How to Trim Your Young Horse’s Feet in 10 Easy Steps

It’s like trying to sit a several-hundred-pound toddler down for a pedicure–no easy task. Carrot Top sends her condolences.

1.       Assemble your tools. Catch your horse. Drop the lead rope and tell him to “stay!” Put your gloves on.

2.       Catch your horse. Pull the nippers out of his mouth. Pick up a foot and clean it out.

3.       Rasp the foot, occasionally pulling your pony tail out of your horse’s mouth.

4.       Bring the foot forward to finish off. Try not to laugh even though your horse has his nose in your armpit and it’s tickling like hell.

5.       Set up the hoof stand, trim the first back hoof. Once done, put the foot down and stand up and stretch your back.

6.       Catch your horse again. Resolve to spend more time working on ground tying skills. Do the next back foot, stopping only to chase the other horses away from your tool bag.

7.       Come back and pull your nippers out of your horse’s mouth again. Finish off the back foot.

8.       Pick up the last front foot. Watch in amazement as your horse buckles on three legs and tries to lie down, all without pulling his foot out of your hand.

9.       Convince your horse to stand up straight. Bring the foot between your knees. Giggle like a fool when he sticks his head between his front legs and tries to grab the rasp with each passing swipe.

10.     Finish off the foot, put it down. Check your work. Unhalter your horse, give him a pat and tell him he’s a clown. Go get yourself a well deserved drink.

Go Riding.

P.S. because it’s just too cute to resist:

Carrot Top is a photo shy Australian who likes horses, riding of all disciplines, and colourful mis-matched socks. She and her mother each own 1 ½ horses (one cheeky young gelding, one wise older mare and another mare who frequently disproves the “crazy chestnut mare” stereotype). When Carrot Top’s family, friends, colleagues, strangers she meets on buses etc. have all tired of hearing about her horses, she turns to her blog Little Bay Horse. She was a horse-less horse-mad girl all through childhood, got her first horse at age 21 and has been making up for lost time ever since.

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