Yearly misery

[Pony Soldier]

Today I finished shoeing my horses in preparation for open day of big game this weekend. Every year for nearly every year since 1980 I have had the pleasure on shoeing my horses. As I get older it gets tougher. I have one old girl that's easy. One that is a challenge. And one that causes me nightmares.

She pulls back, rears up, falls down and throws herself against the main post in the barn. This is usually confined to the front feet. I have used a 'be nice' halter, a lariet around her ribs, an hour in the round corral and a few other things.

Finally I used half of a hobble with a rope and tied the hoof /leg up around her neck. That stopped the insanity - this year. Without the ability to set it down she wouldn't rear up. That allowed me to nail on the shoe - safely.

Short of drugs I don't have a solution to this nightmare. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any.

 

[Bubblehide]

It might be cheaper and healthier to pay someone to shoe her.

 

[khart_6882]

It might be cheaper and healthier to pay someone to shoe her.

That’s the best way to have a farrier never answer your phone calls again

 

[Hnthrdr]

I wanna say we have a few farriers on this site if they see it they might chime in

 

[MallardSX2]

Sell the horse before you get hurt or killed.

 

[6.5Express]

Is she generally a pretty good horse other than the shoing? What breed and age?

 

[EdP]

You need to work her feet on a regular basis until she accepts it without a fuss.

 

[5MilesBack]

Short of drugs I don't have a solution to this nightmare.

Before I got to this comment I was thinking "tranquilizer gun".

 

[Pony Soldier]

She is mostly morgan with a little paso. She has a pull back problem and has had it since I bought her. Probably why I got her so cheap.

Other than that she has been pretty good for riding and for whatever reason I can take the shoes off without a conflict or at least not as much.

She is about 10 years old and I have had her for 4 years.

 

[ShootOkHuntWorse]

Jealous you know how to do your own shoes. Our current farrier is getting worse and worse at attention to detail, wrong size shoes. I hate finding new ones.

 

[WKR]

Retire the mares and get some geldings

I'm kidding, kinda

 

[doverpack12]

Dormosedan is $30 or so a tube. Chances are she will need a partial tube.

We have one old gelding that is on a joint supplement but still pretty stiff on his backs to trim/shoe. Dorm gets us through. He hates the taste though. I combine the partial tubes to get his normal dose every other tube or so.

If you are able the IV dorm is cheaper per dose.

She could be stiff/sore. I’ve found if a little hard work moving feet laterally or yielding hinds with energy and coming right back to the feet in the same location doesn’t fix the issue or the horse gets more committed then it’s probably a pain response instead of attitude. Not a farrier but I’ve had to put in a lot of work to get my horses good with their feet and I can get by when needed to trim or tack a shoe back on. The sessions might be slow improvement for a week or two then still take time.
Could be confidence from one bad experience in the past. Try smallest effort gains to build her confidence.

 

[doverpack12]

I’m not that far away and always willing to learn, especially from those who have been using horses a long time.

 

[missjordan]

This is a major vice and probably why you got her cheap. Nobody else will probably shoe her either in the traditional way and i wouldn’t even offer. I’m all for sending the bad ones down the road but if you want to work her through it i would maybe explore these options:

Dorm gel for sure

Is she sore anywhere and that’s why she won’t tolerate shoes? Have you had x rays of her feet and any vet opinions?

Find a farrier that has a tilt table and have her shod on the tilt. I think there’s a guy out of Helena and the draft rescue in Corvallis has one for sure. Since you’re pretty local to where I live as well.

If she has a set back problem I’d never tie her hard and fast again. Put her on a lunge line and run it through those special tie rings so it gives and gives each time she pulls back. And give her lots of grace and patience. Horses never really get over this and it’s a quirk you just have to deal with the majority of the time.

If it’s she doesn’t like her front feet handled then i would consistently work with her everyday to get her over that. Start with basic ground work first. Clinton Anderson calls it lunging for respect but I’d get her good at all those things. Teach her to give to pressure and be soft, move off pressure, and move onto hobble training. And tie her foot up and get her comfortable with being three legged and moving around in the deep sand that way on a lunge line.

I wouldn’t try and address the problem everytime your ready to shoe her, she needs worked consistently for a long period of time to try and mitigate this problem.

You could also not shoe her if she tolerates a trim and run hoof boots too. Nothing wrong with that. Or if she has tough feet just go barefoot.

Lastly, it’s possible that enough time has passed this is so engrained in her that there may be no fixing it. Sometimes that happens. Time for a trip to the BLS loose sale. Too many good riding horses out there that won’t give you a fit.

Hope this helps


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[Pony Soldier]

Initially we had problems tying her in the trailer but I think we got past that. I don't get the same problem on the back feet. I even got the left front with only one explosion. The right was another story.

She has been this way since I bought her at about 6. I figured she might mellow out with a pregnancy but not really.

Once you get past the shoes them she is fine for riding and packing. I have considered barefoot but I have a lot of miles on forest service gravel roads and they really do a job on hooves.

I do a appreciate the comments. Thank you.

 

[doverpack12]

Is it picking the foot up? Is it trimming? Is it nailing? Some horses don’t do well pulling that foot out to the side between your knees. See if she will start by nicely and calmly giving you the foot then put it down and pet her nice and calm. Build from there over weeks to see if she will tolerate resting in a cradle hoof stand directly in line under her body.

It’s either a confidence thing from a bad experience or she is hurting ( likely the knee) to be that explosive particularly on one foot, and it’s a front not the backs.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I use a hoof cradle to avoid that. She doesn't like to be tied up. I have held the rope and had her shod with limited problems but I am alone so my choices are limited. Most of my ferriers have aged out.

 

[mntnguide]

First I would say based on what you outlined, plain and simple, you need to tranq her. And if a single dose doesnt slow her down, double it..at least. If you have a good thick cotton rope, or a lash rope with a scotch hobble/single leg hobble, you can tie a loop with a bolon around her neck, then take the rope through her front legs, over the top of her whithers, and down the other side to the hobble, that will enable you to tie that foot up so she cant get it back. Dont have her tied to hitch rail, just loose wrapped, and if she goes to fighting it, let her go. She will either learn or she wont. . Personally, Id get rid of her. There's to many good horses to waste your time on a dangerous one. If i cant easily work with a horses feet, they are not worth keeping. I do to much stuff in the backcountry, that if i need to doctor them or do anything for them, last thing i want is a horse that could hurt me.

 

[BUCKELK]

Today I finished shoeing my horses in preparation for open day of big game this weekend. Every year for nearly every year since 1980 I have had the pleasure on shoeing my horses. As I get older it gets tougher. I have one old girl that's easy. One that is a challenge. And one that causes me nightmares.

She pulls back, rears up, falls down and throws herself against the main post in the barn. This is usually confined to the front feet. I have used a 'be nice' halter, a lariet around her ribs, an hour in the round corral and a few other things.

Finally I used half of a hobble with a rope and tied the hoof /leg up around her neck. That stopped the insanity - this year. Without the ability to set it down she wouldn't rear up. That allowed me to nail on the shoe - safely.

Short of drugs I don't have a solution to this nightmare. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any.

The biggest problem I see, is at least 2 of your horses are mares! JK

In all honesty, if she's that bad with her feet it's only a matter of time before she acts just as bad with a needle trying to sedate her. I'd run her barefoot. She most likely will be fine, but if she comes up lame that's another excuse to retire her.

 

[Blowdowner]

Maybe she doesn't like weight on the left front leg so that's why the right is bad to do.