Skill
Procedures that you should be able to competently and safely perform on a horse.
LEARN HOW TO
Horse Holder- Use the Help of Another Person
Summary
When possible and for certain skills, it is very helpful to have a confident and competent horse handler help restrain a horse while you do a procedure. That said, having a poor horse handler or someone who is not coordinated with you is worse than having no handler at all.
Ensure that you and your handler are working together and giving the horse complementary messages. If you attempt to perform a treatment or accomplish a goal, and it does not work, stop and assess what is happening. Try something different. Look carefully at whether there are conflicting messages being sent by you and the holder.
Ensure that you and your handler are working together and giving the horse complementary messages. If you attempt to perform a treatment or accomplish a goal, and it does not work, stop and assess what is happening. Try something different. Look carefully at whether there are conflicting messages being sent by you and the holder.
PROCEDURE
PROCEDURE
In most cases, your handler should be on the same side as you are. In this way, if the horse moves, it moves away from both of you. This is a classic veterinary guideline in handling horses for a veterinarian. Follow the 2 minute-30 second rule. If it is not working, you are doing something wrong and you need to reconsider the approach. This self-assessment may be the most important thing you can do.
TIPS FOR SAFETY AND SUCCESS
A trained assistant who is working in harmony with you makes many procedures easier and safer. If you do not have an assistant, you will need to restrain the horse's head at the same time as you perform any procedure, which can be difficult if you are not practiced. If your horse is well trained to tie and does not set back against pressure, you may be able to work on a loosely tied horse. In our vet practice, we have a rule that we do not perform work on tied horses because of the opportunity for disaster if they pull back. If we are working alone, we hold the horse ourselves or tie them loosely.
For minor procedures that are not painful, a trained horse may be tied, or may stand in cross ties. Painful treatments should never be performed on a tied horse.
Mules and donkeys can often be tied or snubbed to a heavy post while treatments are performed.
A poorly trained assistant who is not coordinated with you will make any procedure harder, not easier.