Baby's first farrier visit

[LostandFound]

Larry is getting his first trim this week. I'm curious what everyone else does to prepare. He isn't halter broke yet, so I figure it's going to be a good time.

 

[BSharpRanch]

This first trim is perhaps the foal's most important trim of its life. So try hard to make it very low stress.

Most farriers have their own techniques for doing foals first trims. Mine is very simple and with two people it goes fairly easy, even with the Wilder foals.

The holder's job is to keep the baby as quiet as possible. I like to start with the foals rump in a corner, it's right side next to the fence or wall. This blocks sideways movement and rearward movement. The holder stands at the head and just to the foals left side. Then I trim the left front door. My body blocks sideways movement to the left.

Then we position the foals head in the corner, right side next to the wall. Holder at the left side of the neck, this helps keep the foal from "running" off. Then I position myself to the hind and trim the left foot. My body position helps keep the foal in the corner

We repeat the positions in opposite to do the right side.

MOST foals can be trimmed this way. And if the "strong arming" isn't there, they usually stay fairly quiet.

Good luck!

P.S. work on halter training and handling the legs and hooves as mush as you possibly can between farrier visits.

 

[Dragon Hill]

My first trims are done with the helper sitting on a stool holding the baby across his legs. It doesn't matter if they are halter broke, but I would not recommend it for a wild child. And it's only good on small foals, all four feet can't reach the ground. Then the corner and the wall like BSharp says.

 

[LostandFound]

He's probably small enough for that, but maybe a little too much of a wild child. I don't usually do a first trim until they are 2 months or older, but by the time he was born he was already overdue for one. I've been working with him, but he is only 3 weeks old so he hasn't had a lot of work yet.

 

[Suzy Q]

I pick up the feet (by squeezing the chestnut on fronts and cap of hock on backs, not by pulling the legs up or pinching the tendon or pulling the leg hair), and as soon as they are still, put it back down and pet them. If you release when they are struggling, you teach them to pull their legs away. When they are pretty good at that, I start slapping the bottom of the foot with my open hand, tapping it all over with a hoof pick, just generally making a commotion like the foot is being trimmed. Start small, get bigger. As a farrier, I'm less worried about the foals being halter broke (there's other, safer ways to restrain them), and much happier if they've had their feet and legs handled a lot. Also, make sure you have at least three people - one to hold the mare where she can supervise, one to manage the foal, and the farrier.