My 3yo unicorn is a compact girl with a huuuuge step. We started off with tendon boots and bell boots, but where she hit herself was in the pasterns. So I swapped out the bell boots for a pair of Equifit pasterns wraps. But now one of them is rubbing. 
Our farrier has made adjustments to her trim that has helped bunches, but probably not quite enough to eliminate the need for protecting those pasterns. Any other options? Iād like to keep her in light work this year, but hate that sheās hurting herself.
~ Are you washing the Equifits often enough?
~ Can they be trimmed to fit better?
~ Maybe try vet wrap underneath?
~ Or something wider, like this: https://www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk/p_ā¦-pastern-wrap~ ?
Wash after each ride. Width looks correctā¦but not as wide as the Mark Todd one from your link. Equifit actually makes a wider size. The Vet Wrap suggestion is interestingā¦but I think it might just bunch up.
The conventional thinking is the forging is due to the hind feet āover reachingā and hitting the fronts.
I would offerā¦based on advice from a Cadre Noir trainerā¦that over reaching is due to the front feet not getting out of the way of the hinds.
Eg., the reason for forging is that the rider is holding the horse back and the front feet canāt get out of the way of the hinds.
If the horse does not forge at liberty or on the lunge (off a caveson or halter with no side reins) then the answer is that something the rider is doing is restricting the horseās front end from moving.
2 Likes
pluvinelā¦sheās 3. These are very basic rides. Agreed about the essential facts about what overreach entails, but this is not a ārider holding the horse backā issue.
Eggsactlyā¦very basic ridesā¦so what is the rider doing with the reins?
I am just conveying information that was given to me by a highly qualified trainerā¦that worked on a horse who forges.
My observation is that some people are intimidated by a young horseās big forward movement and its inherent lack of balance carrying a rider.
And thus the rider tries to ācontrolā the horse by holding the reins restricting the natural forward movementā¦or the rider thinks they are āhelpingā the horse with the reins.
One needs to allow the horse to find its own balance with minimum restriction on its forward movementā¦which can be rather scary at timesā¦as one weaves around, like a drunken sailor, with minimal steering control.
This is the pot calling the kettle blackā¦ Rest assured, I feel your pain.
I am facing the same thing with a 2-yr old I bought out of a field. That horse is now 4 and very mentally and physically immature and just under saddle. I have to keep reminding myself NOT to holdā¦but to āguideā the horse as he tries to find his balance under me.
YMMVā¦take this for what it is worthā¦advice on the internet. All I can say is the Cadre Noir rider has been right on all counts when I have faced difficulties with young horses.
4 Likes
Maybe look at boots that reiners use. They usually have a boot/some kind of bell boot combination that seems offer a lot of coverage on the horse.
I have a horse that forges at liberty and under saddle. I can usually minimize it under saddle. Itās actually worse the faster he goes. So itās not about him being held back, itās about him getting quick but not getting the front end out of the way. Ridden correctly, he rarely does it, but loose rein long and low forward trot and itās āclick click clickā so he really must stay off of his forehand and working properly from the hind end. That and heās so damned short/compact!
I really young horse still has potential to grow. So things could change, possibly.
2 Likes
Thanks, CC! I hadnāt seen the western combo boots. Found a pair online and going to give them a try. I do hope she is able to outgrow this. Only time will tell!
Farrier squared toe of hind hooves and shortened break over of front hooves (forgot how with the fronts, shortened toe?).
He wore sports medicine wraps but hated them.
He had polos and regular bells after we abandoned the SM wraps.
As Pluvinel has said. If the horse does not forge at liberty, look to the rider. Perhaps even though they are basic rides, more is being asked of the horse than they can at this time accomplish.
2 Likes
It is possible to restrict the front end even on a loose rein. When the rider has tension in the arms and hand it will transmit on even a lose rein.
1 Like
Your farrier needs to speed up the breakover of her front feet. Get those toes trimmed back and at the very least rolled toes on shoes, rocker toes if necessary. If you insist on keeping her barefoot, ask for a squarer toe/4 point trim.
This is a very common issue with young, compact horses. Until they gain enough balance and hind end strength to carry themselves properly (which automatically allows the front end to get the hell out of the way) we need to help those front feet to breakover very fast.
4 Likes
Fwiw, unless you are cranking on your horseās face, donāt let anyone, not even the Cadre Noir, tell you that you are screwing your horse up because it forges under saddle. We are asking a lot of a young horse when we put our weight on their back. They cannot move as they do at liberty until they have built strength and balance. It is absolutely 100% normal for a short-handed horse to forge under saddle at first if they have not been shod to help them. Horses naturally carry 60%+ of their weight on their front end. Add a rider and that sure isnāt going to shift to a more equal balance magically - we are going to weigh down that front end even more causing it to slow down and be unable to get out of the way of the hind toes .
2 Likes
You can hold a horse back without using the reins. 
Time for some SOAP:
Subjective
Objective
Assessment
Plan
Iād consider a good lameness evaluation even if the horse is not showing a specific lameness. In a young horse this can be just a stage they are going through. Itās not unheard of for young horses to have trouble making all their limbs work in sequence when they have to learn to balance a rider. This can actually come and go a couple of times as horses mature. But it can also mean a gait abnormality flowing from a conformation problem. Maybe that conformation problem will be taken care of by Tincture of Time. But maybe it wonāt. Just messing with the feet and putting something on the legs may not fix the problem and can make it worse if you donāt KNOW why the problem is occurring.
But before you spend a lot of money on a lameness evaluation have your farrier trim the horse to anatomical correctness, ensure you have a skilled rider on the horse in properly fitting tack, and then VIDEO the horse at work, both with and without the rider. Then watch the video. What do you see? Iād bet money that if you see forging then youāll be seeing either a conformational issue or a gait timing issue (which may or may not come from a conformational issue). Now youāve done the Assessment based on Subjective and Objective information and can make a plan.
If you donāt see forging ride the horse yourself and repeat the video process. If you donāt see forging then youāre OK. If you DO see forging then you KNOW you have an āoperator errorā and you can correct that error.
The video camera is the greatest horse training aid ever invented. It never lies, it doesnāt care who you are, how much you paid for the horse, or any subjective issue. If the video is honestly made it gives you an honest evaluation. Itās also a great Destroyer of Egos! We used to call them āsmug bashers.ā
Best of luck as you go forward.
G.
4 Likes
Sorry for not getting back soonerā¦thank you all for the constructive ideas! Iām confident we will figure it all out over time. We are blessed with good trainer, vet and farrier. All are involved already.:yes:
