Pressure Points on Horses That Will Make Them Raise Their Feet

Why Lift a Horse's Foot?

• Regular checking of a horse's feet is an essential part of a comprehensive care routine. Foot problems can quickly escalate until the animal becomes lame, so try to spot potential issues as soon as possible. If your horse is shod, with metal horse shoes nailed to his feet, the nails can become loose, causing the shoe to twist and become unstable. In this case, the shoe should be removed and reseated. Horses have a triangular pad at the back of their foot called the "frog"; stones can often become wedged between this and the shoe, causing bruising. In addition, any cuts or trauma to the frog or sole of the foot can quickly become serious and cause lameness.

Why Horses Can Be Reluctant To Lift Feet

• Some horses can be reluctant to lift their feet on demand, sometimes becoming very agitated. There are two main reasons for this - fear and pain. As a horse is a flight animal, picking up one of its feet effectively disables it. If the horse is young, inexperienced or nervous it will be very reluctant to give up its chance of escape by letting the handler pick up a leg. It often requires a lot of work on the part of the handler before such horses are comfortable with having feet picked up. Equally, if a horse is in pain it may be reluctant to lift a leg for examination. It will normally be more reluctant to lift a sound leg rather than the lame one, as it will then be forced to take more weight onto the lame leg.

Pressure Points to Lift a Foot

• To lift a horse's front foot for cleaning, stand at the shoulder facing the tail. Run your hand down the back of the horse's leg. Well-trained horses usually lift their feet at this stage, but if your horse is reluctant, firmly press your body weight against its shoulder. This unbalances the horse sufficiently to make it raise the leg you're handling. To lift a hind leg, stand with your shoulder against the horse's hindquarters, facing the tail. Run your hand down the front of the leg, and if necessary, press firmly against the hindquarters until the horse shifts its weight. Certain horses are more sensitive to having their back legs handled and can kick out either forward --- called "cow kicking" --- or backwards. It's sensible to wear a helmet when handling an unknown horse and to proceed with caution.

Other Pressure Points

• To make your horse lift its leg forward and upward, gently tap the back of the knee with your hand or a stick. This movement is used to teach horses to perform the famous "Spanish Walk," an exaggerated walking movement used in dressage, which is a competitive test of horses' training.

  Another sensitive area is above the bulbs of the heel --- the fleshy, rounded area at the back of the foot. Hold the leg up and place your thumb between the bulbs of the heel. Run your thumb up the leg until it rests in the hollow at the back of the fetlock, the horse's ankle joint. Applying pressure here causes your horse to contract its leg and lift its foot backwards.