There is no quick fix when it comes to teaching a horse to allow handling of his legs. After all, legs have everything to do with flight and survival.

his “hind leg issues” couldn’t be too

bad. Standing as close to the shoulder

as I could, to stay out of the kick zone,

I gave a rub down his side. I could feel

his belly muscles tighten, and as I

approached his flank he let out three

lighting-fast kicks as if to say, “Don’t

even try it, Cowboy!”

At that point, I got the whole story

about how three guys fought with this

horse for four hours to get those hind

shoes on. The woman told me the men

level of aversion to hind-leg handling,

but many make the process more

difficult than it needs to be for all

concerned. And the steps involved

in helping them improve are pretty

much the same.

Safety is the main concern. Be

realistic about your skill level and don’t

overface yourself and get hurt. If the

horse you are dealing with is even

close to the level of difficulty posed by

the buckskin gelding I described, get