Young horse not picking feet up when ridden

horseriderdeb

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31 October 2006
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Has anyone got any suggestions of exercises I can do when riding my young heavy horse. He is not picking his feet up in trot and yesterday tripped in the menage and went down on his knees. I ended up on his neck and have pulled muscles in my neck, knee and calf. Did manage to get back in the saddle without coming off.

If anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate them. Have done trotting poles and he still doesn't pick his feet up properly over them
 

Steorra

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He sounds like he is just young and unbalanced, but the tripping is not safe for you or him. You could try doing lots of ground work with the aim of showing him where his feet are. Loose schooling and a bit of lunging will get him used to working on a surface.

In hand practice go, stop and turn until he is quick to respond. Then practice moving him over - like a loose turn on the forehand but with his back legs crossing. Make sure to move him forward after a couple of steps and give lots of encouragement.

If he is confident walking over poles, try walking him between two parallel poles a metre apart, then narrow the gap and try again. Build a little maze for him to walk through like this:

I I
/ /
I I

Try lunging him over a pole on the ground in walk then in trot. Then try a slightly raised pole, then three in a line, then five. This will help with suppleness and coordination.

When riding I would do lots of hacking in straight lines for now. Lots of transitions will help him learn to carry himself, and you can try the sideways steps once you have taught them on the ground. Remember that he is a baby and will get tired and distracted quickly so do a little work often, give him lots of encouragement and praise when he gets something right, and try to end on a good note.

There are physical reasons why a horse can start tripping, and if the problem continues I would look into them. Foot balance is a significant one, so you could mention the problem to your farrier and see what he advises. Poor saddle fit causes discomfort which can change a horse's way of going, so that might also be worth looking into.

Good luck :)
 
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