I have just saved a little welsh A pony & he doesnt like me picking up his feet?

Question

we have just saved a gorgeous little guy from a paddock with terrible duckbilled feet & savage bites all over his back & butt from a couple of angry brrodmares in the paddock with him.. anyway, he's a gorgeous little thing, very affectionate & runs to us at the gate, no drama with anything BUT HIS FEET.. happy for me to pick up front right, but very nervous & jumpy whne i go for the other front, I'm tolf they would twitch him & tie his tail & head to the fence to do his feet I have a vet coming out to see him next wk I'm, thinking an injury of some sort with that leg? & he struggles to put weight on on when i left the opposite? or do you think it could be symptomatic of they way they have treated him in the past? also we have been taking him out for a walk with the other pony & when he lays down afterwards to have a scratch, he goes down very tentatively

Answer 1

He may need to be tranquilized for his initial visit with a farrier or the vet.  A twitch is also an option, but I would want to know his physical condition before I went that route, the main use of a twitch is to keep the horses attention on his lip and off whatever is being done to him and is humane to the horse and the farrier or the vet if used properly.  Some horses are just touchy about their feet but rule out any physical problems first.  He may have any one of a long list of problems.  I have an old retiree that has started to need pain relief when the farrier comes because of old creaky arthritic joints.  It would be interesting to know this pony's history and would make your efforts more productive.  It's a shame what happens to kids ponies when the kids grow up and move on to things with wheels.  Good luck with your new friend!

Answer 2

he might be scared,  (some of my sloughter horses are usually freaked out of peopel when we rescue them) and he could be lame or both. i think the vet iwlll know best

Answer 3

Hi, first things first, get your farrier out at the same time as the vet. You need both opinions, and if his feet are as bad as they sound, he will possibly need sedating to have his feet done for the first time. If his feet are Duck billed as you put, he will have some form of Laminitis, so he will not want to bear weight on one foot while you work on the other. There is the possibilty of an injury, but if you get your vet and farrier together, they will be able to spot any serious problems. Diagnosing lameness in a horse which already has foot problems is nearly impossible, as it is going to be lame in the foot. With Duck billed feet there will be some form of Laminitis, so I would sort this first before looking anywhere else. Good luck.

Answer 4

ok im not an expert at this(excuse my grammar too, im used to typing with msn lol) but as for the laying down it might be because where he used to be if he layed down those mares would try to hurt him, so now he's worried that if he lays down another horse might try to come and hurt him also. i think if he lays down and doesnt have any other horse bother him he should learn that he's not gonna get hurt and lose that fear. as for his leg im guessing most of it would be from bad treatment in the past. if you just keep working with him, running your hands slowly down his legs  then praising him(dont forget the treats too) everytime he picks them up or doesnt become nervous, he'll learn to like having his legs being touched. sounds like a case for lots of TLC and continuos habits, but he should come around! good luck!!

Answer 5

you need to rub him.. scratch his back and rub.. then move down to his butt and rub.. then move down by his knee and rub.. then go back up.. start over and rub until your down by his feet.. get him used to you touching him there.. then once he's good at that wrap your hand/ingers around his feet like your going to pick them up.. then stop and rub him.. do this a few times and then lean against him and just move his foot.. retreat.. pat.. and start over.. then at the end lift up his foot just a tad.. keep increasing until you can really pick up his feet