Q:
Hey Ya'll well it was an upsetting morning yesterday- it was time for the horses to get trims or new shoes depending on what horse it was. Well when the farrier got there I told him I was going to put shoes on my horse because he stomps a lot with the flies and we are going to start jumping again and I personally find he rides better with shoes- I mean he is 20. So we did three other horses first and they were acting pretty good- although one bit him and he just yelled- well when it was my horses turn he started trimming and a few minutes later he goes next- I said are u going to put shoes on? He goes Do we have to? I said yea, I told you that earlier. He said Oh, so he started doing the shoes, and when he got one shoe on and was putting the other one on my horse pulled his foot off the stand, and I yelled at my horse- and he was doing good and while the farrier was filing, my horse reared up- and the farrier turned around and hit him twice- hard with the foot file. I yelled at the farrier for hitting him, that he had no right to hit him, and to pull the shoes off right there, and Ill find another farrier to do it. The farrier then got in my face and said If you would have controlled your horse then that wouldnt have happend, you were standing there goofing around- Which was not true yeah two of my friends were standing there, one was holding a horse waiting to get done, and the other was just talking. But I still knew wut my horse was doing, with my old farrier I would put the lead line over his neck and go do what I needed and then come back a few minutes later. So I was extremly upset, I was only going to pay him for the trim- he wouldnt exept the check. Im 18, I dont believe he treated my horse or me in a professional manner.Do you think that he was wrong in hitting my horse and I handled the situation appropriately or was he justified and I over reacted.
Toni
A: I don't believe there is ever a reason to hit a horse ESPECIALLY for a farrier, vet or other "professional" ... that merely shows the lack of maturity on his/her own behalf. Each one of us owns our own behavior.
When I'm underneath someone else's horse to trim I expect the owner to closely monitor the horse BUT at the same time *** I ***, also, am responsible to "feel" what the horse is going to do. That's not a hard task. Obviously if I have to hang onto the hoof for dear life then I have to expect that the horse WILL, eventually, pull out of my hands. I also understand, especially with a brand new client, that the horse doesn't know me and I can't expect to just go in and grab a hoof. That's asking the horse to give up his only defense ... to a complete stranger. Not fair to the horse, is it? If I am getting frustrated then that's my issue; not the horse's. If the horse is getting frustrated then it may also be *my* fault and it's my responsibility, as a professional, to recognize that and do what is needed to correct it. That doesn't mean wailing on a horse for being a horse. Period. No excuses. I WILL take the horse from the owner and do some quick leadership groundwork ... no, its not the job of the farrier or the vet to do that however, when owner's don't take up their part of the responsibility then I have to do what I can to save my own neck. But, not only that, I do it anyway, even BEFORE I ask the horse for a hoof ... I'll do some groundwork in the way of directing the horses feet and politely ask if I may touch him ALL OVER ... I'll ask for each hoof, individually, from the same side and thank the horse for allowing me to take away his only defense when he *does* offer me his hoof. I don't grab the leg and yank, either ... I merely touch the outside of the knee and ask the horse to "Up, please" and MOST of the time the horse's are wonderful. A couple of weeks ago I had a horse fresh off the range from the midwest ... had limited handling. His hooves were very long and definitely in need for a trim. This was the 2nd time I was there. The first we merely started ... just enough to allow the horse to feel comfortable with me and having *me* handle his hooves. The 2nd time out we did great on 3 of the hooves. The 4th ... well, it was horrifically HOT, he was getting bitten by flies, got impatient and started kicking out. When I FINALLY felt the touch of a hoof on my hair, I said, OK, enuf for today ... we'll come back another day (an hour's ride from here, too.) and finish that other hoof. In the meantime, I gave the owner some instructions of how to work with his horse calmly and respectfully. The horse is now offering me his own hooves every time. 3rd time around for a horse right off hundreds and hundreds of acres.
It doesn't take force or "punishment" or restraint ... that only causes more apprehension and fear on behalf of the horse and no one wins. When one uses RESPECTFUL behaviors with the horse it goes alot further than smacking and hitting and otherwise being controlling. No one likes to be "controlled" and that goes for a horse, too.
Respectfully ...
