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Farriers Tale

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Hi Folks. I'd like to share an experience with you. I have a young farrier, Harry, who is gentle & understanding with the ponies. However, Kirk, being a youthful five year old gelding, has developed a naughty habit of pulling his feet away. I was pretty sure he was just playing, especially as Kirk never tries to kick & Harry indulges him in a wrestling match, as his mentor taught him - the horse mustn't get away with that! Now, as Monty says, it's not the farriers job to train the equines so when Harry came last week we had a conversation. I said I would pay him 50p a minute ( that's £30 an hour - not bad wages even these days ) to help me train Kirk to behave with his feet. Harry looked aghast! He had other clients booked for later that afternoon. I said I was confident he would not be making huge sums from this & it wouldn't make him late. He agreed that, whenever Kirk tried to pull his foot away Harry would simply drop it & walk a few steps away. So there's Kirk, in the Dually, anticipating flexing his muscles & showing off. Harry picked up a front foot & within seconds Kirk is getting ready to yank it away. I said "drop it" which Harry did whilst I backed Kirk up 3 strides, albeit somewhat woodenly, before returning to the original spot. Each time Kirk resisted we repeated the same response, with greater cooperation as time went on, whilst Harry worked round all 4 hooves doing an initial paring. The total time was 6 minutes by which time Kirk had decided that standing still for the farrier, like he did as a foal, was his best option. The rest of the trimming session was a doddle. Harry got his fee plus £3. He was really impressed & said he will ask clients to adopt backing up rather than him trying to wrestle his subjects into submission - easier & safer for him & more effective for the horses. I'm very proud of Kirk, who performed exactly as I had hoped & expected, to provide a poignant & effective lesson. Hopefully Harry will use it to good effect elsewhere. Cheers, Jo.
bahila73
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Thanks for posting this Jo.  As a farrier, I run into this behavior at times.  Backing the horse-up after the break in concentration by the horse works wonders.
Bud
JoHewittVINTA
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Hi Bud. Thanks for your career based support. I hope you will also agree that if your farrier is accustomed to his clients moving their horses/ponies just a few steps as each foot is released, unless a shoe is only part nailed on, offers a more comfortable experience, avoiding muscle cramps & allowing the horse to prepare its stance to give the next foot. A win, win situation for all. Cheers, Jo.
bahila73
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed
HI jo;  I absolutely move the horse around after I finish with one of its feet.  When working with other people`s horses, I never quite know for sure is at where the horse is at physically or mentally.  By the time that I am finished with all four feet, I usually have a pretty good idea where the horse is with their body and their mental approach to life as it pertains to them at the moment.  If things are not quite right during my time with these horses, I will take the extra time that it takes to bring about a relaxation in the horse that is needed to produce compliancy.  My greatest wish is that the horse doesn`t want me to leave when I am finished with their trimming.  
Thanks for asking
Bud