Advice on a tripping horse

[Chronometer]

My Big Boy TB,is 16.5HH, 7yrs old - I have only had him for a year but he tends to trip all the time. I have been told that he has a bad confirmation - front legs behind the shoulder (if you know what i mean). I have shoed him with a rolled toe - this has helped and am now starting to work him long and low that he stops hanging on my hands and learns to carry his own head. I have got so scared because when I ride he almost falls with me - that now before I ride I will lunge him and he will trip, loose his footing and almost fall - its almost like he is not consentrating

What warm up work can I do with him to get him working from behind and lifting his front legs. Is there anyone who has had the same problem and has worked through it? HELP!
I just know Im not alone with this problem...

Any help will be very welcome - he is such a joy to me and he loves to be loved, I guess i am a little frustrated that anything I try just is not working.

Thanks

 

[Guinness]

Talk to your vet/farrier about whats best to do, and make sure you wear knee boots for hacking!

 

[AmyMay]

My advice would be to ask your vet to do a thorough lameness work up - to include x-rays.

 

[Jeska]

Try pulling his tail and see what his reaction was. Our 16.2 5 year old TB kept tripping all the time and going lame and we tried everything - including having special shoes fitted. When the vet came he pulled his tail and Rocky couldnt control his back legs - he literally fell all over the place so was sent for x rays and confirmed he had wobblers syndrome - apparently common in thorobreds. On the other hand it could be any number of things - perhaps he is just a it clumsy? Good luck - keep us posted

 

[cob1]

My TB started tripping regularly, and eventually after a visit to the vets for xrays, nerve blocks and scans he was diagnosed with navicular and Kissing Spine (aged 12). He was retired and the navicular progressed quite quickly to where he was 1/10th intermittently lame in trot. When retired i was advised on Natural Balance shoes which did slighly improve it.

Obviously this is worse case scenario, so as AmyMay said, a full work up at the vets is probably required to get to the bottom of this. My TB got quite dangerous, as he nearly went down with me a couple of times on the road.

 

[_April_]

If it were me - I would get the vet as others have advised.

Bi-lateral lameness is very hard to spot and tripping can be a sign of this I think.

 

[salee]

get the vet, if only to rule out him realy hurting himself or you by falling,
i was fallen on by a big horse i hired out for a trek, we had been going at a gentle canter down the beach and the shallowest puddle made him fall like beechers brook,

thankfully it was on a beach of quite soft sand, the resulting 'me squashed into sand by falling horse' shape left on the beach was amusing but wouldn't have been if we had been out on grass would it?

if there is no abnormality found, would using a pessoa or similar be of good to get him to tuck his butt in under him and balance better?

 

[nikicb]

My horse used to trip quite a lot, no real physical problem, mainly when she's not concentrating. My farrier put her in natural balance shoes and she's much better. Might be worth trying once you've established there is no underlying problem.

 

[Skippydo]

One of my neddies was a tripper when i first got him. If you continue to ride him i would suggest putting knee boots on him, this was the best advice i was ever given and the dents i now have in the boots prove this after a really bad trip, if he hadn't had the knee boots on he would have had some really nasty injuries to his knees. Good luck, hope you find a cure, mine was cured with gradual corrective shoeing and natural balance shoes.

 

[Eye_Spy]

Agree with above- if no physical problem always use knee boots. My mare is also fitted with roll top shoes with has pretty much stopped her tripping completely!

 

[_April_]

Knee boots are great - I always use them for road work even though my horse is fairly sure footed.

I have found the westrop knee brushing boots better than the Jeffries pads though.

 

[AmyMay]

Can I just add to my original post - that having spent two years with my 'new' horse being a confirmed tripper, and now having been diagnosed with rotated pedal bones I wish I had gone down the veterinary route sooner.

Knee pads are all very well. But it would be a good idea to find out why the horse is tripping in the first place. I am now paying the consequences.........

 

[E_Lister]

On a more positive and hopeful note my friend recently bought a hors that tripped a lot. She had the vet come over and have a look and was told that he too tripped due to his legs being too far behind his shoulder, the vet told her that although it wasn't anything bad he would carry on tripping and would probably only be able to walk with a rider on board to reduce accidents. Since then he has put on a lot of condition and he was lunged every other day for about 4 months and now he is fine, clumsy but far more balanced and he very rarely trips. He is trotted now as well without stumbles, although cantering is still probably a way ahead yet.

 

[neddy1]

my ex racer trips up all the time , abit nerve racking when i first got him but i've learnt to sit up and give him his head when he does it and so far he has never gone right down on his knees . i've been told he has always done it , as did his mother before him , i think it's partly due to lasyness and also the fact he has very long legs ! it didn't stop him winning five races either !

 

[Coffee_Bean]

My girl was tripping and having been looked at by a vet was diagnosed bi laterally lame in front. She went for xrays which basically showed my farrier had f**ked her feet up. The tripping has stopped now she's sorted