After you and your horse learned how to Square The Horse’s Back Hooves you are then ready to learn how to square the front hooves.

Why should I teach my horse to do this?

In a word, posture. You should want your horse to have good posture. One of my student’s horses had trouble standing without resting one of her back legs. Her horse could not stand square, especially with a rider on her back.

Exercise and training under saddle has improved the horse, but to complete the strengthening and posture of the horse standing her square has helped immensely! She no longer is constantly resting a back hoof.

When the horse would rest a back hoof, her hip would drop and her back would twist. She reminded me of a person with very bad posture.

It is also most beneficial for your horses back for you to square all four of the hooves before your mount.

What type of equipment do I need to do this exercise?

Outfit your horse in a halter and lead rope, with or without a chain, depending on your horse and your skill level. See Lead Ropes for more information.

Place a cone, water bottle, or an over turned bucket to mark the spot where you will be working.

Another trick I use is you can draw a box around your horse in the sand with a stick. Stay inside the box! Don’t travel during this exercise.

The cone or box will help you to remember to stay in place, working from hoof to hoof, back and forth.

Lets get started:

After you have squared the horses back hooves, looked him in the eye and said “Whoa!” You will then begin to square the front hooves.

Work with one hoof at a time, and fix whichever hoof is most out of alignment.

For example, my horses left front hoof is too close to his right front hoof. I need it to come more toward the left. Since of course I am working from the left side, I will pull his hoof forward and out more toward me, which is his left.

If his left hoof is too far away from his right hoof, I will pull his left hoof toward his right hoof, to bring them closer together.

How do I know what is the correct placement for his front hooves?

The front legs should go straight down to the ground. They should not be too far under the horse, or too far forward in front. The front hooves should have about four inches of space between them, and the back should match the front.

What should I be doing?

Using a lead rope, hold the lead about twelve inches from where it connects to the horses halter. Always look at the hoof you will be moving. You will always be using your right hand as you stand on the horses left side, facing his hooves with your body.

Pull or gently pull and release the lead rope to pull the horse’s hoof forward and backward until it reaches the desired placement.

If the horse’s hoof is under his body too far, pull the hoof forward. If his hoof is too far in front of his body, push the hoof back.

If the horse is moving the hoof too far forward or back, you are probably pulling too hard. When the horse places his hoof where you want it, release all pressure on your lead.

Always use the amount of pressure on your lead in proportion to the length he needs to move his hoof.

Also, if your horse refuses to move his hoof when you ask him to, then you will need to pull him forward a bit harder.

Important Points:

At any point if your horse begins to move a back hoof, stop and focus on getting the back hooves square again. Just forget about the front hooves until his back hooves are again square.

This teaches your horse that when you say whoa the first time, it means to keep those back hooves in place. You will not say whoa again until you have the front hooves square too.

Don’t forget when to say whoa, and to look your horse in the eye each time you say whoa.

How long will it take me to master this skill?

That will depend on you and your horse. After you practice this for a while, it will start to become natural. You will know just where to position your hand and lead rope to move each hoof. You will develop feel.

In the beginning, you may give your horse some assistance by picking up a hoof and placing it where it belongs. Just don’t turn that into the cue. The cue is your hand on the lead rope.

Practice this in the arena, before you mount, and before you groom your horse. It takes time and patience.

What is my end goal?

Eventually, a horse should just stop square, and that is a balanced horse.

I always work my horses and students toward a three second set up. What I mean by that is, squaring all four hooves in three seconds or less.

In the beginning, you may have a 60-minute set up, but that is OK too. Try and give your horse breaks by walking around the arena, this will keep him fresh.

You are both learning. Keep it fun for both you and your horse, pat him when he responds correctly, don’t lose your patience when he doesn’t.

Horses usually enjoy this exercise. You may even be surprised that your horse was already trained to set up. If that is the case, congratulations you are already half way there.

Keep it fun, and enjoy this exercise!

Deanna

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