This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody 
and Nobody. 

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that 
Somebody would do it. 
Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did. 

Somebody got angry about this, because it was Everybody's job. 

Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that 
Everybody wouldn't do it. 

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what 
Anybody could have done! 

This is a favourite story of mine, and it came to mind when I was treating a horse recently who belongs to the wife of a farrier, and we were discussing how the farrier had in the past been hurt by a horse he was shoeing.  Something I've said many times is that teaching your horse to pick up his feet willingly is your job, not your farriers job.  If you need help, it's out there - contact your local Intelligent Horsemanship Recommended Associate at www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk.  Farriers work hard enough as it is, without the added difficulty of a horse who is unhappy about picking his feet up.  Equally importantly, it can be very stressful on your horse to be asked to do something that he doesn't understand or is uncomfortable doing.

Most farrier problems are straightforward hypersensitivity - the horse is naturally sensitive to touch on his legs because they are an essential part of his survival kit.  This is relatively easy to overcome once you know what you're doing and have the right tools.  Some are due to pain - simple pain like an abcess in the other foot meaning the horse doesn't want to put his weight through that foot for example, or more complicated pain like an assymetrical pelvis or hock arthritis.  I've worked with a couple of horses who hadn't willingly had their feet trimmed for nearly 2 years!  One was a rescue mare who had been badly treated in the past and was petrified of having her feet picked up - she had been sedated for trimming until I met her but is now able to be trimmed without sedation.  The other was a coloured gelding who would barge his way out of the situation no matter what his owner tried - he turned out to have severe arthritis in both hocks and it was just too painful for him to pick his hind feet up.  He is now on medication and easy to trim.

The story above could refer to so many things, both in the equine and the human world, but when it comes to your horse, you are his guardian and it is your responsibility to ensure that his needs don't get left to everybody, somebody, anybody or nobody.