I know you don't really pick them up. I just finally saw the difference in what you do to set up a horse to go over a jump verses going around a barrel.
Heck no. I'm not about to try and pick up a horse, they are way to big for me. I'm not a horse lifter like my mom.LOL:)
My dad (an ex U.S. cavalryman from the days when they still had horses) suggested that I clean his feet "cavalry fashion". They did EVERYthing from the left side, they reached through and cleaned the horse's two right feet from the left side.
I took it one step further and cleaned his RIGHT feet from the left, and his LEFT feet from the right. He tried to lean on me a couple of times, but he fell over (you've never seen such a shocked horsie!) After that, he quit leaning on me. He was sweet but dumb - I don't think he ever quite figured out how I made him fall over.
I have occasionally assisted a recalcitrant horse to load on a trailer by joining forearms with a confederate and LIFTING said horse's butt into the trailer . . . but my current trainer prefers to use a longe line and a broom . . . fortunately my mare is an easy loader. She used to be a broodmare, and optimist that she is, she figures that there just might be a stallion at the other end of the ride. . .