Training a horse to stand for the farrier.
First off; the goals:
- A happy and content horse that may even enjoy seeing their farrier.
- A stress free situation. No more dreading hoof-care appointments.
- Higher quality work (imagine fine carpentry when the work piece doesn't hold still)
- Keeping a farrier long-term (No one wants to work on a horse that doesn't improve over time)
- Safety for you, your horse, your property, and your farrier.
- Time efficient appointments
Priority #1:
Avoid unneccesary issues.
- Have they been fed?
- Are they anxious because their favorite buddy is across the property?
- Are they comfortable and familiar with the environment?
- If there are known pain issues, do they have pain meds on board?
- Are they standing on sharp gravel?
Priority #2:
A calm, content, and present horse that is not distracted. The horse should be content with the situation and where they are standing. They should be mentally engaged with the situation. A distracted horse won't learn.
Priority #3:
A Horse that stands in one spot patiently.
Before attempting to handle or work on feet, the horse has to not be moving.
Priority #4:
The horse should willingly give their feet. It shouldn't be a struggle to lift a foot.
Priority #5:
The horse should be comfortable and happy to hold up a foot. 3 minutes is an acceptable amount of time that a horse should be able to stand on 3 legs. (Don't forget to hold the foot forward as well, just as the farrier will with a hoof stand.)
Training a green horse:
A horse should be comfortable being touched everywhere. Start at the whithers and work your way toward the legs and then the feet.
Approach and retreat. If you find an area that your horse isn't comfortable with, "approach and retreat" the area. Take your time and make it a good experience. The opposite of this is "grabbing a foot and holding on for dear life until they like it".
Once the horse is comfortable being touched:
Ask for feet, but don't pick them up. Let them be comfortable standing on three legs and balancing with the toe of the fourth touching the ground.
Once they are comfortable balancing:
Hold the foot.
Allow the foot to be taken.
Immediately pick it up again.
If you engage in a tug-o-war, not only will the horse win, but you will train them to rip their feet away quickly in order to win. Out-smart them, don't try to out-muscle them.
Hold the feet longer, asking for their patience. Aspire to give the feet back before they "need" them back. This instills trust.
Remember that a horse learns better through reward, rather than punishment.
Keep the entire process enjoyable. If you're having a bad time, so is the horse.
Often, a farrier may need to take 5-10 minutes to meet a new (or freshly trained) horse and go through some motions. If the horse is already trained, this process is very quick and simple. But it's imperitive to talk with your farrier ahead of time.