Horse Tripping Unusually

[Trumpet_Peformance_H]

I am asking this as I am not sure if I am being my overly analytical self or if there is an issue I need to investigate further with my vets.

Putting it simply, I have a horse that trips too frequently for normal. On perfect ground, working well and soft, and he still trips at an unusual rate. I’m not talking once every while but if we were to do approximately ten 20m circles in a row, at least 4 would have a minimum of one stumble/trip. There was even an occurrence whilst in a balanced, square halt I asked to walk on and he stumbled into a walk.

His info;

8y/o
OTTB (Off the track a year)
Well muscled, has been in dressage work for 7 months since racing
Quite long in the body and quite lanky but has matured since racing
Had 30 starts
Bodyworker did not pick anything up
Saddle fitted

He has been seemingly getting worse as his training goes on but I am not quite sure if it is me noticing it more.

Thanks

[Posting_Trot]

This is a situation where having the vet evaluate the horse is probably the best way forward.

If this were a young horse who had not done a lot of work in the ring at various gaits, etc., it could just be lack of coordination or a symptom of becoming fatigued both mentally and physically.

But this sounds like a horse with a fair bit of training and with a high level of fitness, so I doubt that would be issue.

One other possibility that you didn’t mention is what his feet look like. A horse with poorly trimmed hooves, shod or not, may end up stumbling a lot.

[beowulf]

is he shod and if so, 2 or 4? what do his feet look like? does he still have racing angles?

is he tripping up front, or is he tripping behind?

and if up front, it is when the limb is brought forward, or when it is placed down? and if it is behind, is it during the swing or stance/loading phase?

not enough information to give you much meaningful advice BUT

could be trimming / shoeing: long toes, underrun heels can make a horse trip often. unbalanced hoof can make the horse unbalanced and cause secondary issues like sore limbs/injuries.

could be something a bit more serious; weak stifles, maybe residual from the track - (a month or two of estrone usually helps) - or could be a stifle injury, or could be upper fixation of the patella…

could be cervical arthritis, which in most cases can be manageable with injections (but not curable) - and 8-10 is around the time i see it start to come out in TBs + WBs.

got a video, and pics of feet?

i do think stumbling is one of those things to pay attention to. it doesn’t warrant an emergency vet call STAT, but it does warrant some vet attention - sometimes it’s a red herring for a bigger issue that should be treated sooner rather than later. in my experience if it is not trimming related it is usually neurological; every now and then it’s a stifle issue, but for the most part, tripping often is not a good sign.

[JB]

I always start by critically evaluating the feet. Long-anything increases the odds of tripping, for a variety of reasons.

The fact that you feel he’s getting worse means it’s time to pull blood - Lyme and EPM would be the first things to check off.

How does each work session progress? I’m sure he gets tired, but is it appropriately tired, or is it a tired that doesn’t seem applicable to the work? If the latter, then I’d start testing for PSSM.

What’s his diet?

[browneyedcowgirl]

Would definitely check for EPM and Lyme. Especially this time of year, It’s a been a buggy season for use so Lyme is a high risk thing right now.

I have a mare who trips a lot if she doesn’t get trimmed regularly. She’s slightly clubbed on one of her front feet, she gets corrective trims. She also was more stumble prone in the rainy season until we put shoes on her. (It was not the mud that made her trip, but rather the moisture seemed to soften her hooves and made her more tender footed.)

So maybe a visit with the vet and farrier could help you figure out what’s happening.

[joiedevie99]

Fast track approach: Have vet out for a lameness and a neurological exam, pull blood for Lyme and EPM, and shoot hoof balance x-rays.

Slow approach: Talk to farrier about tripping problem. Get horse on a 4-5 week cycle and make sure the toe is not too long, and the breakover isn’t too far forward. See what you have 2-3 weeks after the farrier re-shoes horse.

[kiwichick]

I had a 11yo horse that had only had about 6mo under saddle his whole life and he was horrendous, I landed up near his ears on loads of occasions where he would stumble saving himself from a stumble and go to his knees. I have even have one on video where my feet went above my head!

He has been undersaddle in training now for 5 years and doesnt do it anymore, so it can be strength and balance too. But if you feel like its too much with no reason, you are probably right.