Should i hobble my horse

Horses that are at ease and comfortable are more inclined to return to stillness once stimulated. I use them in the pasture, frequently! I want to help him learn that regardless of the situation he can be calm and quiet. I hope these tips will help you make the most of your partnership with your horse. Loops should not be large enough to catch on brush or other objects, and should be adjusted so that they are neither tight enough to restrict circulation nor loose enough to allow the horse to get another hoof through the hobble.

Leather, soft rope, and nylon are common hobble materials. The process of introducing hobbles should begin with desensitizing a horse to having its legs handled. The trainer should spend plenty of time in accustoming the horse to the feel of a rope or other material touching every part of its body, especially all around the legs and pasterns.

Many short sessions are better than a few long sessions for this training. This should be done on both front legs for hobble training, but desensitizing all four legs is a good idea because it will encourage the horse not to fight restraint if it ever becomes tangled in wire or other fencing. After the horse learns to yield quietly to rope pressure around its pastern, the trainer should strap the hobble to just one leg at a time and let the horse walk around to get used to the feeling of something on its leg above the fetlock.

Always be calm and patient when hobbling your horse. As the herd leader, it is your job to show him that it is no big deal - just another experience in the daily life of horse and herd leader. Once your horse begins to accept being hobbled, make it a practice to hobble him for short periods of time while he is grazing, out on the trail, getting ready for grooming or a visit from the farrier or veterinarian. This practice will add another dimension to your relationship with your horse, and who knows, may save the horse's limb or life if ever he becomes entwined in barbed wire or another situation where yielding to pressure prevents injury or harm.

Horses that have had their coordination or balance compromised by sedation, or horses that are suffering from neurological disorders should not be hobbled. Hobbles should not be used to restrain a horse during a painful procedure. Hobbles are effective restraint for addressing an emergency and training a horse to stand still and accept pressure, but should never be used to restrain a horse in place of providing pain management.

Home health centers general care articles Hobble Train Your Horse. Teaching horse to accept pressure on feet and legs Gently touching and rubbing the horse's lower legs and feet without the horse flinching or moving away is the first step toward successfully training the horse to accept hobbles. Words of caution about hobbling horses: Horses that have had their coordination or balance compromised by sedation, or horses that are suffering from neurological disorders should not be hobbled.

Hobbles should never be placed on a joint or placed on so tight as to restrict blood flow. Subscribe Daily inspirations. Weeky news update. Monthly article summary.