Skipping at the trot

[nativehiro]

Attached video below.
I have a coming 5 year old ottb that I purchased fairly new off the track about a year and a half ago with 4 slow starts. I myself am getting back into riding after kids so bare with me
I slowly worked him right away with a lot of hacking around the trials and small short rides in the ring (he was only 3 at the time). Within a few months he started this hopping/skipping when asked to move forward in the trot. I mentioned to previous owner and she said he did that with her for a bit but worked out of it so she thought it was just a growing phase. Mind you he passed PPE (I did opt out of X-rays since he barely raced and was only 3) only issue he had was glute soreness which he still presents to the touch.
I had several vets look at him. One said pulling himself like that is his shoulder. The other was a track vet who thought EPM so we did a round of meds plus injected the stifles but that really didn’t do anything. And the last vet thought it was hocks and to do a round of adequen. Even though he tracks up he kind of shuffles along. He did present NPA in the X-rays. Very long toes under-run heels in all four feet which we are working on. I gave him a small winter break that year to continue to grow. In the spring trail rode an tons and lots and lots of pole work and it went almost away. Maybe one skip here and there around a corner. Trainer said it looks like bridle lameness but he does it on the lunge too. We took him to a few schooling shows and he placed well for movement so I really can’t say if it’s a fitness issue or a lameness issue but it’s driving me nuts that I’m about to just drop the money on taking him to a clinic nearby. He’s my first baby/ottb so I’m not familiar with phases they can go through and was hoping he be growing out of it by now.
This last winter was rough and he was inside a lot and I didn’t get to ride him as much but coming back to slow work he’s doing it again.

The vet who thought hocks comes out this week for shots so I might just ask her again and get some X-rays done.

Feb 23’

Nike Feb

Round pen skips

pen 5/23

This past week with some canter work

April 2, 2024

[endlessclimb]

The ridden ones are mostly front end. It looks like the step before a canter transition.

The round pen ones are both front and back, and look more weird.

Did you ask for that lead change at the end of the indoor arena ridden video? He seems… weird behind. Weakness or something.

[nativehiro]

Nope… he does that when I use my inside leg to keep him going either direction. Fairly new to canter work so I don’t do many circles. I will make him correct himself so he doesn’t think swapping means stopping.

[endlessclimb]

He’s 5. You’re well past the time where you can be employing 20m or 15m circles to help encourage him to step under and balance himself. He’s not a baby-baby anymore.

What happens if you take up more of a connection, instead of letting him bomb around on the forehand? What happens if you set up a line of trot poles to get him to actually have to engage?

Does he always scuff his hind toes on the ground?

[nativehiro]

If I pick up some contact he’ll bring his head down and I can feel his back lift but he still pulls the right leg along the sand. He’s always been that way. I might bring up the SI joint to the vet just to kind of put the bug in her ear. it
With him having such terrible feet when I got him and sore glutes, there might be some pain response happening from there with the random hops.

You can see here how out of wack his hind end when I got him vs now. I just thought he was butt high from growing.

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[RedHorses]

You said he had, and still has glute soreness - I wonder if he has low grade PSSM.

[endlessclimb]

Head down is not the only response to taking up contact. Again, he’s 5. He should be in a training/first level frame right now, easily. You don’t have to keep him there the whole ride obviously, but he should be learning to carry his weight more appropriately at this age. 5 minutes, stretch for 2-3 minutes, repeat. Then lengthen the time you’re asking him to sit a little.

I’d do sets of pole work, get him working over his back and off his forehand, and be introducing lateral work and lots of figures.

This issue is not severe enough to go injecting willy-nilly. He’s lacking in baseline carrying strength. Work on that for 6 months, then see what you have.

[IPEsq]

Under saddle, he is thinking he would rather just canter than push more in the trot. This is not unusual but also doesn’t mean something isn’t sore.

In the round pen, he is just threatening a bit with his butt—he turns it towards the pressure before the hops. I think he is just contemplating kicking out to your go forward aids from the ground. I don’t think it’s related except that he’d rather not power on more in the trot.

[TWH_Girl]

I’m no expert but weakness behind, toe dragging, a few stumbles and the way he carries his head and swings it around looks a lot like my horse with some mild cervical arthritis. That could be a possibility to check out with X-rays.

[nativehiro]

Hmm maybe I will bring that up the vet as well. When we tack up he really stretches out his neck like he’s self stretching. Did you have anything done to help it?

[JBCool]

Just wanted to say I hope you get it sorted out because I love him! He reminds me a lot of a TB I had. Not to derail the thread, but what is his breeding? Just curious.

[TWH_Girl]

We did injections when he was at the clinic. They have helped about 75% but he still has some hind end weakness so we are trying to decipher if stifles are at play. It’s so hard to tell.

You can test his neck flexibility by doing carrot stretches to both sides and between his front legs to see how easily he can reach. I offer little cookies or bites of carrots as incentive.
Maybe try tail pulls too to see how he resistant he is.
My horse also does the head flinging on the lunge which to me, says it is something other than a riding issue and therefore worthy of further investigation.

[nativehiro]

Thanks! He’s got the best personality so I am trying to do right by him without breaking my bank account
His dad is Airforce Blue and his mom is out of Animal Kingdom.

[nativehiro]

I will talk to my vet Friday about that. I was thinking neck with the way he will go around quietly then just fling up like something pinched him. He’s terrible with carrot stretches so that makes sense.

[JBCool]

Well, rats, no connection. I was a little excited at first when I saw Airforce Blue bc mine was by Cape Canaveral so I thought maybe a link there, but no. For entertainment tho, here is why I asked

[endlessclimb]

Gorgeous!

OP, you’ve got a super nice horse too. Even if he wants to go around in that hunter frame, you’ve got to encourage him to sit back and balance a bit more. I would spend zero more dollars on the vet re: this issue until I put 6 months of concentrated and focused fitness work on him, and see where you end up.

[nativehiro]

Wow he is gorgeous! How old? I hope we can get going it’s definitely a chicken and the egg with our training because I need work on myself and I know green horse and green riders aren’t a good mix but his personality just couldn’t be beat. Unfortunately my area doesn’t have a huge option with trainers unless you want to do barrels/western.

[fivestrideline]

My 4 year old does something similar when I first ask him to pick up the trot - he’s JUST starting work out of the pasture though, so far less fit than yours should be.

I hope you figure it out, and I’m following with interest. I think my horse is just super unfit, so I’m curious what yours looks like with some focused fitness work.

[JBCool]

I guess he was about 8 in that pic? He was a 2005 foal. Unfortunately, no longer with us, but boy did we all (including him) try.

ETA, I just found an old video of my guy and gosh, do they ever look and move alike!

[Kyrabee]

His front heels look quite contracted and under run in the second standing picture. I know…not hoof pics but the way the tubules are growing makes me wonder wonder if he gets a twinge in the heel now and then.

I second endlessclimb. He needs to be put to work. Just cruising around on a long rein isn’t going to improve anything. I’m not saying cram him together and go but he needs to move forward more from the leg into the connection so he engages his core and works better through the back. I would try that first.

Susan