Horses tripping???

Question

My horse is ALWAYS tripping and it scares me! I'll be riding and he might slip or trip or stumble. even after he gets his feet trimmed he still trips. Once someone was riding him and he fell. not tripped but fell and his shoulders touched the ground. He;s reallllllly well behaved so it IS an accident.
>>>he is tender footed and doesn't like walking on gravel(i don't know if that makes a difference.
Thx!!(no dumb answers plz)

He;s 17 and he's been doing forever and it's getting worse and worse. he tripson everysurface-grass, dirt, not really much on gravel but he doesn't like walking on it.__and he's not shod.

He's not in pain and have ad a vet check him so a little bit of advice BESIDES that would be good. I have stopped jumping himbcuz of that.

Answer 1

What are you asking? if your asking why he keeps tripping, i'd say contact a vet, they can help you.

Answer 2

Not having shoes on will make some horses very tender footed, but this usually makes them come off a foot very fast when they step on something painful, which is different from tripping. If he has never been shod and was fine until recently, it's probably not his feet. It might be worth putting shoes on him to see if it helps, but only after you have ruled out other causes. You didn't say what breed he is, and that can make a difference in which problems are more likely. You really should address it with your vet-- if one vet told you he was fine, then call another who is more willing to look for the cause of the problem. Navicular disease is a common problem in older horses (Quarter Horses especially), and will cause a short stride and tripping, and so can many kinds of arthritis, most of which occur in the lower leg. Your vet should do flexion tests and possibly nerve blocks to try to isolate the problem. Sometimes a horse who appears to be sound because he has an even stride is actually very lame in both front legs, and blocking (numbing) one foot will make him suddenly look very lame on the other foot, when he really has been lame in both front feet all along. You are right to be scared, and you should stop riding him if he is tripping so much. It is probably uncomfortable for him and it is certainly dangerous for you, and if he falls on you you could be seriously injured or even killed. (A Grand Prix jumper rider was seriously injured a couple years ago when her horse tripped at a walk and fell on her). It's sad, but they don't last forever, and at 17 he may be due for retirement. Good Luck!!

Answer 3

Have the vet check for navicular. Tripping is a common first symptom. Then neurological issues, or muscular issues (ie EPM or EPSM).

Have the blacksmith put shoes on with rolled toes, and pads to help with the 'tenderfootedness'. Shoe every 8 weeks or less, religiously. Also, joint supplements that contain glucosamine, chondroitin & MSM will help.

It could be, on top of all that, that your horse is a tad lazy and thoughtless with his feet. Start by walking over ground poles (have a helper roll them in or out to fit your horse's stride). Then work at them at a trot. You can start with one or two, then gradually work up to 5 or 6 in a row.

Good luck.

Answer 4

In most of the horses Ive come across it is because they are too relaxed. One would fall when ever the girl rode him he sommersaulted completely over her twice. When her mom rode he wouldn't stumble once. But the mother rode much tighter (legs not reins) and kept him focused on what he was doing.

When you're walking along and you think he's starting to doze off say his name give him a squeeze to wake him then take a short quick trot to get his body perked and his mind focused. Many horses don't like the gravel it should cause the tripping you're talking about and shoes probably wouldn't help tripping. Just make sure his toes are rolled to make it easier for him and keep an eye on him as you ride. Perk him up when you need to (watch the ground ahead) and try to keep him focused as you ride. Good luck

Answer 5

I'm not exactly a horse expert, but is your horse still young? If so, his legs may still be unstable, and it might take him a while to adjust to having someone on his back... If you haven't already, try to let him run around on grass, or some soft surface. If he rarely trips without someone riding him, then to make him get used to having a burden on the back, slowly start to add more and more weight, until you think he's ready to start having people on his back. Horses can't instantly get accustomed to something. This advice is only in the case of him being young! If he's already been a riding horse, you may want to take him to a vet to see what's wrong. It could just be a small tweak in the environment that made him less stable...

Answer 6

put shoes on the front feet, paying special attention to either rolling the toes or making sure the farrier trims the toe back well. but would be a good idea to get the vet to take some xrays of his feet to make sure you don't have some navic changes that need to addressed with special shoeing. slipping from behind may require shoes with an outside trailer to give traction. he may also be experiencing some issues with his knees that will cause him not to pick up his feet enough. so yes you have had to vet out but you need to address more issues.

is he lazy? riding with a low head carriage? on loose reins? this can spell disaster for tripping. esp since you say he is tender footed. may have some sole bruising, the farrier can put hoof testers on him to help find out where he is bruised, use high impact pads to help support the feet. good luck and hope this helps

Answer 7

Have your farrier check him. If nothing wrong. Have him put shoes on with leather pads. Don't use plastic. The pads will protect him from the stones and the issue of being tender footed. He's seventeen, so he probably has arthritis, so a joint supplement should help. Have his eyes checked by a vet, he might be having trouble with his eyesight. Appaloosas are a breed that sometimes go blind in their later years. Have the vet check him for EPM. If he has EPM, they have medication that will help him get around better, so you can ride safer. A good diet, plenty of fresh water, regular worming and vacinations, coggins test, I'm assuming you are already doing.
I hope this helps for your old friend.

Answer 8

It's not uncommon for a horse to show tenderness if ridden barefoot on gravel. If you are riding your horse on the road or on rocky ground, you should have her shod by a good farrier. If she is still tender with shoes, ask your farrier to put full pads on your horses front feet. Pads go between the shoe and the hoof and cover the bottom of the feet to help protect the soles of the feet from rocks.

Work closely with your farrier and veterinarian to establish the cause and a solution for your horse's reluctance to move out, her tenderness, and her tendency to stumble.

Answer 9

Find a gaited horse farrier. I knwo this funny but for some reason, they seem to know more about tripping horses than other farriers. I think it is due to the fact that tripping is more problematic in gaited horses. They can shape his foot so that he has more support and has an easier time moveing.

Answer 10

well your horse is a little old. he could be having trouble with his joints. sometimes when they have joint problems they trip. some horses are just cluttsy (how do you spell that?) and trip a lot. some horses are on there forehand so they trip. start giving him a joint supplement and see if the tripping stops or gets better. is it doesn't (i know you don't want to hear this) call the vet. they call ussually find out whats wrong and fix it. (i know you don't want to hear this ethier)your horse might be old and ready to retire.

Answer 11

A friend's horse I ride does that (front hooves only), too. She is re-shoed regularly, and the farrier has even trimmed her hooves differently. Everyone is of the opinion she is just lazy & does not pick her feet up high enough. I am starting to believe this because she does it way more often when we ride away from the barn or trailer - as soon as we head back, she rarely or never stumbles. She also then brings her head up higher & has more hustle in her stride. Hmmmm.

So that working to get her head up advice from a previous poster sounds like a good idea!