Stopped picking up front feet - why?

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Olliepoppy

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My 7yr old cob has all of a sudden started refusing to lift his front feet. He is front shod and barefoot at back. He lifts his back feet like a wee lamb but the front are a whole different story. Even when I get one up he is doing his best to pull it out of your hand. He has always been a bit touchy with his front but has learnt to lift and hold quite nicely so this is out of the ordinary. He lives out 24/7, is exercised 4 or 5 days a week schooling and hacking and lives on grass and hay. Farrier comes every 8 weeks, and is due this week. Any ideas?
 
Tbh if it is not "normal" then I suggest he is trying to tell you something - unless you think he is just being a monkey! I would definitely mention it to your farrier, and very handy that he is coming this week.

I would check for heat and a digital pulse.
 
Could be he is loading the weight on the front end because he can't through the back end, so picking up a front would make him feel unbalanced. Are you making sure he is standing square on the back end before you ask? It can sometimes help.
 
If he moves, it may be to avoid weight on the back legs so that might be why he is reluctant to pick up a front, often it can be some soreness in the hocks or pelvis area, have you had back or saddle check lately, he may have changed shape over the summer causing the cantle of the saddle to distribute weight differently?
 
Try getting him standing on a slope facing uphill and try again. He will load the back feet more and take a little bit of pressure off the remaining front foot. See if it is easier. If he tolerates it better, it could be an indication that his fronts are sore.
 
I tried that and he would not let me pick his feet up but when I turned him to face downhill he did let me so does that signify sore back feet? Or something else sore at the back? His saddle and back were last checked July. He has lost approx 30kg since then.
 
Olliepoppy said:
I tried that and he would not let me pick his feet up but when I turned him to face downhill he did let me so does that signify sore back feet? Or something else sore at the back? His saddle and back were last checked July. He has lost approx 30kg since then.
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Well it could be. Facing him downhill will load the fronts more and take the pressure off the backs and the back end. If there is a big difference between him letting you pick them up when you face him down hill compared to on level surfaces, the only thing that has changed is his posture and the loading on different parts of his body. To me that would indicate discomfort on the part of the body that has been offloaded if that makes sense.
 
I'm having very similar problems with my horse at the min...been going on for about 8 weeks now.
RVC did bone scan nothing showed up, x rayed hoofs to make sure not laminitis all clear and blocked hoofs to see if the pain is in he's hoofs and he still went down .
I'm at a real loss now of what to do next..
My horse will happily left a front leg but can't keep it up for more than I min and he goes down and starts shaking .
Good luck !!
 
figgy said:
I'm having very similar problems with my horse at the min...been going on for about 8 weeks now.
RVC did bone scan nothing showed up, x rayed hoofs to make sure not laminitis all clear and blocked hoofs to see if the pain is in he's hoofs and he still went down .
I'm at a real loss now of what to do next..
My horse will happily left a front leg but can't keep it up for more than I min and he goes down and starts shaking .
Good luck !!
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Sorry to hear your problems, it can be so hard figuring out what's going on. Farrier coming today so will get his opinion
 
If the farrier can't help, try having his back checked out. If he has lost weight, then his saddle will probably not fit properly and will be making him sore. He is definitely trying to tell you he's in pain.
 
I will be interested in how he is for the farrier.

You have done the first thing, had the vet and ruled out lami.

My reason for showing interest in the farrier... I have helped a couple of clients with clever cobs where they have stopped picking their feet. Turns out they are just strong and had learned how not to stand on 3 legs. Once they had a ground lesson in picking feet (as in where to hold to align yourself so you CAN stop them putting them down), how to use your strength at the correct angle to keep their feet up... they were just fine.

The link to both was that the farrier could still shoe/ trim (one was barefoot) them.

That would be a nice ending, no cost, no injury - just a very clever cob!

If the farrier thinks there is a further physical problem then I would have the vet back out.
 
Red-1 said:
I will be interested in how he is for the farrier.


You have done the first thing, had the vet and ruled out lami.

My reason for showing interest in the farrier... I have helped a couple of clients with clever cobs where they have stopped picking their feet. Turns out they are just strong and had learned how not to stand on 3 legs. Once they had a ground lesson in picking feet (as in where to hold to align yourself so you CAN stop them putting them down), how to use your strength at the correct angle to keep their feet up... they were just fine.

The link to both was that the farrier could still shoe/ trim (one was barefoot) them.

That would be a nice ending, no cost, no injury - just a very clever cob!

If the farrier thinks there is a further physical problem then I would have the vet back out.
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Can I have that lesson please? Lol. Farrier thinks he's just being an a**e. He was a bit resistant but the farrier is a big guy! Once the foot was up it stayed up. My boy has had a new rider lately and she is quite soft and I've just discovered the once in a blue moon treat tub is empty so I wonder if he's taking the mick. He is food mad and if given treats can get very pushy and resistant to do things so it's a possibility...
 
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