Brandi, I got a mare this past summer that was exactly like that. Except much, much worse. My farrier said that she was the worst horse he'd ever seen or experienced, big or little, about touching her legs and feet. She would literally explode, kicking, striking and biting. He told me I'd probably always have to muzzle her when I handled her legs...IF I could get her to where we could handle the legs without sedation. Her feet were very, very bad. I had the vet out and we had to give her 5x normal sedation dose before we could get her feet done and she was STILL fighting. He told me if I could get her to where we could trim her like a normal horse, I should be selling DVDs. Four months later I asked him if he wanted to be my DVD distributor. LOL!
It took me a couple of months to really get her to a point where we were friends. I could NOT have done it without clicker training, I really believe that. She nickers every time I look at her now. If I touch her leg in a certain way, she politely lifts her leg and holds it up for you. Without even having a halter on. She never bites or pins her ears anymore. I still can't move fast around her and she does have some old pattern behavior, like if I go into her stall with the wheelbarrow, she turns to leave out the paddock door, then remembers, "Oh yeah, I don't have to do that." My farrier and vet are blown away by the difference in her behavior. It was not an overnight task but not terribly difficult either. I started with targeting over the door. We had to have a barrier between us for her to feel safe at first. It took me about a month to be able to touch her neck. Once we passed that hurdle, things moved along fairly quickly. She had a foal at her side, which complicated things. She was a little protective and the foal was very forward and friendly. SHE learned the targeting game in about one minute flat, little sweetheart.
I highly recommend it for someone in your position. It is a very forgiving training method. You really can't make mistakes that can't be undone pretty easily. Take a look at this introductory guide:
http://www.theclickercenter.com/2004/guide/guide00.php You do not need any particular tools, just be able to make a distinct pop noise with your tongue against the roof of your mouth. You can use pretty much anything as a target. Here is another resource:
http://www.clickryder.com and
http://www.clickertraining.com
My two main tips for new clicker trainers are:
1. Treat your horse AWAY from your body. Extend your hand all the way out.
2. Keep your hand out of the treat pouch/pocket (aka cookie jar!
until AFTER you click. Don't even move your hand in that direction. This is pretty important, because if you start making a habit of moving toward your pocket before a click they will be thinking more about watching your hand then performing the behavior you are after. So be "clean/crisp" with your movement and action.
Good luck with your mare. If you do well with her, maybe you would feel up to working with that colt.
Your mare is a real stunner, and with a little work on your part will be a great partner.
