Horses want two basic things in life, peace and comfort. When experiences meet these criteria they are agreeable much of the time. This includes easily tolerating regular trimming and shoeing. But for some horses the recurring visits can be anxiety-provoking for the horse, which may show signs of impatience and nervousness, making the farrier’s handling more complex.

Sedation during hoof care is a trend New Hampshire-based farrier Mary Bramley is seeing used more frequently. Predominantly, it is used for safety reasons, but Bramley also has seen farriers use it to train horses to stand and others who lean toward sedation on larger accounts because it allows them to get the job done faster.