Youngsters vs Farrier - Equine placement week 2

My second week on equine placement kicked off with a bit of excitement! The yearlings were due for a hoof trim by the farrier and the yard owner kindly invited me to join in with helping to herd the young horses up from their designated field and drive them down onto the yard ready to meet the farrier for the first time!

Two of the pregnant mares kept in the field with the youngsters were caught in head collars and acted as the lead animals to encourage the yearlings to follow, whilst one member of the team followed behind the horses to prevent them from bolting back to the field. My main job was to act as an exit block and prevent the horses from going up one of the many pathways separating the field from the yard. As I watched the 9 or so horses trot down the hill towards me it reminded me very much of lambing and the time I had taken up a similar position to stop the sheep disappearing down the road - luckily the horses seemed a bit more sensible than the sheep, for this part at least! 

Once the horses had been safely contained in a field on the main yard, I had the chance to get to know a few of the yearlings. Alfie was a rather big chestnut who was incredibly friendly and seemed fascinated in my mucking out job whilst I waited for the farrier to arrive, in fact at one point he even tried to steal my sweeping brush- taking it between his teeth and moving his head side to side! My other favourite was a smaller mouse grey called Judith the foal of a pony I used to ride many years ago who although was very timid clung to Alfie's side and gradually plucked up the courage to come and say hello!

Mid-afternoon the farrier arrived and the fun began! We tried starting with the quietest of the yearlings first but it became apparent very quickly that even they weren't too sure about removing their hooves off the ground. The farrier then changed his approach and used a soft lead rope to gently encourage the young horse to lift its leg, as soon as it obliged the farrier would release the pressure and allow the horse to lower the leg. This taught the horse that there were no bad consequences by allowing their hooves to be handled. Furthermore we tried to make sure the horses had a good first experience by offering food as a reward whilst the farrier worked away and scratched their withers as a method of reassurance, as this is a behaviour horses will naturally display with their friends in the wild.

One method I did come across during this experience was the use of the twitch as a method of restraint in one of the difficult horses when all the above methods to keep it calm failed and the yearling kept rearing, kicking and thrashing. The twitch was applied to the end of the horses nose and it was remarkable to see the difference. Apparently the twitch device works by releasing endorphins to the horses brain acting as a natural soother and preventing injury to the farrier, handler and horse.

Overall this day in particular was one of the most informative whilst on my placement. In a short space of time I feel like I expanded my knowledge of dealing with young and nervous horses, a skill which will become more important when I potentially enter practice as some of the patients I will have to see will inevitably be inexperienced at vet checks like the yearlings were for the farrier or nervous by nature.

 I have now completely finished my two weeks on equine and now I am making the most of a short break (and savouring the lie-ins) before I begin my first full dairy experience next week!