That big draft horse in Lexington taught me a lesson about patience

I was working on a Belgian at a farm near Lexington last fall, trying to get a shoe on. He kept pulling his foot away, and I was getting frustrated, pushing harder. The owner, an older guy, just said, 'Let him think it's his idea.' I slowed way down, waited for the horse to settle, and it worked. Now I always give that extra minute instead of forcing it. How do you all handle a horse that just won't stand?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylanwells1d ago

Man, I learned that lesson the hard way too! Spent twenty minutes in a standoff with a pony who just wanted to look at a butterfly. Felt like a real genius after that.

taylor.brooke1d ago

And it's wild how much they pick up on our own stress, right? Like that pony knew you were in a hurry, so the butterfly became the most important thing in the world. Hannah's whisper thing works because it forces you to calm down first. Your quiet breath tells them there's no emergency. What if we're the ones who need the slow breath, not them?

webb.hannah1d ago

Try whispering instead of yelling. A quiet word and a slow breath can calm a horse faster than any tug on a lead rope. It turns a fight into a conversation.