Bethan sent in this question. If you have any other ideas mail them in and I will post them....My four year old quarter/morgan filly has a habit of leaning back when her hooves are picked up. If this doesn't work, she literally falls on her knees or side. If she's tied up she'll back up and break the rope, halter, and once she pulled a weaker fence post right out of the ground. I don't know what to do about this.

I mailed Bethan back to ask her a few more questions.

1. She does this when the blacksmith trims her also.

2. We haven't had the vet check her out yet.

3. She's done this ever since we got her.

4. She's pretty good about tying, except when her hooves are picked up. She's only been ridden 6 or 7 times, but is doing very well.

It sounds like this filly is not yet comfortable allowing you to have a hold of her leg. She is still young and may not have received much handling before you bought her. Horses, being flight animals view their legs as their means of escape from predators. To allow you to keep her leg in the air she must be comfortable and feel secure.

I would suggest that you spend more time on the ground working with her and getting her to relax when you pick up her feet. During your grooming sessions make a point of brushing and handling her legs and getting her used to having them handled without the stress of trying to pick them up. Watch her for signs of discomfort and keep brushing and talking to her till she appears relaxed and happy.

Then get a friend to hold her rather than tying her when you lift her feet. You do not want to reinforce her habit of breaking the tie or falling down because that is even harder to correct. Make sure that she is standing so that she is not off balance before you ask her to lift legs. Ask her to lift one leg at a time and then put it down BEFORE she becomes anxious and tries to get away. Go around and do this with each leg, lavishly praise her as you do each leg in turn. Gradually extend the time that you keep her leg in the air and try and put it down before she becomes anxious. Try not to give her the opportunity to resist by putting the foot down before she pulls it away. It may help to have your friend give her a treat as her foot is being picked up to take her mind off resistance and make her associate having her foot lifted with something good to eat.(some people may disagree with that though)

With gentle persistence she should gradually relax and allow you to pick up her feet for cleaning and eventually the blacksmith. It won't happen overnight though, so be prepared to spend several months reinforcing her good behavior and forgetting the bad. When she has the blacksmith trim her feet make sure someone is there to hold her and praise her when she is good. She is only a young horse and through time should relax and be more comfortable about giving control of her legs to you for the period of time you require them.

It does not sound like you have had her very long and you may be trying to undo a bad experience that she has had previously. So be persistent and kind to her and help her get over her fear and discomfort.

If you feel that she is doing this because she is losing her balance you may want to call your vet in to examine her. That would be a different situation though and you would be wise to call your vet and discuss it with her/him.