Pony riding isn't all about ridingâ€"a giant chunk of it actually is about looking after your horses. Taking care of your horses ' feet is one of the most pressing and challenging jobs you need to perform to maintain the horses ' overall fitness. Being proud creatures and particularly protective of their valued hooves, horses won't simply let you pick their feet up. You'll find that more often than not, going about it chaotically would end up with you being kicked stupid.
Horses that have undergone radical equestrian training all began with the basics, and among the basics of caring for them is caring for their feet. It won't be simple to get them to lift their feet up for you, but with enough patience and if you follow these steps, you'll soon win.
The crucial things you need to remember are Restraint, Repetition, and Reward.
These 3 frequently surface in a few aspects of equestrian trainingâ€"especially when doing basic actions. When it comes to making your horse raise her feet for you, you will have to apply all three repeatedly. First things first: work in an enclosure where it's possible to get to work safely, and start with the front legs. You want to determine if you need more control of her. If you do, put a bridle or halter on her. The process entails repetitive steps of making her get used to your signals (without stomping on you). Run your hand down from her shoulder to her foreleg. Usually nothing happens yet, and if the usual holds, ask her (using the reins naturally) to step back to shift her weight. When she does, release the rein and let go of her foreleg and reward her. Repeat this till she shifts her weight when you place your hand on her foreleg.
The next steps are the same, only applied to different, possibly more sensitive areas of your horse's feet. When she regularly shifts weight when you place your hand on her foreleg, advance your hand down to her cannon bone. She will shift her weight back for sure. Restrain her from doing this. When her foot leaves the ground (even just a little), release the reins and move your hand away and reward her with praise or strokes. Repeat this process till she's ok with you holding her foot after she shifts her weight when you touch her foreleg.
When you start to be in a position to lift the entire hoof off the ground without getting yourself kicked back, don't push your luck. Set her foot back down as soon as her toe lifts, release restraints, and reward her. Each other try hold onto the up lifted foot longer. If you believe you can safely restrain her from pulling away or putting her foot down until she calms, then do so. Otherwise, just let go and reward her.
The hind legs are a different matter, as some horses simply are not used to lifting up their hind legs. Most of the time its more tricky. The same process of restrain, reward, repeat is followed â€" only this time you commence with getting her familiar to shifting her hips away from you. From there, work your way until one of her hind feet leaves the ground. A note of caution though: the back legs are stronger than the front, and some horses are natural born kickers. If you think that you need to run her thru a desensitization programme such that she doesn't kick your head off when you touch her back legs, then by all means, do so. Remember the closer you are to a horse the less impact a kick has.
Restrain her just enough to let her to know your objectives, reward her for every correct response, and repeat the process until it sticks. Basically, that is what equestrian coaching is all about.
Horses that have undergone radical equestrian training all began with the basics, and among the basics of caring for them is caring for their feet. It won't be simple to get them to lift their feet up for you, but with enough patience and if you follow these steps, you'll soon win.
The crucial things you need to remember are Restraint, Repetition, and Reward.
These 3 frequently surface in a few aspects of equestrian trainingâ€"especially when doing basic actions. When it comes to making your horse raise her feet for you, you will have to apply all three repeatedly. First things first: work in an enclosure where it's possible to get to work safely, and start with the front legs. You want to determine if you need more control of her. If you do, put a bridle or halter on her. The process entails repetitive steps of making her get used to your signals (without stomping on you). Run your hand down from her shoulder to her foreleg. Usually nothing happens yet, and if the usual holds, ask her (using the reins naturally) to step back to shift her weight. When she does, release the rein and let go of her foreleg and reward her. Repeat this till she shifts her weight when you place your hand on her foreleg.
The next steps are the same, only applied to different, possibly more sensitive areas of your horse's feet. When she regularly shifts weight when you place your hand on her foreleg, advance your hand down to her cannon bone. She will shift her weight back for sure. Restrain her from doing this. When her foot leaves the ground (even just a little), release the reins and move your hand away and reward her with praise or strokes. Repeat this process till she's ok with you holding her foot after she shifts her weight when you touch her foreleg.
When you start to be in a position to lift the entire hoof off the ground without getting yourself kicked back, don't push your luck. Set her foot back down as soon as her toe lifts, release restraints, and reward her. Each other try hold onto the up lifted foot longer. If you believe you can safely restrain her from pulling away or putting her foot down until she calms, then do so. Otherwise, just let go and reward her.
The hind legs are a different matter, as some horses simply are not used to lifting up their hind legs. Most of the time its more tricky. The same process of restrain, reward, repeat is followed â€" only this time you commence with getting her familiar to shifting her hips away from you. From there, work your way until one of her hind feet leaves the ground. A note of caution though: the back legs are stronger than the front, and some horses are natural born kickers. If you think that you need to run her thru a desensitization programme such that she doesn't kick your head off when you touch her back legs, then by all means, do so. Remember the closer you are to a horse the less impact a kick has.
Restrain her just enough to let her to know your objectives, reward her for every correct response, and repeat the process until it sticks. Basically, that is what equestrian coaching is all about.
About the Author:
Horses are Heather
Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s
of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about stable rugs
Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s
of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about stable rugs
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