This message is from: Heather Baskey <cavy_l...@yahoo.com> I was taught to massage the leg (lightly) and initiate being friendly to the leg. Then give the cue (whichever way you do - mine is "lightly touching" the chestnut for front, lightly touch the hock for rear) and it is the horse's responsibility to raise his/her foot into your waiting hand. Then, human is responsible for a light release to the ground (no dropping! place it!). Henry used to lean, used to hunker down ... now he is polite and on cue - will "give me" his feet ... it is my responsibility to give them back lightly (politely to the ground).
Passively persistent in a polite manner in the proper position ;-) Having recently sent Henry off to school, his trainer "tested" Henry by asking for his feet. Ground manners instilled - he did what was expected of him :-) but that was the result of ALOT of friendly massages and him learning the cues (and remember that different people might have different cues for lifting feet! my trainer uses the same methods as I do). Consistency is key. Heather __________________________________________________________________ Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/gift/ Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
