
07/15/2025
How often do you observe your horse while your farrier is working? How relaxed and stable is your horse while holding each leg off the ground? What areas of muscle tension do you see. How relaxed is your horse throughout the whole session? Does your horse fight and strain against your farrier?
👉 Using sedation, twitches, lip chains... If these are needed to have farrier work done, then it's time to take competition goals off the table and figure out what is bothering your horse. These should not be long-term solutions to getting shoes on or hooves trimmed. They are indicators of serious problems.
A healthy, trained horse should be nice and relaxed while your farrier works. This keeps everyone safe and maintains good relationships. The last thing a farrier wants is to have to drive nails on a moving target when there is so little room for error. I also don't want my farrier hurt.
Look for muscle spasms, weak areas that tremble, tense areas, and compensation in stance. Pay attention to everything your horse does, because it isn't done without a reason.
A few general tips of common finds while watching farriers work over the years:
▪️ If the horse won't pick up the hind leg, check the sciatic and femoral nerve areas. Also check to see if negative hind angles are causing compression to the sciatic nerve.
▪️ If the horse strikes or won't bring the front leg forward, check the pectoral muscles and ventral (underline) chain of fascia. Also check hamstrings. You'll usually find tension here.
▪️ If the horse "pushes" on the stand with the fronts, look for weakness in the stabilizing muscles of the hind end.
▪️ Struggling or refusal to bring the legs out is usually a sign of tight muscles on the medial (inside) side of the leg.
▪️ Pulling back while driving nails is a sign the vibration up the leg is causing nerve pain.
👉 Your horse isn't just "trying to be a problem" for your farrier. The dread comes from associating pain with farrier work. If your horse doesn't enjoy "gettin' their nails did"... It's your responsibility as an owner to start investigating WHY.
If your horse doesn't have a friendly relationship with your farrier, it is your job to investigate WHY. Farrier work shouldn't be an all out war with your horse and a horse that can't safely stand with one leg off the ground probably shouldn't be asked to perform an event.
Need some ideas for stretching legs for better range of motion? Check out the free stretching section on the Superior Therapy video tab.