TECHNIQUES FOR HANDLING THE DIFFICULT HORSE


withdraw. As long as we have the horse’s best in- terest in mind, making mistakes is acceptable as long as we learn how to improve their acceptance of the procedure. I had a coach help me find these subtle spots; without a coach, it can be frustrating getting past some of these unfavored conditioned responses. It is appropriate to sedate these horses, so we can maintain our confidence and continue to search for these subtleties. Once the tube has been advanced to a place where we are confident the horse has accepted it and it is no longer vulnerable to slipping out, then we need to be aware as we approach the esophageal opening. We do not want to activate the gag reflex and shut down the swallow reflex. If this happens and you cannot get the horse to swallow the tube, have someone take a dose syringe full of water and slowly squirt it into the horse’s mouth. This will cause them to use their swallow reflex and allow you to advance the tube into the esophagus.


4. Foals


I take a slightly different approach when handling foals, in comparison to adult horses, since their fight or flight response is much stronger. They might regard humans as predators and their instinct will tell them to fight or flee. We might be able to out- muscle a young foal, but in their struggle to get free, may cause an injury. Most serious injuries are caused when foals rear up and flip over backwards. Foals from birth to 4 weeks are generally addressed with the aid of some physical restraint, regardless of a specific technique used. As we proceed, imprint training techniques should be employed, whether the foal has or has not been imprinted. With a firm restraint and gentle effort to imprint, we help them avoid undesirable behavior. Sometimes when working on smaller foals, it is


easier to lay them down to accomplish certain pro- cedures. There are a couple of good techniques to laying foals down. The first one is described by Dr. Madigan and uses a rope around the chest, using a squeezing technique. This is best performed on foals a week old or younger. The second one is used on slightly older foals; this technique brings their nose back to the hip and folds them down into lateral recumbency. Once down on proper matting or bedding, it is helpful to cover the foal’s eyes. They are much more vulnerable to learn the wrong thing and their negative response to get away can be dangerous to us since they are more flexible and agile. These techniques have limitations as the foal gets older and stronger and it becomes less likely that someone will be able to physically re- strain the foal. In these cases, sedation is necessary. There are many factors to consider: the foal’s


age, how much handling they have had, or if they have been halter broke. From a newborn to ap- proximately 8 weeks old, it is best to have a techni- cian wrap one arm around the chest while the other hand is at the base of the foal’s tail and press the foal


546 2014  Vol. 60  AAEP PROCEEDINGS


against a wall for additional support, if necessary. This way they can hold them while directing their movement both vertically and horizontally. There is always give and take lifting the tail up and down. Remember the restraint needs to be firm and the attempt to examine is gentle following imprint training protocols. As the foals get bigger and older, two people may be required to hold them: one at the head and one at the tail. If the foal is used to the halter and lead rope then we can use the lead rope around their buttocks and possibly elimi- nate the need for two people. It is important to keep in mind as we restrain these foals that we are not conditioning them to learn negative responses. Once a foal has reached a size where they cannot


be physically restrained, it is time to use horseman- ship skills, as previously described. Foals are going to come with a wide variety of previous exposures and tolerances. We understand that we are not in the horse training business; however, if we spike their adrenaline and ignite the flight instinct in an effort to sedate, it is counterproductive to improving their learning skills and ours. Let our idea become their idea. Listed below are several mannerisms that foals have and how we can use them to our benefit.


Nativity: the negative aspect of their nativity is


that they do not even know how to give us a correct response. The positive aspect is that they are a clean slate and are teachable. Flexibility: the negative aspect of their flexibility


is resistance to a procedure which can result in bodily harm. The positive aspect is with any horse as they get rid of their braces, softness and flexibil- ity are the things we look for. This is an asset in younger more flexible horses. They are not as strong, so forcing their compliance is lessened, and allows us the freedom to drift with them while they find a way to release the brace, restoring their flex- ion. With naive foals we need to be cautious not to trigger the negative side of their suspicion. If we present these options to get the horse to find the response that most satisfies their safety and our need, then the options we have discussed result in development of their learning center and they will become more predictable. Using their mother as a shield: the negative as-


pect with this is that the foal will try and hide behind the mare and eventually become very eva- sive. The positive aspect comes when transporting them to a different area. The fact that they can use their mother as a shield will give them less anxiety and they will be more willing to go forward to this new area. If we work at keeping ourselves between the mare and the foal, by moving the mare not the foal, their suspicion will lessen and their curiosity will grow towards us allowing us a leadership role. Curiosity: the negative side is that their curios-


ity can get them into trouble. We need to discour- age curiosity (e.g., nipping or becoming interested in our equipment and then getting tangled up in it).


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