Horse won’t stand for rainmaker application
Today’s horse training question comes from Barbara. She writes: “My horse doesn’t like to stand still for rainmaker application. Any suggestions?”
Hi Barbara, I’m assuming you are referring to the Rainmaker hoof dressing. Start by just brushing your horse’s feet with a dry brush. Ask him to stand still, brush his foot once, and then pet him and walk him off. Gradually increase the amount of brushing time between rewards (petting and walking off) until he will stand for you to brush all four feet. Now, use the actual brush with the hoof conditioner on it. Repeat the process if he seems to get fidgity again now that there is something being applied to his feet. Or, he may not notice the difference. Basically you are teaching him that all you want is for him to stand still. You are reinforcing this by rewarding him very frequently at first. I like to use a dry brush because it means you are not wasting any of your product while you train, and if your horse is fidgeting because the dressing feels funny or smells funny a dry brush gives you an easier start as you get him used to the feeling of having something moving across his feet. Thank you for your horse training question!
