trippy cob-any advice

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redemption

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my cob is very trippy in trot,he has always been clumsy but his trips are getting quite bad over the last month.he has a history of problems at this time of year so i'm taking that into consideration.he has had his teeth checked and has been shod properly.i considered his back but after refusing to jump on thursday he bucked for england so i think i can rule that out lol. he also leans on my hands in trot,he is not strong as in forward going but leans heavily on my hands until his nose is almost on the ground. any ideas or advice greatly appreciated
 
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Erm, why after bucking and refusing and with his nose on the ground would you rule his back out? It screams back issues, ill-farrier work possibly and discomfort somewhere to me...

Dreaded N word? What does your vet think?
 
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his feet have only just been done by a farrier recamennded to me and fully qualified. he often refuses to jump,has always been hitty missy at jumping since a bad fall years ago and he bucks when he refuses as he knows he'll get smacked. he never bucks at any other time
 
I would also think about getting his back and saddle checked.

Getting him off the forehand so he is not leaning on your hands would help too - he is more likely to trip up if all his weight is on the front end.

Does he trip all the time or just when going downhill? On all surfaces? Is he well balanced generally?
 
How old is he? If he is young it could be a case of learning to carry himself properly and lack of balance and confidence causing problems. If he is an older horse possibly arthritis or even navicular could be behind his tripping. I would definitely get his back checked properly. Most horses will buck when their backs hurt.It is their way of trying to say get off it hurts too much. Also another thing to consider is saddle fit. Has his saddle been checked properly? It could be interfering with his shoulder and preventing him moving forwards correctly or causing pressure giving him a sore back making him buck.
 
having just seen your comment about only bucking when jumping I wonder if this is a saddle fit issue. As I said above if it is interfering with his shoulder preventing him going forwards jumping will almost certainly be very uncomfortable for him.
 
he is 15 now na dhas always been very clumsy when trotting. he walks ok and canters not a problem it's just in trot. he has had back problems but isn't showing any signs of those using the exercises the vet gave me to check. he seems to trip more when he's not really paying attention to what hes doing,he's not lame and trips on most surfaces. he's built down hill so is very on the forehand
 
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Then I think I would get him paying attention to you and get him off the forehand.

I would still get his back and saddle checked if you haven't done so in the last 6 months esp as has a history of back problems and if his weight has changed with the grass his saddle might be pinching him somewhere and causing him to not carry himself properly and trip.

I assume he is tripping with front legs and not back legs?
 
yes it's his front legs. he isn't lame on either foot and trips worse when ridden,when i watch him in the field (which is uneven and downhill) he doesnt trip much at all
 
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Work on straightness.

If the horse isn't straight, it throws out a shoulder and then the leg is 'dragged' through after it and the horse trips - well thats my (well earned, I have a cob who used to trip) experience.

This would especially tie up the fact that you say it is worse when he is distracted, which by definition would be when he wasn't straight.

Also, work on keeping him focussed at all times and getting him off his forehand.
 
yeah he doesn't always go straight so that could be the problem. he trots fine on a flat level road surface but when hes focusing on the other horses we are with in front of him then he has a tendency to trip.any ideas on keeping him focused
 
are you sure he is well shod?
My cob trips (he doesn't pay attention is the chief problem and is never looking where he is going) and my farrier's apprentice shod him last time, and cut his toes back WAY more than usual, and he's been brilliant. He reckoned it was also partly a foot shape issue.
 
yes i'm sure he is well shod. he's just been done by a different but better farrier who has taken him down two shoe sizes and shaped his feet properly,he said he'd taken a lot of toe off as it was way too long
 
we had a fab ride out today,did loads of trotting and not a trip at all. with some help from a friedn i rode out with we decided that i am trying to 'carry' my horse for fear of him tripping so i loosened my reins and allowed him to carry himself and he was fab. he needs work o make him use his back end in stead of using his front end all of the time. i feel more confident and happier with him today :D
 
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