Hey Ya'll well it was an upsetting morning yesterday- it was time for the horses to get trims or new shoes depending on what horse it was. Well when the farrier got there I told him I was going to put shoes on my horse because he stomps a lot with the flies and we are going to start jumping again and I personally find he rides better with shoes- I mean he is 20. So we did three other horses first and they were acting pretty good- although one bit him and he just yelled- well when it was my horses turn he started trimming and a few minutes later he goes next- I said are u going to put shoes on? He goes Do we have to? I said yea, I told you that earlier. He said Oh, so he started doing the shoes, and when he got one shoe on and was putting the other one on my horse pulled his foot off the stand, and I yelled at my horse- and he was doing good and while the farrier was filing, my horse reared up- and the farrier turned around and hit him twice- hard with the foot file. I yelled at the farrier for hitting him, that he had no right to hit him, and to pull the shoes off right there, and Ill find another farrier to do it. The farrier then got in my face and said If you would have controlled your horse then that wouldnt have happend, you were standing there goofing around- Which was not true yeah two of my friends were standing there, one was holding a horse waiting to get done, and the other was just talking. But I still knew wut my horse was doing, with my old farrier I would put the lead line over his neck and go do what I needed and then come back a few minutes later. So I was extremly upset, I was only going to pay him for the trim- he wouldnt exept the check. Im 18, I dont believe he treated my horse or me in a professional manner.Do you think that he was wrong in hitting my horse and I handled the situation appropriately or was he justified and I over reacted.
Toni
A: I don't believe there is ever a reason to hit a horse ESPECIALLY for a farrier, vet or other "professional" ... that merely shows the lack of maturity on his/her own behalf. Each one of us owns our own behavior.
When I'm underneath someone else's horse to trim I expect the owner to closely monitor the horse BUT at the same time *** I ***, also, am responsible to "feel" what the horse is going to do. That's not a hard task. Obviously if I have to hang onto the hoof for dear life then I have to expect that the horse WILL, eventually, pull out of my hands. I also understand, especially with a brand new client, that the horse doesn't know me and I can't expect to just go in and grab a hoof. That's asking the horse to give up his only defense ... to a complete stranger. Not fair to the horse, is it? If I am getting frustrated then that's my issue; not the horse's. If the horse is getting frustrated then it may also be *my* fault and it's my responsibility, as a professional, to recognize that and do what is needed to correct it. That doesn't mean wailing on a horse for being a horse. Period. No excuses. I WILL take the horse from the owner and do some quick leadership groundwork ... no, its not the job of the farrier or the vet to do that however, when owner's don't take up their part of the responsibility then I have to do what I can to save my own neck. But, not only that, I do it anyway, even BEFORE I ask the horse for a hoof ... I'll do some groundwork in the way of directing the horses feet and politely ask if I may touch him ALL OVER ... I'll ask for each hoof, individually, from the same side and thank the horse for allowing me to take away his only defense when he *does* offer me his hoof. I don't grab the leg and yank, either ... I merely touch the outside of the knee and ask the horse to "Up, please" and MOST of the time the horse's are wonderful. A couple of weeks ago I had a horse fresh off the range from the midwest ... had limited handling. His hooves were very long and definitely in need for a trim. This was the 2nd time I was there. The first we merely started ... just enough to allow the horse to feel comfortable with me and having *me* handle his hooves. The 2nd time out we did great on 3 of the hooves. The 4th ... well, it was horrifically HOT, he was getting bitten by flies, got impatient and started kicking out. When I FINALLY felt the touch of a hoof on my hair, I said, OK, enuf for today ... we'll come back another day (an hour's ride from here, too.) and finish that other hoof. In the meantime, I gave the owner some instructions of how to work with his horse calmly and respectfully. The horse is now offering me his own hooves every time. 3rd time around for a horse right off hundreds and hundreds of acres.
It doesn't take force or "punishment" or restraint ... that only causes more apprehension and fear on behalf of the horse and no one wins. When one uses RESPECTFUL behaviors with the horse it goes alot further than smacking and hitting and otherwise being controlling. No one likes to be "controlled" and that goes for a horse, too.
Respectfully ...
posted by Gwen at 12:39 PM
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