Horse constantly trips

[Barbaraj]

I am about at my wits end. I have an 11 year old gelding. He was extensively trail ridden in the mountains, & has always worn shoes because of the rocky terrain. I had his shoes removed when I had him shipped to Florida, as our ground is all sand. He developed an absessed hoof & was laid off work for a bit. The hoof is now fine. While trail riding he did a bit of stumbling at the beginning, (minor), but he eventually stumbled so bad that he went down on both front knees. I really haven't ridden him since for fear of seiously hurting him. He will also stumble at a walk in hand. I have had his legs x-rayed. No problems. Had the vet check him for any soreness or flexor problems. Nothing wrong! His feet are trimmed every 5 weeks as he grows a toe rather quickly. The only thing else I can think of trying is glue on shoes to see if it helps. Has anyone ever had this problem & could you offer any advice? I really need this corrected as he is a very super trail horse, & we're too old get get hurt. Thanks for any help or suggestions.

[Just Shoe It]

Why "Glue on shoes" ?

[Rick Burten]

Can you post some pics of his feet from the side, front, back and sole view? Also an overall conformation picture from the side and rear.

Generally speaking, constant stumbling/tripping is a definition of lameness and/or heel pain which may be clinical or sub-clinical.

Has anything else changed that might affect the saddle fit? Have his teeth been checked to see if they need floating? Is he carrying himself any differently since the shoes have been removed? Does he stumble when he is out in the paddock or field? Has anyone considered neurological issues?

[Barbaraj]

Yes, his teeth have been floated. I have a video of him in motion from before I purchased him out of NC. My farrier has even viewed it & sees no previous problems. I even contacted the original owner & discussed the problem, & the stumbling is new to them. Saddle fit is fine. I have very light hands & sit correctly. I was considering glue on shoes, since his abcess was caused by bacteria in the old nail holes, & he really doesn't need shoes where I ride. ( soft sugar sand & no gravel, rocks, etc.) The thought for glue-ons was bascally to see if the added weight to the front feet would create any significant difference.

[Rick Burten]

The soft sand may be a player. If he is getting even a little out of synchronization because his front end is getting deep into the footing, then that could be causing him to alter his stride just enough to cause stumbling. Or not :( .

[Barbaraj]

So, do you think that trying the glue on shoes temporairily may be in order? If I try them, & the stumbling stops, it might give me an inkling on what next steps I should take.

[Barbaraj]

Rick, do you think that since Ranger is a bit heavier now ( from not as much work ), that he may be heavier on the front end, & that could be a problem?

[Phil Armitage]

I am a little currious, why not shoe him the way he was when he was good in the mountains?

[calshoer]

He may need some adjustment in the trim, or he may need shoes. mPictures
If he is stumbling he is probably consistantly landing toe first. Have someone walk him on hard flat ground (a driveway) and watch his feet land from the front and sides . If he lands toe first, you probably have some foot issues that need to be resolved.
If he lands toe first, I also would bet the ratios of the bearing surface (the sole surface ) of the foot are off....
that is there is more distance from the widest part of the foot (about an inch back from the tip of the trimmed frog) forward to the breakover point (where the natural roll is in the toe) than there is from the widest part of the foot back to wherever the heels end.

The distance in the back of the foot from the widest part should be longer than to the front.
An underrun or too tall heel is often a contributor to the ratios being wrong. Be sure those heels are getting trimmed. Trimming them back lengthens the whole back of the foot AND engages the frog into the ground better. AND often lines the bones inside the foot up better as the frog can better support the coffin joint.
There are also nerve receptors in the back of the foot that help the horse reach out to the full length of his stride and land heel first, and good frog contact to the ground is part of that.

Many farriers leave too much heel in an honest but misguided attempt to try to make up for the optical illusion of a low angle, due to a run forward toe. . Long heels actually keep driving the toes forward. The bone is often at a much taller angle inside the foot than the farrier thinks.
If the farrier is letting the heels grow, trying to make up for the toes, he could be inadvertantly causing some of the very problem he is trying to fix.

