Re: example

Posted by BarbaraC on 8/6/2012, 6:22 pm, in reply to "example"
148.87.19.214

If many different people are handling and picking out his feet, maybe some are not so adept at doing the job, and he objects. My old Arab is very particular about his back feet, and does not like to have his leg stretched waaaay back. My guy can sense if the person knows what they are doing or not, and he is happiest around people that know what they are doing. I don't have much advice, but for my guy, it was always a good idea to put a hand on his rump, and slowly run it down his leg before asking him to lift it. This got him 'ready' for the idea of lifting. (I always stand next to his hip, facing the back while doing this, trying to stay out of range of 'cow kicking.') Saddling, same deal. If the horse is smart, or sensitive, then maybe too many different people and styles of saddling. Can you observe from afar while different people are handling him to see if there are subtle differences? Gateway to Almaden Valley/Southwest San Jose Saving one dog's life may not make a difference, but it makes all the difference in the world to that one dog.

Re: example

Posted by Gail Ivey on 8/6/2012, 8:05 pm, in reply to "example"
66.245.46.208

So, your answer is in the "but not always." What is different in him the times he does not try to kick vs when he does? What does his expression look like when he's not trying to kick, vs when he does? What is the situation going on around him? Are there other horses nearby? Does he usually kick out with the same hind foot? Does he try it just once or twice, then give up? Whatever his thoughts are, it is not something he feels so troubling that it overwhelms his thoughts, so it's more a lack of clarity, most likely. I tend not to "do" anything with horses while they are tied up. I tie them up to have them stay where they are while I go do something somewhere else. When I do something with the horse, he's not tied up. Sometimes, just having that little bit of freedom removed from them puts them on the defensive, especially if they've got some issue with being tied, or being around some other horses, or some history of having things done to them by force. The important thing is that you notice the expression. If you know what the expression looks like on the days when the horse tries to kick, then don't have the person do something that will bring out the kicking. Instead, have the person do something that will change the expression to what it looks like on the days he doesn't try to kick. It might just be something simple, like taking a step back and then forward again, or move a little sideways, or maybe just untying the horse and backing up a few steps. Redirect his thinking! If his expression says, "If you go back there, I'm thinking of taking a swipe at you," then why would you go back there? Believe him! Tell him, "Now, you don't need to feel like that. You could be pretty successful at doing something else here and forget about that other idea." Usually when I hear of a horse kicking out like that, it's because someone is moving too fast and the horse is feeling pressured by that. In this case, it might be they're moving too slow, and he's thinking there's something wrong and it might be worrying him a bit. I couldn't tell for sure unless I saw it, but I've seen that happen before. "Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for." - Socrates