tripping help please

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jennifer83

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I have a heavy weight cob 15'1 and 18 years old. My problem is well as above, now this doesn't seam to be happening all the time but mostly on uneven surfaces. I took him in the jumping field to night and he tripped about 10 times this is really starting to get me down. His feet are very good, his back is fine. His saddle fits properly. He can be very lazy do you think this maybe the problem?
He always trips with the the front legs hardly ever in trot mostly in walk? Am i riding him wrong am i causing this? He does not appear lame ? He looks really good for his age and his weight is good. He is not picking his feet up properly its almost like he is scraping his toes on the ground then getting them caught.
Please help me I'm worried many thanks.
 
It really depends how 'uneven' the ground is you are working him on! If it is hard and rutted, it is not surprising that he is tripping imo!!
 
How is he up and down hills? Tripping can be a sign of arthritis, and if he is lame in both fronts he'll look sounder than he really is. Do you have any bute you could try for a couple of days to see if there's an improvement? Hopefully it might be a farrier issue, but if it continues get the vet out just to check.
 
Be aware hun that tripping and stumbling in an older horse that often goes on its forehand can be disguising bilateral front foot lameness. Do you know if the horse has been used in a riding school or trekking centre ever? Safe, sane horses are worth their weight in gold to such centres and they often do a lot of work with complete beginners because they are so safe. Unfortunately, complete beginners don't know how to get a horse using itself properly and coming off its forehand. The end result of years and years of going on the forehand can be djd and navicular syndrome, worse in the front feet. The problem is, when BOTH front feet hurt the same amount, you don't see any lameness. But nerve block one foot and the result can be shocking as the horse will immediately go dog lame in the other foot. Tripping and stumbling, especially on uneven ground or going downhill is a classic sign of bilateral front foot lameness. My 20 yr old Highland x started stumbling and - long story - but I eventually took him to a specialist centre for a full lameness work up and once nerve blocked, the reason for the stumbling was very very easy to see.
 
Tripping was the first sign of arthritis in my old Welsh D Taffs, I would be thinking of having a vet take a look. At least then you can put your mind at rest and know either that he is just tripping or if there is a problem have it sorted the best you can. Good luck x
 
As far as reasons for tripping go you have given in your description of your horse many of them. Older heavy horse = potential arthritis, the main one that stands out to me though is lazyness. Lazy horses dont pick their feet up which could be the exact reason that you are noticing him tripping on uneven ground but no where else. Does he work on his forehand? The other thing that stood out to me was your description of his gate, he sounds like he is not flexing his knees which could very well mean arthritis.

I would get your vet out to check him for this and then

You could talk to your farrier about rolling his toes but i dont think this will help much if he is only doing it on uneven ground (only if its only lazyness related, the answer will be different if its due to arthritis or lameness). As the rolled toes change the breakover point (as would NB shoes thanks chestnuttymare) the horse breaks over sooner and these alleviates preassure on the knees which is generally where you would see arthritis. It would not be as effective on uneven ground however where the breakover point is dictated by where the horse has placed his foot at the time! If the tripping is arthritis related then do get your farrier to roll his toes as this helps take pressure off his knees, and will make him more comfortable even when he isnt tripping. Again though they may not make much difference on uneven going.

It can potenitally help with lazy horses to get them to pick their feet up faster but i would be reluctant to roll a horses toes just because its lazy as then its not actually a problem with the feet. And if the horse isnt picking his feet up enough to clear the ruts he may have stood in which is why he tripped.

Tripping can be a sign of arthritis. It could also be that the horse is due for shoeing and/or the toes are too long.

If your horse is only tripping on uneven ground though it could just be because the ground is hard and uneven.
 
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oh dear now I'm worried he did do a year and a half at a ridding school. The old boy is worth his weight i will get to the bottom of this. He isn't lifting or flexing the knee properly which is causing the dragging of the toe (but this isn't all the time). i have just called my vet so waiting for them to get back to me
 
Good idea to get the vet. Most likely cause imo is NOT laziness but lack of suppleness and range of movement because he is getting older. 18yo horses just cant be as supple and mobile as 8 year olds. Dont panic about the arthritis, many horses have it and still manage a good quality of life and being ridden. But you really do need to get the vet to do a thorough assessment, even x rays so you can manage the horse accordingly both with his care and nutrition and riding him.
 
Hugs from Norway and huge positive vibes heading your way Jennifer83! Don't think the worse before you are there! It could be early stages and you will see a huge improvment on meds/supps. You can only deal with it when you know, easy to say but stressing and worrying will just tear you apart. Let us know how you get on wen the vet has called out x
 
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