the paint horse knew that cue very nicely. Coming towards me was a cue he didn't know.
Hind end has to move away from you.
Front end has to move away from you.
Work on this till you can move either end, hind or front, while they are tied up by just lifting a hand or laying a single finger against them.
What if they won't move! LOL sorry, but I have that problem!
If they don't move, you tap nicely at first, then get progressively harder... till you are beating the shi* out of them.
 |
| Gracie! |
Trust me... A time or two of making your wishes crystal clear and important to their comfort will realign those girls' attitude nicely. LOL.
Remember... this is about pressure and release... Pressure starts light and gets harder harder harder... TILL and only till they move. As soon as one foot moves into the desired direction ALL pressure gets released. Not a twitch, not a wiggle, nothing... just "Good Girl".
Now I've worked with them in moving the back end and the shoulder and I think I have that down fairly well, but the tapping to move towards me I'm going to have to work on.
"I think I have that down fairly well" ain't good enough. Get crisp, attentive obedience. Then you got it good enough. Getting these signals down to unquestioning obedience will fix your "I'm getting run over by my girls" problem.
Remember... one finger, or a handsignal should move either the hind or the shoulder AWAY from you.
LOL that's what frustrated me to the point of contacting you, lol so I know it's going to be a challenge. I will work on all of it like you showed though to make sure we are on the same page.
Gonna make a pick up the feet video next.
Julia
 |
| Dixie...does she look sorry! I think not! |
She then made me a video that showed me how to pick up a horses feet, and I went to work on that! It took me about 3 days before I was lifting all 4 feet simply by pointing at it!. I couldn't believe it. I'd be a darn liar though if I told you I was comfortable with it, but the fact that I could do it simply amazed me. I mean I can do the back feet also, and I don't have to double tie the girls up to do it like they show you in those video's either! I believe I'm on my way to being a pro!
Meanwhile, I'm still working on the getting the horses to move without having to beat them to do it. Now before you all get in an up roar......I'm simply kidding about the beating! Not that there hasn't been a few times it didn't enter my mind. I still leave the barn in the evening convinced that these two horses spend the night conspiring against me with what they can pull tomorrow. Meanwhile I spend my evenings watching video's and reading whatever I can possibly get my hands on about how I can make things better, and I go to bed with nothing else on my mind. I will overcome!
