Tripping horse saga continues... do I throw in the towel?

[Archangel]

I posted a while ago about my horse that is an occasional extreme tripper. He trips over nothing and can't seem to save himself. Yesterday we are trotting in a flat field and then suddenly he is going going gone, we both hit the deck and I am concussed (again) but he is OK.

Vet and Farrier both say they haven't seen anything like it and suggest driving or competitive ploughing

He is 14, a very heavy type (10.5inches of bone) and has an inoperable kissing spine. But he goes beautifully, much better than you would think his conformation or KS would allow, he is all power and lightness. His actual falls are rare, 3 times in 5 years but we have had lots of 'good recoveries' that could have gone on to be falls.

However, after yesterday I felt for the first time that enough was enough. He always falls when I think he is going his best, I never push him, just make the most of what he is offering. He is very happy to be ridden was already coming back over to find me yesterday when I was getting up off the deck.

I really don't know what to do.

Would you keep going or take up ploughing?

 

[Rueysmum]

Wouldn't want him to go down while pulling a trap/cart - could be very nasty. If he were mine I'd just keep him as a pet (but I've already got a hugely spoiled FO).

Is it the KS touching on a nerve in his back which causes the tripping?

 

[Creaturescape]

Very dangerous extreme tripping, both for you and your horse. I think I would consider retiring him as a companion.

 

[Archangel]

Yes, I have already ruled out driving, I wouldn't feel safe with him, plus I actually find it quite scary

.

Re the touching nerve, we have videoed him being ridden and he does not appear to change his carriage or expression at all. He is not a horse given to nervous tension but he will let you know when he is not happy, when the vet manipulated his back during diagnosis of KS he took the roof off the stables.

 

[eahotson]

For what its worth I had a horse that could trip badly over apparently nothing. Vet said just lazy.I also had a badly fitting saddle which (he camefrom a riding school) he had been extensively ridden in. Saddle fitter sugested I had physio out to his back and an unexpected side effect of this is that he stopped tripping!!!!!! Don't know if any of this is any help to you.

 

[R2R]

How often does it happen, and what is the ground like/feet done?

My 22 year old cobby type trips if he goes over 5 weeks being shod.

Hope concussion gets better xxx

 

[Flame_]

Get him driving. If you don't want to drive him, there'll be a queue of people who do.

 

[mtj]

if you have had all the checks done, and possibly second opinions, then imho it will be safer for both of you if you retire the horse.

I have ahorrible image in my mind of a horse falling between the shafts. just not worth it

 

[only_me]

Tripping comes from being too much on forehand, which could be due to overload in shoulder which is over compensating for the bAck which can't deal with the workload due to KS.

Get a physio out to check his shoulder as it could be very sore

 

[tasteofchristmaschaos]

Don't mean to be an omen of doom but my old mare used to trip occasionally for no reason, she was later diagnosed with tie-up and ringbone.

 

[Natch]

Frankie used to trip and fall over, better schooling off the forehand helped enormously. It might be catch 22, and that because you are not working him properly he is more prone to tripping.

What does your vet think?

 

[OrangeEmpire]

My TB with ataxia from arthritis in his neck occaisionally 'looses' his right hind leg when trotting. I think it is a momentary dip in the nerve signals to his hind leg which makes the leg forget to lift at the end of its stride. Because it is a hind leg it is an uncomfortable sensation and takes us a few strides to get his legs organised again but it doesn't make us fall and it hasn't stopped him from being ridden. His happiness and wellness depend on being kept to a certain level of fitness so the pressure is on to keep him active. I should just add that the better I ride him the more balanced he is and the less it happens meaning that now it is only very rare.

In your situation where you both are ending up on the floor I think you need to consider whether you can help him. Not allowing them to rush or bumble along is very important as their awareness of their feet seems to be poor. Perhaps before writing him off completely you can decide whether it is just trot that is a problem, whether by doing shorter bursts with walk transitions will keep him balanced and therefore less likely to forget his feet or finally whether this is more serious and is actually a temporary paralysis in which case your and his safety is paramount and you should try to find something else to do with him, be it retiring or groundwork or whatever.

I think of my horse as a 'special needs' horse

and his workload is peculiar to him to avoid the things that make him uncomfortable and do lots of the things he loves.

And finally (!) just to add that I worked my horse in walk only for ages (a year+) when he was first diagnosed as he just wasn't right in the other gaits. Kept him happy as he could school and hack and kept me happy because we were safe. There are lots of things you can do in walk to challenge you both.

Good luck, I hope you find a way to continue having fun with your horse!

 

[skewby]

Mine does this unless his feet are really short. I switched to a different farrier last year and we fell over when warming up in the XC fields. Thought nothing of it until we did it again the next week, except this time going bloody fast over a fence - I got catapulted about 8 feet onto my face and he had a horrendous fall. I was concussed and he was v sore. Told new farrier to take feet back and all was fine. Then recently he's done it again, and a few weeks back tripped after a fence on perfectly good ground, was not on his forehand (I will not jump that way any more!) and I have decided to go back to old farrier.

Mine, like yours (by the sound of it) has an awful lot of junk in front. Vet started talking navicular but I know it's his feet. New farrier just shoes longer. Have asked old farrier to come back and we should be fine then. I do hope you get it sorted as he sounds a terrific sort, don't give up on him!!

 

[honeymum]

We retired Honey due to her tripping, she was only used as a light hack or driving in a lightweight trap but would trip over nothing, on the road, in the field, in the school and also between the shafts of her trap!
All back, teeth and tack checked, no problems, our vet and farrier hadn't seen anything like it either. She is now a very happy field ornament, so personally I would retire him as a companion.

 

[Archangel]

Gosh, lots of interesting replies, thank you everyone.

My new farrier does shoe with longer toes and I was sure the tripping (hind in particular) had got worse. However, this time the feet are very short (largely due to old farrier turning up for a natter). I might try moving towards working him unshod.

We haven't had a lesson since his KS was diagonised so I'm going to book us in for an assessment just to make sure I am not sitting there thinking he is wonderful when in fact he is burying himself with every stride. The trainer is going to have a fit when we swish in all fur and feather!

Orange Empire - I was really interested in what you said, I did wonder if his hind leg trips were to do with some sort of signaling problem from the nerves. We did in fact try the more frequent walk transitions this morning - and it found both of us out. Hence the booking in for the assessment! Ha!

So I am going for the combined approach - physio and assessment and see what that throws up, Retirement will be a huge blow, I already have two oldies retired - I am starting a collection.

The biggest problem is getting people (namely vet and farrier) to take it seriously, they tend to think he is a clumsy great oaf (which we get the huff over) just because he has a bit of feather.

So watch this space!

Skewby, your fall sounded horrific. I'm glad you got it sorted!

 

[Cuffey]

First thing to try is farrier rolling the toes and probably shortening time between shoeings
Exercises at walk over poles on the ground with alternate ends raised a few inches--just teaching him where his feet are.
Carrot stretches etc before riding to supple him.
Sure lots of others will have ideas for physio exercises
Obviously making sure saddle is not affecting him

Good luck--I can remember chatting away on a hack many years ago and next second horse was going down think he dropped asleep, never did it before or again.