problems shoeing

Question
I have a 3 yr old New Forest mare who I have had since a yearling.  She was broken in as a 3yr old in the Spring and has been ridden since for 7 months.  About 3 months ago we diced to have her shod in front as her feet were growing unevenly.  The inside of the hoof was growing faster than the outside so her legs were beginning to twist slightly outwards. The first time she was shod I had to call the vet to sedate her as she wouldn't even have her feet trimmed despite having her feet trimmed regularly since she was a yearling - since then we have always have her sedated, although she has improved she will not tolerate having the nails hammered in despite hammering her feet regularly.  Apart from shoeing she has turned out to be a really easy pony, although she does have a stroppy side we only see it now when she is shod. I'm really not sure what else I can do to make her behave now - as she just gets worse if you try to discipline her.

Answer
hi there, im not entirely sure how to help you as its hard to tell without seeing your mare being shod weather it is fear or just plain naughtyness that is making her act up. If she is good to pick up her feet and handle them on a daily basis when you pick them out just bang the wall everyday with the hoof pick as if you were nailing a shoe on. Alot of young don't like the feeling until they get used to it. if she plays up with you too but she is realitivly quiet try tapping the wall whilst the foot is on the ground. She will soon get used to it or at least she should. I am not a fan of roping horses and don't rope any of mine but some people may tell you that is what she needs to teach her to be patient on three legs. If you decide to take that path it might be better to send her somewhere for a couple of weeks and get an experienced person to do this for you. One other thing you could try too is instead of getting the vet out to sedating her try just twitching her so she is sedated but still well aware of what is happening then maybe she will soon realize its not that bad!! Hope this has been some help to you. Cheers. Karen