TECHNIQUES FOR HANDLING THE DIFFICULT HORSE


relatively safe position. By asking the horse to flex his neck with a non-confrontational manner of ask- ing-and-releasing, the horse feels less threatened than if you were to demand that he flex his neck. You are gaining some respect and trust from the horse. You are also prepping the horse for an in- tramuscular injection. Once this level of relaxation is obtained, if for only


a short time, it can be helpful to back away from the horse and give him a break (a ‘recess’ from class). Go find something else to do for several minutes. This gives the horse time to think about what has just occurred. The horse may return to his far-off unfocused thoughts, but typically he feels pretty good about what just happened and what he has learned. You can then return, repeat the exercise, and find the horse to be more at ease, supple, and relaxed. The horse is now ready for the injection. There are many techniques of administering in- jections. There is no exclusively right way; maybe just some ways that are better than others. The techniques you use will depend on the situation and your own personal preference. With the difficult horse that has just learned to


flex his neck with your request, a one- handed ap- proach may work well. Once again, hold the hal- ter’s left cheek-piece close to the horse’s left eye with your left hand. With your right hand lay the loaded syringe across your palm as if you were holding a screwdriver, but with your index and middle fingers extended beyond the tip of the needle, the syringe secured by your thumb. Now begin asking the horse to lower and flex his


neck as you did before, but this time place your syringe-holding right hand in the area you choose to inject. Your leading index and middle fingers cre- ate the main pivot point. As the horse flexes and the neck softens, maneuver the syringe so that the needle tip is just next to the skin alongside your pressing finger tips. Now instead of pushing the needle in through the


skin, ask the neck to flex onto and over the needle point. You are moving the neck onto the needle instead of pushing the needle into the neck. Once you have penetrated the skin, stop, wait for a split second, and then continue inserting the needle to its hub. The rest of the injection is as usual: aspirate, push plunger, etc. If possible take your time removing the needle.


It may be comforting to the horse, but especially to the owner if you take some additional time to gently massage the area. As a reminder, don’t forget to breathe through the procedure! The combination of your left hand possibly block-


ing some of the horse’s peripheral vision, the left hand causing some mild distraction by soft shaking of the halter cheek-piece lateral to the eye, the neck musculature being relaxed and soft, and the move- ment of the neck onto the needle typically allows for a nonconfrontation injection. If you feel you need


just a bit more distraction, a brief coughing spasm by you at the time of injection can be helpful. The benefits of this particular one-handed tech-


nique includes safety, working with the horse to focus his attention, lowering his head, softening his musculature, working slowly, avoiding the “jab” of an injection, and building a foundation of trust and calmness for the future. Taking time with this horse now will pay big ben-


efits in the future. Spend time now to save time later.


5. Picking up a Hoof


In school we all learned the process of picking up a horse’s hoof. Most of the horses were cooperative, some better than others, some a little more difficult, and most of them being school horses with limited concerns. Then we stepped out into the real world and realized not all horses were willing and cooper- ative. In fact, some were very resolute about not picking up their feet because of a lack of training, lack of understanding, discomfort, pain, or maybe the practitioner’s lack of preparation, approach, and technique. The approach when asking a horse to pick up his


foot is similar to the approach described when giving a difficult horse an injection. As with most proce- dures dealing with horses, the problems are usually not always about the procedure itself but rather about the horse’s prior experiences, his natural in- stincts of survival, and the practitioner’s own skill level, initial presentation, and confidence. Two objectives must be reached before a horse is


able to pick up his hoof and keep it up. The horse must be able to stand in “neutral,” that is, stand quietly. He must also be able to balance on the three legs left on the ground. If he is unable to stand quietly and balance on three legs there will not be enough time for any examination or farriery procedure. If excessive sedation is used to put the horse in neutral it can cause an unstable ataxia and increase the difficulty of holding the hoof off the ground. Additional training is a better long-term solution than is chemical sedation for the uncooperative horse. The horse must be mentally present and focused.


He has to take an active part. It is nearly impossible to pick up a horse’s hoof without his help. In fact, I have never been able to do it. However, I have become quite proficient at asking the horse to lift up his own hoof. There are several methods veterinarians use to


ask the horse to lift its hoof: these may include pinching the chestnut, rolling or twisting the skin over the flexor bundle, gently tapping the fetlock with a shoeing tool, pulling up on the fetlock feath- ers, or pulling the fetlock forward. It is also helpful to lean against the horse in such a manner to en- courage the horse to shift his weight away from that leg. Actually, all of these methods are merely ask-


AAEP PROCEEDINGS  Vol. 60  2014 535


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