Choppy uncomfortable stride

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EmzT

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My 7 year old 16.3hh gelding has developed a really choppy walk when being ridden in the arena. He feels like he's going too fast and his front legs can't keep up. It isn't noticeable if I let him stroll round on a long rein, but happens when I ask him to walk on at a normal pace.
When I ask him to trot he can end up napping or almost breaking into canter. This is strange aswell because I actually have terrible problems getting him to canter when I ask for it.
He strides out ok when hacking.

This problem has been going on for a while now. I have had him looked at by a physio and 2 chiropractors.
One of them treated him for stiffness in one hip which didn't seem to help.
The physio couldn't find anything wrong, and the 3rd guy thought it was sacroiliac problems.

He was much improved after treatment by him but the problem keeps returning after a few weeks.

I was wondering if anybody has any thoughts on what this problem might be?

He is also just back to work after a transition to barefoot and still wears front boots for exercise as our arena is gravel. He had this problem when he was shod aswell.
 
Vet took one look at size of me and size of horse and very patronisingly said 'maybe a stronger rider might help. Someone that would put him in his place.' He said he was a bit tight across his back but nothing that he would worry about.

Im my opinion if it was bad behaviour caused by me not riding him forward enough the problem wouldn't improve after any treatment!

He is the sort of horse that is loves to work and bad behaviour is not normal for him.
 
It could be many things but if only in the school possibly his saddle is tight, this will be worse when schooling as he is turning most of the time.

If all is ok physically and the saddle fits, I would be encouraging him to stretch more through his topline in walk and not trying to pick him up until he has really warmed up in trot, get him thinking forward and stretching before asking him to work on to a contact in the trot. I would not ask much of him in walk for a while, walk is a difficult pace to work on and very easy to lose the true rhythm if asking too much, just stick to long and stretchy and see if that helps.
 
EmzT said:
My 7 year old 16.3hh gelding has developed a really choppy walk when being ridden in the arena. He feels like he's going too fast and his front legs can't keep up. It isn't noticeable if I let him stroll round on a long rein, but happens when I ask him to walk on at a normal pace.
When I ask him to trot he can end up napping or almost breaking into canter. This is strange aswell because I actually have terrible problems getting him to canter when I ask for it.
He strides out ok when hacking.

This problem has been going on for a while now. I have had him looked at by a physio and 2 chiropractors.
One of them treated him for stiffness in one hip which didn't seem to help.
The physio couldn't find anything wrong, and the 3rd guy thought it was sacroiliac problems.

He was much improved after treatment by him but the problem keeps returning after a few weeks.

I was wondering if anybody has any thoughts on what this problem might be?

He is also just back to work after a transition to barefoot and still wears front boots for exercise as our arena is gravel. He had this problem when he was shod aswell.
Click to expand...

Have you had his saddle fit checked recently??
 
New saddle bought just end of last year so hopefully shouldn't be that.

I have been told he is very on the forehand and quite unbalanced. Could this be part of the cause? Still doesn't explain why he hasn't always done it.

He has such a lovely big walk when he is going well so when this happens it is just horrible to sit on!
 
He may have changed shape over the winter, if the saddle is pinching/too narrow it could cause him to go on the forehand to compensate and therefore cause a choppy stride! A wider saddle with more room behind the shoulder would encourage him to stretch out.
What are his gaits like when you lunge him without a saddle?
 
If the saddle was bought new has it been checked since as most settle down in the first 2 months and need reflocking, my saddler always comes and does that FOC included in the original sale agreement.
A dressage saddle recently purchased had flattened an amazing amount and was done this week, the horse is so much happier.
 
diamondrockharvey said:
He may have changed shape over the winter, if the saddle is pinching/too narrow it could cause him to go on the forehand to compensate and therefore cause a choppy stride! A wider saddle with more room behind the shoulder would encourage him to stretch out.
What are his gaits like when you lunge him without a saddle?
Click to expand...

He is fine in walk and trot but when I ask for canter he bucks, and after a short time will keep trying to turn outwards and pull the lunge rein out of my hands. Only happens in canter though. I had a lesson at the weekend with a very experienced instructor who does a lot of groundwork with the horses in lessons and he was doing exactly the same with her. Her theory is that he is so unbalanced that when he is asked to go a bit faster he panics and all falls apart from there. She has given me a lot of exercises to do to try to improve this.

Just wondering if anyone agrees with this theory?
 
Interesting, my 3 year old has been known to do this, pull away on the circle on line and kick out, it is usually because he doesn't want to go forwards, or feels that I am putting too much pressure on him.
I have found that asking him to push his ribs out and bend around me so that his attention is on me and he is 'straight on the circle' and not going round with his head to the outside and more interested on what is going on outside the circle has put a stop to this - that is another story though!

It would surprise me if the horse is so unbalanced without a rider as a 7 year old that they could not canter a circle unless there was a physical issue.
 
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