The Horse is one of the noblest of God's creatures and is endowed by its Creator with a love of harmony and a desire to cooperate. For this reason:
I will not override a horse's unequivocal "no."
I will wait for a horse's provisional "no" to become a freely-given "yes."
The horse should never be hurried or pushed - I aim to schedule my day so that no horse need be subjected to my time pressures.
It is less important to complete a trim than to create a positive experience for the horse - a horse who has enjoyed a pleasant experience will be more trusting next time.
If a horse wants to take its foot back, I encourage it to ask politely, and I try to always comply with a polite request.
It is dangerous to work on or with a horse who is mentally absent. If it takes 45 minutes of conversation to entice the horse to return to Planet Earth, then that's how I'll spend the time, and no trimming will take place!
Every horse deserves to have its thoughts, opinions, feelings, suggestions, and preferences taken into account.
Every horse deserves to be appreciated.
The advantages of this approach are:
Safety! A horse engaged in a mutually respectful conversation is a thoughtful horse, much less likely to react in fear, anger, or confusion.
Confidence. Relinquishing a foot is a common fear for a horse - once they learn to overcome the anxiety associated with picking up a foot, that confidence can spread to other areas of their life - e.g. catching, saddling, etc.
Cooperation. A horse who knows its input will be welcomed will find ways to be helpful and cooperative.
Health. Emotional stress can cause habitual muscular tension, leading to long-term musculoskeletal damage. (This is true in humans as well as horses!)
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The Donkey, of course, is noted for wisdom and must be treated with the deference befitting such a creature. Donkeys should not be restrained or coerced in any way; they should be at liberty within a confined area, or held only on a loose lead rope. Patience is important with horses, but extremely important with donkeys, who are patient creatures themselves and who do not respect impatience in others. Donkeys will learn to cooperate when given the freedom to not cooperate and will become more and more obstinate (and dangerous) when forced to comply. For this reason, if a donkey has not been handled much, is unaccustomed to having its feet worked on, and is in serious need of a trim, sedation may be a good option.