Now comes the hard part: treatment. Mom, this is where you cover your eyes.
It is necessary to get this 17hh tall horse's back hoof into a bucket of warm salt water, even though it stings. How is this done? There is only one word to describe the method for accomplishing this tricky maneuver: trust.
Notice that Dante isn't even wearing a halter, yet he stands still. It is a simple fact that if I were to try to get his rear foot into a bucket of hot, salty, stinging water without his cooperation I would end up with the bucket over my head before I even knew it was happening. There are some things we can't do with horses unless we drug them or unless they help us.
So, tips, if you ever have to do this at home:
1) Never, ever yell at the horse while he has his rear foot cocked and ready.
2) Give him something else to think about, as here Dante had his hay.
3) Give him instant positive feedback when he moves his foot even an inch in the direction you want it to go.
4) This may seem counter-intuitive, but I recommend working alone. It simplifies things. Horses are tuned into relationships. Give a horse just one relationship to think about--his with you. Someone helping you distracts him, because if he senses anything other than absolute trust and harmony between you and a helper, his stress level will go up and that will diminish your effectiveness. And as many of us know, these horses read relationships far better than humans do, for many reasons--not least because they are herd animals and survive through their relationships.
More of the same.
Again, please tell me your methods, if they are different from mine. So many different horses out there--we need lots of ways to do things!
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