December 2003

Happy Holidays Issue

This newsletter is a personal letter from me to you,
a fellow horse owner and enthusiast.
My goal is to answer some of your questions and send you interesting stories
and helpful tips for your horse care, training, and riding.

©  2003 Cherry Hill   © Copyright Information

Page 2

Where can I get those blanket rods?

Hello,

I have a question regarding a storage item in the STABLEKEEPING book .

I am building a new barn, and have used many of Cherry and her husband's ideas in my planning. I own several of Cherry Hill's books, and enjoy them thoroughly. In the STABLEKEEPING book, on page 41, a swiveling blanket rod is shown in figure 5.7. In some of the books, resources are noted. I was unable to find any in this particular case. I have found several similar models on the internet, yet none are exactly like this. Do you know if this particular picture is showing individual rods that are simply place in a vertical line, or if this is a "system" that is premade? If it is a premade "system," do you have any idea who manufactures it, or where I might purchase it for my new barn? Thanks for your time and assistance!

Fondly, Judy

Hi Judy,

That blanket rod system you refer to is designed and hand forged by my husband Richard Klimesh. Now you can see why I am always saying what a guy he is! He can do practically anything! For the last year while we were finishing up our video series, 101 Horsekeeping Tips, he quit making his barn hardware for sale and has since been too busy to get back in the smithy.

How can I pick up a stud's feet without getting kicked?

Dear Cherry,

My friend has a horse that he lets me use for 4-H Also they have an Arab stud that they want me to work with. He leads fine but has gotten used to being the boss. He is about 20. When I approach him (in the pasture or the stall) he turns his butt to me and threatens to kick. If I try to pick his feet he kicks at me and/or puts all of his weight on that foot. I can’t go by what his ears say because when ever anyone comes up to them they get pinned. I think he hasn’t had his feet picked very often. How can I pick up his feed without getting kicked?

Thank you, Kate

Hi Kate,

You are right to be concerned about this tendency in a horse because a kick can result in a severe injury. But kicking is just a bad habit just like standing still for mounting is a good habit. If this horse has been able to assert his dominance over people like this for a long time, it will take diligent, constant repetition on your part to give him a new way of behaving - cooperatively picking up his feet! Picking up a stud's feet is the same as picking up a mare's or gelding's feet and it doesn't matter if the horse is 20 days or 20 years old.

Lifting the feet cooperatively is just one tiny piece in the whole behavior puzzle. When the whole puzzle fits together, you have a well mannered horse that got that way through a lot of good handling. When one or more pieces are missing from the puzzle, there will be bad behaviors like disrespect, kicking, rearing or biting. Usually the pieces that are missing are "the basics" which means that the horse is missing the foundation of good training. You can't ever really "fix" a problem without first establishing the basics.

The basics refer to ground training, in hand work, and a systematic training progression. I'm going to talk about in-hand work in the next Ask-Cherry which will be very helpful to you. And there are also quite a number of articles on the Horse Information Roundup that deal specifically with behavior during hoof care. Have you read them?

"Hoof Care Behavior Issue"

"Behavior for Shoeing"

"Hoof Care Training"

"Two Year Old Manners"

Be safe Kate and take your time. Often the slower you go, the faster you get there.

For more information on hoof care and training for hoof handling, refer to:

Horse Hoof Care

Maximum Hoof Power

Horse Handling and Grooming

Horse Health Care

Making Not Breaking

Practical Guide to Lameness in Horses

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