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Handling the horse with a brush, getting him used to fly spray,
etc., involves mostly common sense; avoiding pushing the horse
to the point of panic and keeping hands from between the horse
and any wooden components of the chute. Handling legs and feet,
however, requires a bit more thought and caution. Here's how
we do this safely.
The Safety Rope
We use a soft 3/4 inch kernmantle braid mooring rope, known
in the maritime industry as "Sampson Line," as our safety rope.
It has an eye splice at one end and is broad and soft enough
so that it won't "choke down" on the horse's pastern or burn his
skin. We use the rope to assist with lifting hooves and holding
them up in the air. We do not tie the rope to anything, but
rather pass it over the side of the chute rail and stand on it.
This way we have control over the rope at all times, can make
adjustments as necessary and can immediately release the horse
if need be.
To set the rope, we pass the rope around the horse's leg and
through the eye or we make up the "noose" away from the horse,
lay it on the ground and ask him to step into it. We'll ask
the horse to lift using our hands, then take up the slack with
the rope so that he can't put it right back down. Many horses
will flail around with their foot when held in an upright position
and the rope allows him to get this out of his system without
tiring the handler and avoids the horse or handler getting hurt
in the process.
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Setting the rope
Adjusting hoof position for trimming
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