I have been a farrier in the California Bay Area for about 17 years. Shoeing horses is a great thing for me as I have helped many lame horses and made great recovery. When the horse’s feet are correct, the horses know it and I love it when I see the horses become happy and better adapted to my efforts, blood, sweat and tears. Sometimes even though horses are not happy animals, the following story is just an example.
A beautiful large paint horse that I have shoed for the past 12 years has for the most part been easy for me to shoe. However, the horse “always” was not quite right. Usually, she would balance on her hind legs while she put on her front legs and would always step to the side when she approached me to put on her hind legs. However, it was nothing serious enough to alarm me or worry me too much, until the other day.
It was time to shoe High (the name of the horses), so he headed to the ranch where he lived. She’s a good mare.” She reined in herself and walked back to the shoeing platform. She almost always starts with the front legs (they are usually more important since horses carry a lot more weight in the front end). I kicked off my front shoes and started trimming and as usual High started balancing on one hind leg which makes working on the front legs quite a chore. So, as usual, I barked the “Exit” command! She usually responds favorably, however this time was very different.
High went into a “slump.” I have never seen anything like it before in my 17 years as a farrier. She began to hang her head and go into a depression, so much so that I couldn’t reach her emotionally. She did not respond to my verbal input at all. This was a serious problem now, not only because it was still difficult to shoe, but because the poor horse is basically “unhappy” and emotionally maladjusted. I felt very sorry for her.
I know the owner quite well and I know how High is usually ridden. She isn’t really ridden much, but when she does, she is usually ridden quite strongly, and the owner is a fairly large man, probably around 6’3″ and I’d say 245lbs. Tall is a great horse, but she could use a little more love in her life.She lives with another horse in a small pasture where she doesn’t really get a chance to run free.Life could be better for High.
Well, I felt a great need to help High. Unfortunately, she was so depressed that I couldn’t reach her, she wouldn’t let me in, she was completely out of touch with reality. When I pulled the main rope on her, she got worse. When I tried to get her attention, she got worse. She had to do something and what she knew would work had to be done or she would carry her psychological problem for a long time.
I had to get High out of trouble. I made a quick guess and decided to use a tool that is very effective. I place the little tool in his mouth over the gums on top and use the pressure it is designed for and proceed to “Get into his head”. I order “Back” – lethargically she backs away. I order “Back” again. She’s sinking more and more into her funk, so she needed to make me more assertive and direct. The endorsement continues to grow steadily stronger with each command until somehow she begins to pay attention and snap out of her slump. She blinks as if she came out of a ten year depression and finally recovers emotionally and psychically. AMAZING!!
She’s acting like a horse for the first time I’ve met her. She is displaying true horse behavior. She is more alert, pays more attention to her surroundings, and is more “here and now.” I finish putting her on-she was great-she behaved much better as if she understood much more now.
Several weeks later I met with his owner and asked how High was doing as they had just returned from a week long riding event. He told me that she was AWESOME and he had never had such a good ride with her before. She will see, she learned, and I taught her a valuable lesson: “How to take care of yourself.” Horses are amazing animals, and sometimes they can have amazing problems. At worst, horses can be worked with and shown the path to improvement. It’s an incredible experience to be with horses, they give us a lot and deserve a lot in return, that’s why I love horses.
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