# My horse won't pick up its foot.....help!



## Silver07 (May 19, 2007)

Ok. My horse Silver picks up all her feet except for her back right one. If you try, she picks it up really high and kicks sideways at you. I managed to get it up a few days ago, and I noticed that when I did, her other back leg kind of twisted while she was standing, but she kept chomping away at her food like it didn't matter....I am not sure if her right one does this when I pick up the left one. I don't know if that even has anything to do with it, just letting you know.

Anyway, I need to pick out her foot. With any of her other ones, she is an angel!

Help please!


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## JoannaG (May 11, 2007)

sounds like the left one might be sore, she probably doesnt want to put weight on the left one.
or she might have had an injury on her right leg, she remembrs the vet picking it up and probably hurting her (cleaning, putting anticeptic on etc) she would be anticipating the pain.
the only way to get her over this is to keep persisting, untill she realises your not going to hurt her leg.


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

is she warm or limping at all, or maybe a absess....last night my daughter had a guest speaker in there h-4 ridding class and one intrusting thing he tought the kids was if you squeze the chestnut on the horses leg it will bring it's hoof up.....watched her doing that as she was grooming abby before a ride today and it worked


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## Annabel (Apr 4, 2007)

funny, my pony does the exact same thing! if its like your case, she's not bothered by it at all, it more annoying than anything else. what i do is walk her around for a few minutes before grooming her to loosen up her joints. that works with my pony, so id give it a try, as she may just be stiff.


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## Silver07 (May 19, 2007)

She isn't warm, and she doesn't limp...we tried walking and trotting her in the arena, but nothing showed up. Thanks for all the advice, guys! I am going to try those things next time I go up to see her.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

My both horses came to me with their feet never cleaned. Meaning they didn't know how to pick up at all and never had feet trimmed (both were 1.5 years old). I started with putting rope above the hoof and lift it up with the rope. As long as they picked it up I let them go and gave a carrot. After couple days I started to pick the hoof up with the hand. The whole training was certainly not 1 day, but took lo-o-ong time (and was real pain in butt - I thought I"ll NEVER be able to train them). Now one of them is voice trained to pick up, for other one the lightest touch is enough to give the hoof. 

Actually, I read one more thing on my way of training. When you pick the hind foot, don't try to pull it and clean it right away. For some horses you need to pick it up and hold for couple secs so she can relax it before moving the way you want it. My older one likes it to be this way. If I drag it right away she may try to release it, which looks like light sideway kick. Not all horses need that, but some certainly do.


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## savepitbulls (Jan 2, 2007)

My old mare yanks her back feet away from me too. Farriers have a horrible time with her. Like suggested above, try letting your horse relax first and then start cleaning the hoof. My mare yanks her feet away because she has a chronically sore back. Have you checked your horse's back and hips to see if they are sore?


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