stumbing mare
littleditty
Perhaps someone can offer some advice. Here's some background info that may
help. My mare is a Kentucky Mountain, broke out in March. Just a little
over 4 years old, with a lovely personality. She's been a stumbler from day
one. The ferrier shod her with special shoes, front and back, but she's
still stumbling. Yesterday she nearly went down on her front knees under
saddle. Note to self: wear that helmet that cost a small fortune! Is this
something she will eventually grow out of with more riding time? Thanks in
advance!
ld
Maggie1213
Try walking her over ground rails, space them evently to her pace at
first, then unevenly.
If this works, you can even move the ground rails to her trot pace, it
worked for my
stumbling gelding. We also put boots on him, it helped him pay
attention to his feet
more. A stumbler is a danger to his or her rider, the sooner you can
teach her to pick up
her feet the better.
littleditty
news:d3805e8d-311a-4aa3...@d45g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
Maggie, thank you! We've been doing ground rails for about a month, but it
never occurred to me to place them uneven. We begin working on the trot in
the morning (again, after a not so successful first week). If you're
interested, I'll keep you posted. Thank you!
Maggie1213
let her have her head a little, so she might look at them. I also
used a couple of small rails attatched to 12" electrical spools. Do
this on a long line, not on top: When he would knick one with a foot,
it would roll a bit. First time it scared him a bit, but he stepped
over the second one easy enough, and I just kept working with him on
it. This horse also did not pick up a natural lead in the canter, and
even while playing in the pasture, he would try to turn while on the
wrong lead and hit the ground. I always had to cue him to pick up the
right lead. Don't dispair, it takes a lot of time and patience,
eventually my boy became a sound 4H horse, even for the very young.
He was safe and sound but it took him quite awhile to learn to pick up
his feet.
I am curious, is your mare a paddler as well? This gelding was, and I
often wondered if it had anything to do whith the fact that he
stumbled.
On Aug 25, 12:50 am, "littleditty" <littledi...@uhdunno.zip> wrote:
> Maggie1213" <sinq...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
littleditty
meets the sand ;) We're not allowed to raise anything off the flooring of
the arenas. It's a safety issue. While my mare is a great jumper, we have
to wait until we're on the trails for that. I appreciate your words of
encouragement, because today we were in the outdoor arena and I think she
scared a few people which how many times she almost went down. She doesn't
paddle, but did tend to want to drag her front feet, which is why we had the
special shoes put on her. What I could really use is a trainer that
understands gaited horses, and they don't come by easily in our area.
Soooooo, we'll just keep working everyday until we develop our collection, I
suppose. Thanks again, and have a super day!
"Maggie1213" <sin...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:25abe7b2-7979-40ae...@79g2000hsk.googlegroups.com...
truly truckle
I would assume a "break over" (roller toe squared off ect..) ?
does the horse have "low" action "all" the time or just once in a while
does it get worse the more it is ridden ?
how is the action at higher speed say a gallop or canter ?
both fronts or just one ?
very difficult to give many ideas without actually seeing the horse's
action so all of this a guessing and "Things I have seen/done"
some just don't travel well at low speed
what happens when you let the horse work with no input from the rider
and slack reins ? let it pick it's own speed for the cores and see what
happens
one could try as an experiment.. "weighting" the front feet then after
when the weights are removed (after some period of time) 90% will have
higher action for a few min. if not there could be some other problem
the time the weights need to be on can be from hours to days may sound
odd but it's something thats done at the shows for the hackneys and
passo's to enhance the action. shoulder or knee problems can make a horse
drag a toe (in order to pickup the leg it has to lift the shoulder slightly)
littleditty
Her front shoes are rolled and her hind squared off. She only stumbles at
the walk. And most times it's only one foot, although there have been
several times she's gone down on both hocks. Yesterday I spoke with a
number of people who seem to think that this is actually normal for a young
horse since they haven't fully developed their own balance, let alone with
someone mounted. I've thought about using weights....and, may very well try
it. This can't be fun for her. We have a vet coming out in a week or so
and I'm going to have her looked at just to be on the safe side. The
ferrier is convinced it's just a matter of building up muscle. Thanks for
the advice!
