It will be necessary to handle the feet of your horse on a regular basis. Dirt, debris and other material can be packed in the soft area of his hooves. Additionally, if your horse's feet aren't cared for as part of a normal grooming routine, they can become sore and lead to lameness in your horse. It is important that your horse trusts you and allows you to clean and maintain his feet so he always feels his best. If your horse doesn't trust you, nothing will incline your one thousand pound or better equine friend to lift any of his legs for you to inspect.

The best time to train your horse to accept foot grooming is when he is very young, however if you have a horse that has been neglected, abused or simply never groomed on a regular basis, this lesson can be learned but it will take a little more time as the horse will have to develop trust with you and an older horse will make you earn it.

The technique for teaching your horse to trust you to handle his feet is simple. Simple sit next to the left shoulder of your horse and face his rear end. This will greatly lessen the possibility of getting kicked should your horse decide this isn't the time for a lesson or he gets startled.

Then gently tickle your horse just behind his knee and he will automatically lift his leg. Pat and praise your horse so he knows he is doing something good and is being rewarded, this is something he will seek out the next time he responds to a knee tickle and lifts his legs. Always praise your horse.

Check his hoof for any dirt, debris or other matter and gently clean it. If your horse seems uncomfortable at any point, stop. Don't let him associate foot cleaning with anything negative. You can always go back and finish; the idea is to teach him initially to raise his foot to you without fear. Note if his hoof needs filing, many horses enjoy the feeling of having their hooves filed.

Praise your horse and allow him to put his leg down. Repeat with his other legs and when you work on his hind legs, position yourself as closely as possible to his hindquarters. You can feel him tense up before a kick and you'll have time to push away.

Repeat this exercise every day or so with your horse and reward and praise him for following your cues. This will develop a good trusting relationship between you and your horse and it will allow him to understand you're only doing what needs to be done to keep him fit and healthy.