Opinions on bad behavior with back legs

[Green Acres]

My 9 y.o. TB is pretty easy to deal with on the ground. He's fine with bathes, mane pulling, vet, trimming his head, etc. He's good with his front feet for the farrier but his back feet is quite a challenge. He started wearing shoes behind in December and my farrier is not happy with how bad he is. We did get him to cooperate better the last time he was shod as we put the chain on his lip. But he will jerk his hind leg away when farrier is nailing the shoe on.

Fast forward to yesterday...a friend of mine was bodyclipping him and the horse was good for everything until we got to his back legs. He kept trying to kick or picking up the foot being clipped. Finally someone would hold his front leg while my friend clipped his back leg. That was even dangerous as horse would start leaning or still try to kick with his hind leg.

I'm not sure exactly what happened but horse did something and my friend clipping fell down and hurt his wrist. My friend was going to the doctor today as his wrist is very sore and I feel terrible about what happened.

This horse has a good mind but there is something wrong with the way he acts when dealing with his hind end. He's fine for me to pick his feet, wrap his back legs, brush, etc. Could the horse just not trust anyone back there? Could his back legs hurt him? He's never been good with having his back feet trimmed but my farrier could manage him just for trimming.

Sorry for rambling...but I'm miffed with this. I feel just awful that somone got hurt due to this.:o

[Irish Ei's]

How is he about basic grooming of his backlegs??
He has to learn that this is unacceptable, so just start by telling him "No" when he picks it up without express permission.

If and when he does put it down, reward him for the good behavior.

Chains and twitches have taught him that bad things happen when someone touches your back legs.

Stay calm, be explicit, but above all, be kind and consistant.
Be fair, and give him the time he needs to learn a new response behaviour.

[Green Acres]

He's fine with basic grooming, no problems with his back legs. Good about having his back feet cleaned as well. He's even fine with I clip the long fetlock hairs behind.

Unfortunately when the farrier is doing his back feet, we have to use a chain or something so the horse or my farrier doesn't get hurt. When he jerks his hoof away when the shoe is being nailed on, he can either hurt himself or my farrier. Neither is a good option.

I will continue to work with him to teach him the proper behavior. But it seems to be most apparent with shoeing and so far body clipping. He will pick his back leg up occasionally (sp) when I wrap his back legs. I tell him to stop and wait until he puts it back down.

[silver2]

When you are grooming him on a dialy basis, make it part of your routine to pick up his back foot and tap on it a bit with a hoof pick or a light hammer. Just a few taps at first until he's used to it then extend the time you ask him to stand on each leg and how many taps you do. If it's just fussiness he should get over it in a few months.

[Irish Ei's]

He's fine with basic grooming, no problems with his back legs. Good about having his back feet cleaned as well. He's even fine with I clip the long fetlock hairs behind.

Unfortunately when the farrier is doing his back feet, we have to use a chain or something so the horse or my farrier doesn't get hurt. When he jerks his hoof away when the shoe is being nailed on, he can either hurt himself or my farrier. Neither is a good option.

I will continue to work with him to teach him the proper behavior. But it seems to be most apparent with shoeing and so far body clipping. He will pick his back leg up occasionally (sp) when I wrap his back legs. I tell him to stop and wait until he puts it back down.

OK, it's not the horse, it's the Farrier.....

[sublimequine]

OK, it's not the horse, it's the Farrier.....

And the clipper? Or is the farrier the only boogeyman here? :rolleyes:

The horse needs more handling of the hind legs, period. The fact that he threatens a lifted leg at the owner sometimes too (when wrapping, etc) proves that.

[Fairview Horse Center]

I would continue to use a lip chain everytime he misbehaves.

[Beasmom]

Have you had him checked by a vet for possible hock problems? That was the first thing that sprang to mind when I read your post. Painful hocks are even more painful when the horse must hold up one hind leg and stand on the other for a farrier.

He may not be difficult on purpose; he may be hurting, if not in the hocks, then elsewhere.

[goeslikestink]

how long have you had him

[Green Acres]

Have you had him checked by a vet for possible hock problems? That was the first thing that sprang to mind when I read your post. Painful hocks are even more painful when the horse must hold up one hind leg and stand on the other for a farrier.

He may not be difficult on purpose; he may be hurting, if not in the hocks, then elsewhere.

I have been thinking along those lines as well. I was going to discuss it with my vet when he comes out for spring vaccines.

[Green Acres]

how long have you had him

I have had him for 4 & half years. I got him as a 4 y.o. off the track.

[Green Acres]

OK, it's not the horse, it's the Farrier.....

I don't think it's the farrier either since he was horrible about clipping his hind legs.

Maybe it's men since men do/did both things. ;)

[threedogpack]

everything with his back legs now has a bad association. Change that.

My mare was terrified of shoes, never had them on. The first time was a fight, and then I decided to work with her. Tapping a bare foot with a hammer was not an issue so it had to be either the sound or the feel of a nail being driven into her foot. I found a loose shoe and would hold that on her foot while I tapped it with a hammer. Each day I would tap harder until I was really pounding on that shoe. She's fine now.

Here is what I did.

Had a friend stand by her head with a small can of alfalfa pellets.

I would begin tapping on her foot and friend would feed her. When I stopped, food stopped too. Tapping = yummie pellets, not tapping = no food.

It only took one lesson and she was holding that foot up for me. Next time the farrier came out....wha-la! Wonder horse.

[Catalina]

My previous eventer was horrible for the farrier with his hind end. He would jerk his foot away, kick, lean, etc. I got his hocks and stifles x-rayed and sure enough, there were some arthritic changes. I injected both and started him on monthly Adequan and he became a different horse when being shod because he was no longer in pain.

I would definitely look into getting his hocks and stifles x-rayed, especially since he is an OTTB.