Trimming hoofs on a unwilling horse

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

weelittleones

Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2005
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
Location
North Texas
I have a question on trimming the hoofs on my 4 month old filly. She will not sit still. She will jerk me around until finally I give up. What can I do to calm her. My other 2 fillies will let me trim there hoofs with nearly no problems. Please help!

Please remember I am new to horses so I am learning as I go. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
We just did some trimming on a 2 and 3 month old. The farrier put on a full size horse halter as a harness for the foal. It didn't pull on their little necks and it got the job done. One of us held the halter and the farrier did the trimming.

One horse fell asleep and the other was a pain. But nobody got hurt!!!
 
Some are more cooperative than others, I like to get them used to me handling their feet early so there wont be issues aound trimmming time. ( cleaning out, rubbing, tapping hooves).... Some that are not use to having their feet trimmed, might do better laying down on their side with someone holding their chest and neck down the first . I have one colt that was too lazy to hold himself up while we trimmed this time around, and volunteered to lay down, so we finished him that way. ( he took a little nap while we finished him.)
laugh.gif
 
If you are "new to horses" you probably shouldn't be trimming feet! If you trim them wrong you may ruin or cripple them for life. You need to find a good farrier in your area that is experienced with minis and especially foals. Don't mean to be rude, but I just want to warn you that trimming feet is a very precise art.
 
brookhaven said:
If you are "new to horses" you probably shouldn't be trimming feet! If you trim them wrong you may ruin or cripple them for life. You need to find a good farrier in your area that is experienced with minis and especially foals. Don't mean to be rude, but I just want to warn you that trimming feet is a very precise art.
444333[/snapback]


I do understand. I trimmed just a little off each. The breeder I bought them from showed me how. I wanted to get them use to the process so when I do get a farrier who will do the real trimming they will do a little better for him. I am having trouble finding a farrier though. They are not just in the phone book. Any recommendations for my area, Dallas, Tx area.
 
I also agree, if you are new to minis you may want to use a farrier for a while. The best thing you can work on is the handling part - rubbing the legs, slowly picking up the hooves, and lots of praise!!!

You may want to ask around at your local feed store or other neighbors to see who they use as a farrier. Also, please visit the below website - Horseshoes.com - it is one of the BEST farrier sites that I know of! If you enter in your zip code, you can find a list of farriers in your area:

Horseshoes.com - Find A Farrier
 
Hosscrazy said:
I also agree, if you are new to minis you may want to use a farrier for a while. The best thing you can work on is the handling part - rubbing the legs, slowly picking up the hooves, and lots of praise!!!
You may want to ask around at your local feed store or other neighbors to see who they use as a farrier. Also, please visit the below website - Horseshoes.com - it is one of the BEST farrier sites that I know of! If you enter in your zip code, you can find a list of farriers in your area:

Horseshoes.com - Find A Farrier

444923[/snapback]


Thanks for the website. It helped alot.
 
I sit in a chair and lay them across my lap. Hold them snugly but not too tight and pet on them and talk to them while the farrier does their magic. However, be ready. Do not be lulled into thinking they are asleep and relaxing. They will rest a bit and then explode. Just hold them until it passes and they relax again. It's not a one person job.

smile.gif
 
new_shocked.gif


Just out of curiosity I logged onto the farrier website for my area. As I am a farrier I was interested to see who was posted. A number of them don't do minis,

and the one that does I taught him. Having an AFA certification does not mean a

thing when it comes to doing minis either! I have seen some really hurried [i hate

doing minis] trims. Trimming a mini should be just like trimming a big horse but

most guys won't do it that way. I have started a lot of clients and friends doing

their own. I give anyone who wants to try a lot of credit. These little guys are

our babies after all. We want the best for them. I do lots and lots of babies they

are all different. If you are doing your own you have the time to take the time to

quit when they have been good. It doesn't have to be done all in one session.

Just a little at a time is sufficient. Not all horses will stand or settle down to trim

in one session. Take your time, if you get frustrated they will too. Good Luck!

Linda B
yes.gif
 
I have learned to trim ours and we have a farrier to keep things on track. 2 of the mares we bought were terrified of 2 farriers we used. It took a lot of working slow and by just touching up with a rasp frequently they both settled down and now will stand for anyone.

It is tough to get farrier that really interested in trimming minis. We had one who did ours once but just barely got the job done. The one we use now is good with them but really hard to get here. I hear from others that there are a few good farriers that will take the time to do a good job with minis but many more that will

"git-r-done" and run.

Ask around and you will find a good out there!

Mark
 
Thank you all for your help. I did find a farrier who should be out this weekend. The local vet here recommended him. The website horseshoe.com has some listed in my area but all the numbers were out of order, must not be updated often. But anyway the farrier I found does do minis, he has over a 100 of them he does already. I am hoping he will help me learn alot. Thanks again for the help.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top