Different way to pick a hoof

[ducks4you]

Have you seen this video?
http://video.about.com/horses/Clean-and-Pick-a-Horse-Hoof.htm
My vote is sitting on the fence. I don't know if it's a good idea, if I should pick out the LEFT hooves while standing on the RIGHT, or if somebody just thinks they are being clever. Also, I'm trying to handle my horses more on their right sides, because I think we are the cause of a lot of left-handedness.

 

[w c]

A lot of people do that, I did that myself when I was a little younger and less stove up. As for the people and grooms who do that, I've never seen any of their horses be spooky on the off side, so I don't think it's a problem.

 

[goodhors]

Interesting, certainly not what you will see trained to the kids around here!! Not what I would recommend for folks, reaching under to get the other side up for cleaning. Could be a "breed" or location specific type thing. Needs a narrower bodied horse than what our Western breeds ever were, couldn't reach that other leg! Many animals not physically capable of doing that cross-over with the heavy muscling.

Husband the Farrier says the cross-over method is common with TB horses. Had a TB stallion who would ONLY accept trimming when done from one side. Tried to kill you if you stood by the leg you wanted to trim, but perfect with reaching under to work on him.

I came up with mostly 4-H training methods, always stood by the leg we wanted to clean. We moved around the horse to get all the legs done. No reaching across, would be considered quite unsafe.

We were always trained to clean from heel to toe, making sure to get the clefts beside frog clean, heels, around the wall edges.

Cleaning from toe to heel would be likely to make you hook yourself pulling towards your body, as well as digging dirt deeper into clefts. Never did the brush thing! My hoof dirt just falls off when pulled out of the low spots on hooves!!

Interesting shoe with the wide spot on one side. Husband says it is a lateral extension, common to correct the angle of leg or hoof. Appears glued on, not nailed, for the young horse used in demo.

 

[w c]

Every group of horse people have their way of doing things that they are used to, and things that are popular to believe in their group, and they usually react very, very negatively when they see something different. It has to be done the way they are used to! And there are SO many reasons why!!!

Having done different kinds of riding I have seen this so often and it always gives me a chuckle. A SILENT chuckle, usually, because horse people are an opinionated lot and they are also very, very definite about what falls under the category of 'that ain't right!'

Examples. I can also say that in some countries in the world, horses are shod with the sole of the foot pointing at the sky, and the blacksmith's assistant holding the foot up with a big leather sling over his shoulder and a loop to stick the foot in. Saw pics on an internet site of that.

In other countries two farriers work on the horse at a time, and the horse stands on his diagonal pair of legs. Then minute he sees the blacksmith coming, he lifts up his diagonal pair of legs and stands there waiting.

Stallions are dangerous animals not to be trusted. Keep them away from me! That is a common belief in some groups. A lot of it started because someone long ago made the decision to keep stallions out of certain show classes, so then people just started making assumptions from there. And then there are other groups where it's very common to have well behaved stallions competing and working side by side with mares, ridden by children, etc. Some of this is due to certain breeds in which more stallion owners keep colts that really should be gelded. In some countries in the world and some registries, if the colt gets up on the wrong side of the mare or bites her, he automatically gets gelded! Not all countries or breeders are so selfish as to keep bad tempered horses as breeding stallions, and then strut around and brag about their stallion acting like a fighting pit bull dog!

In some countries horses are fed cracked rye. Oh my! No you can't feed a horse that, it will kill him! Well in some countries horses have been eating cracked rye for centuries.

And the ultimate: diagonals at the posting trot! If you aren't posting on the outside diagonal, your horse is off balance and being RUINED, and you are a BAD RIDER. DRUMMED into kids in 4h, hunt seat, pony club. OUTSIDE OUTSIDE OUTSIDE. And in PORTUGAL, where they ride on the INSIDE DIAGONAL, they give the SAME reasons why you should post on that diagonal! And wonders of wonders, the Portugese horses aren't off balance, aren't ruined, and aren't 'less fluid' or less anything else ridden that way.

The truth is, that for a little kid learning to post, it is hard enough to teach them to stick with EITHER diagonal and they have no idea what diaogonal they are on half them time, the point is to get them to where they can even figure out which one they're on and even just PICK ONE that they stick with as they are learning.

Their little brains couldn't handle the real reason they are told to post on the outside diagonal - because it's tradition to do it that way, nost of the time the outside one is the most useful(but not always) and they got too much they're trying to learn to think about working diagonals too! If they ever get beyond that phase they might learn how to work diagonals to even up their horse's stride, etc. And no, actually, all types of riding do NOT specify that the 'outside diagonal is the correct diagonal'. There are types of riding where it is not judged at all, and the judge is not even ALLOWED to mark the rider down for which one he chooses.

 

[patandchickens]

In my experience it is mainly a racehorse thing.

I have done it a certain amount, mainly when working with horses off the track. In my opinion it is not particularly any more dangerous than the 'conventional' (do each foot from its own side) method, if you are doing it properly.

Pat

 

[abooth]

95% of the horses I work with are thoroughbreds and they are trained to have their feet picked this way. Saves time. The lady in the video is in KY, mostly TB's here.

 

[ohne]

I have seen several strings of polo ponies have their hooves picked from one side. Often times the groom will pick hooves and wrap legs all from one side. When you are tacking a whole string of ponies it can save time.

However I will say that this is not how I pick my horses feet.

 

[apdan]

I don't do mine that way she wouldn't like it at all! On the other hand, I don't think I would like it at all either!
I had a new farrier come out once when my original farrier had to have shoulder surgery and he went right in between her back legs to do her back feet. Now for her that was a HUGE no-no. Before I had gotten her I think she was abused by men because there is only a certain few men she likes and the new farrier was not one of them. So to place himself between her back legs was not a good idea it made her extremely nervous and jumpy. Generally my usual farrier can walk out and trim her without her being tied.

 

[greeneggsandham]

I pick my horses feet that way. Not all the time, but if they are eating and are against the wall instead of asking them to move over (which they would) I just as pick up the feet and clean them. Neither of them mind, though sometimes my gelding is so caught up in eating he'll pick up a back foot instead of the other front LOL.