So I have a 15 year old mare that is a Morgan. I’ve been riding her for about 4 years and have owned her the past 2. Since I’ve been riding she cross canters after fences when doing a course. It’s never the same cross canter lead she picks. This past winter she was tough to get moving inside and we tried red cell but that just made her more spooky. When we got outside she is more forward but not like she use to be. She is currently on a joint supplement that seems to help but she still cross canters between fences and it can be any fence, cross rail or straight rail. She also drops her hind to a trot when turning at shows not at home. She always picks it right back up but I cannot hold her hind in a canter when jumping at shows.
Before thinking the worst here, and neuro is bad, are you working with a trainer regularly? Often our riding technique needs improvement when things like this happen repeatedly.
Hows your flatwork? Possibly she needs to be straighter and ahead of your leg to stay balanced and you aren’t able to get that done. Does she do it with everybody who rides her or just you?
How’s your footing? If she’s doing a lot of jumping barefoot she could have tender soles or something. Worth looking into.
Thank you for that. I’d rather not think its neuro. We have a training session once a week. She does it with anyone who gets on though. She does have tender soles when she gets a trim for about a week and then she’s okay. Putting shoes on has been a thought but it’s her hind that is weird when jumping and one would think her front would bother her too if it’s tender soles
I understand not wanting to think something is terribly wrong (and it probably isn’t), but if lameness exams have ruled out hind end issues like hocks, stifles or SI, and if the mare has the same issue with different riders, then looking at a possible neurological cause would be the next logical step. I spent thousands of dollars and shed many tears trying to figure out what was wrong with a horse who had vaguely similar symptoms before a simple, inexpensive neuro exam pointed us toward the root cause of her problems.
Have you taken her to a clinic for the lameness exams? In my experience, you will save in the long run by going to a specialist with lots of experience in diagnosing these types of issues.
At the same time, I would definitely see if shoes (hind too) help. I don’t think a horse should be tender footed for a week after a trim.
Fwiw, when I pulled jets hind shoes, he would cross canter and try to break to a trot because he is tender footed. And he is normally a horse that is go,go,go and would normally be thrilled to canter. Put shoes back on and he was back to normal. So since you know the horse can be tender footed, try getting shoes and see what you have.
I would be fairly pissed off if my horse was sore for even a second after trims, much less a week. I often ride my two both right after they are trimmed and reshod. The last time a farrier made my horse sore was the last time that particular one worked for me- my current farrier would be horrified if he trimmed a horse into soreness.
So perhaps have a talk with your farrier about two things: one, not trimming her so short; and two, putting shoes on all four. Swapping behind could very well be a reaction to discomfort and your mare trying to rebalance herself. If she is weak behind shoes will help stabilize her, and proper flatwork to build strength (which is a whole other topic) will hopefully complete the circle.
Oddly enough when I did a full workup on my mare and injected her hocks, she then started cross cantering on the landing after a big effort, which was sorta odd to me. It did go away eventually but she would do it every now and then…never a big deal, she’d fix it herself within a stride or two, but I thought it was strange she DIDN’T do it before her hocks were done, but did after.
Based on her age and based on this description, my very first thought is pain. I would particularly be looking at stifles and hocks.
I know you said she has had a vet exam, but just because one vet couldn’t find anything, I would keep looking. Second opinions never hurt. Also, what “caliber” was the vet you used? Was this someone who is a lameness specialist, or just a general equine vet? There certainly is a knack to finding out subtle lameness problems with a horse.
How long has your horse been jumping? At age 15, I would at least do baseline hock x-rays if you have not done so, to see if there is any fusion.
Does she cross canter out on the pasture at her own liberty? Because it’s repeatable with several riders, it points more to a physical problem than a training problem.
[QUOTE=Smiles3;8218676]
She does have tender soles when she gets a trim for about a week and then she’s okay [/QUOTE]
A week?
In my opinion, after a trim, my horse shouldn’t be tender for even one step. I would either have a discussion with your farrier or be finding a new one.
Horses can have one problem in the body that creates other problems elsewhere. For example, if she does have thin soles that hurts when she lands the jump, maybe the only way she can “absorb” some of the pain is to quickly scramble her back feet to the ground as quick as she can, which could make her cross canter. Just a thought.
Regardless of any other issue, it seems you do have a blacksmith issue. You horse should not be tender footed after a trim. A week of sore footedness is practically cruelty. Does he know she is sore that long? How often do you have her done?
