Picking Up the Feet
Handling a horse's feet is something that needs to begin early in life. Like everything else concerning horses, the process should take place gradually and start with good handling in general. Trouble picking up a horse's feet sometimes indicates trouble in other areas of the horse's handling, especially in his attitude toward humans. Often, if the other problems are addressed, the horse's feet-handling problems clear up as well.
Don't expect your farrier to teach your horse to stand still for foot handling. This is your job. Use grooming to get the horse accustomed to having her feet touched. Don't worry about picking them up right at the start. Instead, while grooming the horse, brush the legs with a soft brush, and get the horse used to having her legs touched, all the way down to the hooves.
Lifting a horse's foot off the ground the first time can be tricky. It's that self-preservation, always-be-prepared-for-flight thing! The front feet are often easier to pick up than the back, so start there. The human may also be more at ease with the front legs because they aren't the ones you get kicked with. Beware, however, that a horse can strike out at you with a front leg.
Stand beside the horse's leg and face the rear of the horse. Run your hand down the back of the foreleg. About halfway down, gently pull or squeeze to cause the horse to lift the foot. Hold the foot up for only a couple seconds at first. Then set the foot back down gently, before the horse snatches it away from you. The key is not to hold the foot so long that he simply can't stand it any longer.
Never drop the horse's foot and let it bang the ground. This is uncomfortable and will make the horse reluctant to have his feet handled. It may also teach him to snatch his foot away next time in anticipation of it banging to the ground. You definitely don't want this snatch-back behavior; setting the foot down must always be when you decide, not when the horse feels like it.
Later on, you can work on getting the horse to hold up the foot for longer intervals while you pick it out with a hoof pick. When you're done with the front, move on to the back feet. After they become accustomed to the routine, some obliging horses will pick up their feet in succession for you. Do not allow the horse to lean her weight on you. If she does, poke her in the side with your elbow or fingers to make her shift her weight off you.
