There are 10 steps to training a horse to stand for shoeing:
1. Standing: Horse stands still while you work around them. (You can’t do anything if they don’t stand still!)
2. Brushing: Horse stands still when you stroke the legs (brushing).
3. Unweighting leg: Horse stands yields to pressure (unwieghts the leg) when you push forward on the fetlock, without moving off (becoming scared). It’s OK if they do 3 and 4 together but if they don’t, focus on getting 3 alone before asking for 4 (the actual lifting).
4. Pick up leg: Horse yields the leg (picks it up) when you press on the tendon, or push the fetlock forward (leg lifting cues).
5. Hold leg: Horse allows you to hold the leg in the “home position” briefly (home position is the place where the horse lifts the leg, you don’t try to move it you just briefly support it at that position then let it go). Briefly means 1-3 seconds. Slowly work up to holding the leg for longer periods of time.
6. Pick out hoof: Horse lets you pick out the leg while it is held in the home position.
7. Move the leg: Horse lets you move the leg to other positions away from the home position (forward, back, to the side).
8. Hold the leg in the “farrier” position: Horse lets you place the leg in the farrier position for brief moments (less than 30 seconds). This step actually has 2 components, because there are 2 “farrier positions”, one where the farrier trims and nails on a shoe, the other where the leg is pulled forward and the farrier rasps off flares or clenches and finishes the shoeing job. You have to practice both of these positions if you want your horse comfortable and happy letting the farrier hold the leg in both of these positions.
9. Trim the hoof: Horse lets you place the leg in the farrier position and perform a farrier task (such as removing the shoe or trimming).
10. Nail on a shoe: Horse lets you nail on and clench a shoe.
The most frequent problem horses occurs is when the handler jumps from step 1 (maybe) to step 6 to step 10 and never works on the intermediate steps and stays there until the horse is completely comfortable with what you are asking.
If the horse moves away while trying any of these steps, it’s because the previous step wasn’t really solid and the horse wasn’t really accepting it. Go back a step and get it solid before moving forward again.