As well ,if your horse perhaps has some foot weakness, such a lack of cartilage inside, he may need more bone support up through the back of his frogs than can be attained barefoot. Perhaps shoes and frog support pads. Shoes can be beneficial if correctly used, to bring the breakover point further under the foot andf add support in various places. They are not just for protection. Shoes can also be used to move the breakover point of the toe further under the foot than can be safely done barefoot.
So there are several things to look at and consider.
Pics would help a lot.

[Phil Armitage]

Hey Patty how come when you say if there is a toe first landing it might be because of lameness or foot problems, nobody accuses you of reading too much and not enough experience? Just wondering :rolleyes: Like Jaye or someone? Maybe Jaye will bet you.

[calshoer]

Hey Patty how come when you say if there is a toe first landing it might be because of lameness or foot problems, nobody accuses you of reading too much and not enough experience? Just wondering Like Jaye or someone? Maybe Jaye will bet you.
I dunno. Maybe the grey spiky hair gives me an air of credibilty.... I've been waiting for some owner I have said that to to post the sole pictures here to settle the bet. :rolleyes:
Patty

[smitty88]

I am about at my wits end. I have an 11 year old gelding. He was extensively trail ridden in the mountains, & has always worn shoes because of the rocky terrain. I had his shoes removed when I had him shipped to Florida, as our ground is all sand. He developed an absessed hoof & was laid off work for a bit. The hoof is now fine. While trail riding he did a bit of stumbling at the beginning, (minor), but he eventually stumbled so bad that he went down on both front knees. I really haven't ridden him since for fear of seiously hurting him. He will also stumble at a walk in hand. I have had his legs x-rayed. No problems. Had the vet check him for any soreness or flexor problems. Nothing wrong! His feet are trimmed every 5 weeks as he grows a toe rather quickly. The only thing else I can think of trying is glue on shoes to see if it helps. Has anyone ever had this problem & could you offer any advice? I really need this corrected as he is a very super trail horse, & we're too old get get hurt. Thanks for any help or suggestions.



a little bit late on this just seen the thread now
i was asked to shoe a cob once the owner

said the farrier dident take enough off in front
he had been shod a week

the cob came down on the road twice with the kid
on board

i had a look at the feet took the two fronts shoes off
lowered the heels slightly and put on 2 sizes up on him

the farrier that shod him a week ago took two much
off the cob couldent find his toe in turn was triping

he never triped again

[Hoofangler]

Here's one that happened to me : I was shoeing a horse for years. Same deal- started tripping and stumbling. I tried all types of contrivances to fix the problem but, no deal. Then he started to trip in hand so, had him vetted -twice. The second vet that came said he might have clogged tear ducts, took a syringe with some tubing and squirted saline(I think) right out through his tear ducts.
Guess the end result. No more stumbling. Now, this is the only time I've ever heard of this before or since but, who knows.

Regards,
Mike

[huntseatndressage]

Here's one that happened to me : I was shoeing a horse for years. Same deal- started tripping and stumbling. I tried all types of contrivances to fix the problem but, no deal. Then he started to trip in hand so, had him vetted -twice. The second vet that came said he might have clogged tear ducts, took a syringe with some tubing and squirted saline(I think) right out through his tear ducts.
Guess the end result. No more stumbling. Now, this is the only time I've ever heard of this before or since but, who knows.

Regards,
MikeFrom what I understand, clogged tear ducts can affect the sinuses, which when irritated can affect balance; similar to a sinus infection in humans.

[Hoofangler]

HS&D,

Thanks, that makes perfect sense. I have found that the longer I do this the more I find that stumbling is the result of some factor other than shoeing (unless there is a lameness, etc.). I guess it shows we always have to look at the whole package and not just the knees down.

Mike