"truly truckle" <no...@no-spam.veger.com> wrote in message
news:g926v8$172$1...@news.xmission.com...
truly truckle
about. measure the horses forearm muscle on each side, use a string or a
Taylors plastic or cloth tape. looking at the symmetry of the muscle
development. they should be the same if they are not then look at
possible causes. it would indicate that for whatever reason the horse
is not "working" as hard on that leg some reason. could be sore
could be consistently working in one direction etc...
when you say hocks your saying she goes down in the hind?
that being the case measure the gaskns to (large muscle above the hocks)
somehow i got she was going down on the front
this usually indicates there is some hock pain for whatever reason
there are some test for hock problems that a experienced vet can do
mostly pressure/stretching and torsion type movements
if they are sore they act up a little with the farrier if he pulls or
twists beyond the normal range of motion.
could be the horse is back sore. you can check this after riding buy
applying finger pressure along both sides of the back spine (press
firmly) any tendency to squat or go down could be an indication of pain.
sometimes when washing with cold water after working they will squat
because of soreness
(%90 will all squat when the cold water gets under the tail)
so it's cold water over the hind quarters and back but not enough
that it runs under her tail. could be she is sore on the front and
transfering weight to the rear to take the load of the fronts getting
"under behind" to the point she cannot hold thus buckling under
could be her way of saying "i dont want to do this any more"
and it works .. cuz you probably get of and quit working her. it could
be many different things.
I am a bit skeptical about the young horse thing unless the horse has
been in a stall from day 1. that has not been my experience they can be
weak and tire easily and it can take a ride or two to get it all
together but not chronic stumbling.
"I" have never had one that did that without some underlying problem
I have however seen horses that buckle down on the back
one had a congenital spinal problem where the nerve channel was to small
causing compression of the nerves. another had a mild case of West nile
(West nile usually causes nerve inflammation mostly in the back)
and another had EPM and was generally moving like a drunken person
neropic west nile can have similar but more pronounced expression
not meant to scare you but they are possibilities
try the horse bareback see what happens.
the weights are not that big of a deal. a number of methods can be used
I like the stick on mag wheel weights. it does not take allot of weight
there are several company's that make wrist weights for people they work
good to. put around the hoof (never on the ankle) a sole pad with lead
shot underneath or a lead plate nailed through the extra holes in the
shoe (wont stay on long but it doesn't really need to)
as always there is never a replacement for a good "experienced" equine
vet doing complete eval (observation ect) they can often spot things
in the horses way that may have gone unnoticed and others have grown
accustomed to
littleditty
front legs, not the back. I routinely check her back for soreness, and part
of our daily routine as well is running my hands down all four legs to feel
for any swelling, etc., but this afternoon I will do a little measuring. It
can't hurt. I wouldn't be telling the truth if I didn't say this is all
starting to scare me. She lived in a pasture her first 3+ years, and in
March, it took nearly 45 minutes to get her into a stall for the first time.
She's coming along wonderfully with her ground work. It's just this dang
stumbling....
And, here's what really has me confused as of yesterday. Few of the folks
said it's harder for a horse to work in our indoor arena because it's about
6" of sand (installed about 6 months ago) and that working outside might be
easier. It's outside where she stumbles the most. The ferrier said is the
Vet deems it necessary, he can put pads on her shoes. You know, it was
years ago when we had horses and we never had mentoring. We just jumped on
like crazy kids and took off. Now that age has set in, I seem to be taking
this so much more seriously, but not to the point it's taken the fun out of
it. Gaited horses are something new to me, and everything I'm reading says
under no circumstances do you allow them to trot, and yet she does. I wonder
if the trotting could be causing this problem? Guess I'm just fishing for a
quick fix answer, huh? Got in touch with a mutual friend yesterday who's
willing to come out and work with us. She's ridden gaited horses most of
her life. Maybe the answer is there....someone who actually knows how to
ride ;^) I'll keep y'all posted, and thank you again for taking time out of
your hectic lives to offer advise. It's truly appreciated!
"truly truckle" <no...@no-spam.veger.com> wrote in message
news:g94vn3$v1j$1...@news.xmission.com...
truly truckle
would be grand but probably impossible for you to find. this is a
very interesting problem.
There is a common antibiotic (Iv starts with a "T" be carefully)
that is given to foals with contracted tendons, your vet should know the
one I am talking about. it may be interesting to try something like that
as a Diagnostic tool. should only take a hour or so to take affect
..
sounds odd .. and antibiotic that can relax a muscle ?
this antibiotic is known to be a neuro calcium channel blocker
and tends to relax muscles. a description of the interaction between
calcium and potassium in the nervous system is documented
in various books and journals for those that wish to learn more
littleditty
Truly and Maggie, I'm so tickled I could jump up and down! Yesterday one of
the vets was at the stable (not the vet I normally use). I asked if they had
time to take a look and perhaps offer some advise. I'd heard this from a
couple of people in the last week or so, but the vet confirmed it.
