Question: My mare is Twelve going on Thirteen. I have had her for two years and have always had problems with holding and trimming her rear feet. In an article I read recently on restraint training it is stated that if a horse is old or has problems with arthritis they should not have their legs tied up. It also says that older horses with problems are more likely uncomfortable than untrained.

• How can I assess if she is uncomfortable or just being a right old witch?
• Would you consider my mare too old for restraint training? To my knowledge she has no joint problems.
• If you do consider her too old, is there another technique you could recommend?

Answer: Normally we like to train a horse to stand for shoeing, but those older horses with arthritis should be treated differently.  Contact your veterinarian and have him or her give your horse something that would take away the pain and help the horse to stand still while the farrier works on it.

Best wishes.

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Doug Butler, PhD, CJF, FWCF, Co-Author of Principles of Horseshoeing (P3) Speaker, Clinician, Coach

www.dougbutler.com | www.farrierfocus.com | www.butlerprofessionalfarrierschool.com

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