NATURAL HOOF CARE SEMINARS
Basic Tips for Trimming Feet:
1. If you are uneasy about a horse and your safety, don’t put yourself in danger – refuse to work with the horse and/or get help!
2. Don’t rush! Never set a time frame when working with a horse -this can cause problems.
3. Some trimmers sit to trim. This is a dangerous practice. If it is the only way one can trim comfortably, make certain the environment is safe and the horse is ‘well known’ to you.
4. Make certain the horse is ‘balanced’ on all four legs before asking for a leg.
5. Use the same cue every time when asking the horse to pick up its foot. Don’t shop around. Using the same cue builds a ‘language’ that the horse understands and relates to very well.
6. Always rub the leg before putting it down – don’t just drop it.
7. Don’t pat or slap a horse (and never pat/slap his head). Always rub on the withers, shoulders and/or neck.
8. Don’t accept ‘mouthing, searching of your body for food. Simply block the head (like a traffic cop would by holding up your hand up firmly). Don't push the horse's head. This will create your own boundary and it definitely helps the horse understand.
9. It is not good practice to feed horses while trimming. .This creates a lack of focus and can endanger the trimmer.
10. BOUNDARIES – Even one step towards you is a ‘push’ or a ‘challenge’ from the horse to check if you are consistent. Simply moving the horse back to where he was defines clear boundaries the horse can understand and relate to. They LIKE this! If you don’t correct small ‘challenges’ on many horses they simply escalate until the horse is ‘out of hand.’
11. If there is a ‘helper’ holding the horse, have them stand ‘inverted’ (bent slightly at the middle which ‘invites’ the horse to stand softly). Also, have them hold the head loosely so the horse does not feel ‘trapped.’ Keep the head slightly bent towards the trimmer so that if the horse ‘jumps/spooks’ it will not land on the trimmer. If possible, the holder should stand on the same side as the trimmer. Normally, don’t stand in front of the horse unless the holder's body position is clearly inverted.
12. If the horse is tied, make certain there is slack in the rope. Don’t pick up a foot if the rope is tight. This can cause problems i.e. pulling back, etc.
13. If working on your own and the horse is not comfortable being tied, carry a long rope so that you can bend the head slightly towards you while trimming. Generally this is a very easy relaxed way of working and the horse responds in kind - calm and relaxed.
Problems and Solutions
Jerking Leg– If a horse keeps jerking a leg away – DON’T get into a fight! Simply go around to each foot and pick it up and put it down BEFORE the horse moves/pulls away. Keep doing this – holding the foot a little longer each time. Rotate which hoof you're going to work with. This keeps the horse from ‘predicting’ which foot you will ‘focus’ on and help alleviate problems before they start!
Pulling Hoof Away – Make certain you aren’t causing the problem, The horse may be off balance. We need the FOCUS of the horse on the trimmer. Again DON’T get into a fight. Slow down and go back to ‘rotating’ the hooves and slowly build back up.
Moving Around and Threatening – Here it is important that the horse understands ‘boundaries.’ By controlling the rear end of the horse, we control the head and the rest of the body. So if a horse is moving around and/or threatening – simply address the rear end. Move the horse around by focusing on the rear end – tapping and or smacking it with a rope or dressage whip until the head and body facese up squarely and stops. Here we need to be ASSERTIVE but NOT AGRESSIVE. As soon as the horse stops and squares up, calmly praise him by rubbing the shoulder, withers, or neck. NEVER JERK THE HEAD.
Turning Horse – If the horse keeps turning on the forehand, bring the head to their shoulder and keep asking them for a turn on the forehand until they stop - 2 or 3 times should do it. This makes it ‘difficult’ – going to the age-old saying of ‘make the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy.' Always end this exercise with praise - rubbing the shoulder, withers or neck.
Dragging Us Off – If a trimmer is working on the front left and the horse is looking to the right, jerks the left foot away and drags the shoulder off – DON’T DISCIPLINE THE HEAD. As above, go to the hindquarters and yield the quarters until the head comes back and the horse calms down. Should only take two or three times. Always end with praise - rubbing the shoulder, withers or neck.
Final Thoughts
Nose chains, twitches and other restraint devices don’t solve problems and are NOT necessary if you're using good horse-handling practices and good preparation with positive, consistent ground work! Remember the ABC’s of horsemanship - AWARENESS, BOUNDARIES, CONSISTENCY.
Once we can read the horse's body language and respond accordingly – earning his respect and gaining leadership from BACK to FRONT – a horse will become accepting, level-headed and calm and will work with us and not against us!
Natural Hoof Care with Lane Moore
Lane has been working with horses almost all of his life. He has studied many methods – taking the positives and discarding the negatives. His experience connecting horses with people has grown from sixteen years of operating the LAZY M Guest Ranch.
Lane endorses the Natural ‘Barefoot’ movement – having horses' hooves and their environments closely match that of wild equines. He is a Certified Barefoot Practitioner in Britain.
Lane trimming Lancelot's hooves
Lane working on Calypso
Valmont is not as sure and calm as the others - notice his stiffer stance and the position of his ears
Nijinsky is relaxed and calm while Lane works
Here are some web sites with more information about natural, barefoot hoof care:
Lane offers Natural Hoof Care Seminars that can include these training steps:
- Orientation of Ranch, Barn and Facilities
- Study and Research into Natural Hoof Care/Barefoot
- Study of Laminitis/Founder and Navicular
- Management/Feed and Environment
- Transitions and Booting
- Tools and their Use
- Cadaver Hoof Trimming
- Live Trimming
- All Round Equine Management
- Transitions and Booting
- Rehabilitation Cases
Sessions can be adjusted by Lane to better meet students experience levels and specific needs.
For participant feedback on Lazy M Hoof Care Seminars, check out the Profiles section.
As noted above, students will work extensively with horse cadaver hooves to better understand horse anatomy and to practice trimming without worrying about damaging a living horse. Here are some pictures of the types of cadaver hooves we will be working with.