Apparently Walkers, Saddlebreeds(sp) and Mountain horses are known for being
stumbles until they are around the age of 6. It all has to do with their
lack of collection, as I understand it. In all my reading I've never seen
mention of it. Does it make sense to either of you? Headed to the barn
now, so y'all have a safe and fun holiday weekend!
"truly truckle" <no...@no-spam.veger.com> wrote in message
news:g980qb$3bi$1...@news.xmission.com...
truly truckle
and back's up what Maggie and other have said all along. I've not seen it
but not Many Mountain horses or Sp's around here ... good information
to know
Thanks
littleditty
kinda' sorta' tweaked the rules a little. Is there really such a thing? In
any event, took the ground rails and built up the sand around the ends of
the poles and scattered them in several directions. Boy, did she do great!
Kept her head up and didn't stumble once! We don't have many Mountain
horses in our area either, which is why I'm so grateful that I've found
someone who at least understands gaited horses. I do believe my girl is
going to be just fine...just need lots and lots more time under the saddle.
Y'all take care!
"truly truckle" <no...@no-spam.veger.com> wrote in message
news:g997om$uca$1...@news.xmission.com...
Maggie1213
My stumbler was not gaited, but I have owned gaited horses, and they
are such a pleasure to work with.
I am sure that all will work out if you keep up working on your mare.
On Aug 29, 2:51 pm, "littleditty" <littledi...@uhdunno.zip> wrote:
> You're more than welcomed :) Today there weren't many folks around, so I
> kinda' sorta' tweaked the rules a little. Is there really such a thing? In
> any event, took the ground rails and built up the sand around the ends of
> the poles and scattered them in several directions. Boy, did she do great!
> Kept her head up and didn't stumble once! We don't have many Mountain
> horses in our area either, which is why I'm so grateful that I've found
> someone who at least understands gaited horses. I do believe my girl is
> going to be just fine...just need lots and lots more time under the saddle.
> Y'all take care!
>
> "truly truckle" <n...@no-spam.veger.com> wrote in message
>
> news:g997om$uca$1...@news.xmission.com...
>
>
>
> > Well good .. glad it's that simple, sounds like the vet knows about it
> > and back's up what Maggie and other have said all along. I've not seen it
> > but not Many Mountain horses or Sp's around here ... good information
> > to know
>
> > Thanks
>
> > littleditty wrote:
>
> >> Truly and Maggie, I'm so tickled I could jump up and down! Yesterday one
> >> of the vets was at the stable (not the vet I normally use). I asked if
> >> they had time to take a look and perhaps offer some advise. I'd heard
> >> this from a couple of people in the last week or so, but the vet
> >> confirmed it. Apparently Walkers, Saddlebreeds(sp) and Mountain horses
> >> are known for being stumbles until they are around the age of 6. It all
> >> has to do with their lack of collection, as I understand it. In all my
> >> reading I've never seen mention of it. Does it make sense to either of
> >> you? Headed to the barn now, so y'all have a safe and fun holiday
> >> weekend!
>
> >> "truly truckle" <n...@no-spam.veger.com> wrote in message
> >>>> "truly truckle" <n...@no-spam.veger.com> wrote in message
> >>>>>> "truly truckle" <n...@no-spam.veger.com> wrote in message
> >>>>>>news:g926v8$172$1...@news.xmission.com...
> >>>>>>> What type of "Special" shoes do you have on the mare ?
> >>>>>>> I would assume a "break over" (roller toe squared off ect..) ?
> >>>>>>> does the horse have "low" action "all" the time or just once in a
> >>>>>>> while
> >>>>>>> does it get worse the more it is ridden ?
> >>>>>>> how is the action at higher speed say a gallop or canter ?
> >>>>>>> both fronts or just one ?
> >>>>>>> very difficult to give many ideas without actually seeing the
> >>>>>>> horse's
> >>>>>>> action so all of this a guessing and "Things I have seen/done"
> >>>>>>> some just don't travel well at low speed
> >>>>>>> what happens when you let the horse work with no input from the
> >>>>>>> rider
> >>>>>>> and slack reins ? let it pick it's own speed for the cores and see
> >>>>>>> what
> >>>>>>> happens
>
> >>>>>>> one could try as an
>
> ...
>
> read more »- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
littleditty
Maggie, I cannot thank y'all enough! It's pretty amazing that the advise I
got here from the two of you made more sense than what I was getting from
websites and the folks I spoke with. Promise to keep working with my girl
as much as possible. Our next mission is water! Oh my, is this going to be
a task! Everyone have a safe and fun holiday weekend!
"Maggie1213" <sin...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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