Comment

Comment by Jo Belasco on February 9, 2011 at 5:57pm

Jeanne, first make sure there isn't a neurological problem that is causing him to drag his feet.  I'm not sure how you can do that if he's not your horse, but it sounds as if you're interesting in buying him.  :-) 

If there isn't anything neurological, or if you can't get that kind of exam, but you can work him, then do work over trot poles with him.  Just in case you've never used them, I'll explain them.  Put a few poles (jumping poles or wooden poles) down (3-5) on the ground.  Space them about a stride or two apart.  You can either lead him, lunge him, or ride him over them.  The trot poles will make him engage his hindquarters, thereby lifting his back feet.  Start at a walk and progress to trot and canter.  You can vary the number of poles and how close/far apart they are.  This is work for a horse - they have to lift their back legs, so it's similar to us doing squats.  It's a fantastic exercise!  Good luck with him, and please let us know how it goes.  :-)

 

Jo

Comment by Barbara F. on February 9, 2011 at 5:18pm

Watch this!!! Hahahaha!!

 

Comment by Debra McDaid on February 2, 2011 at 6:00pm

Hi

 

Another option is to put toe wieghts on his hind feet, towards the outside, so they don't interfere with his front feet when he walks.  They also will give just a bit of weight, they will encourage him to pick his feet up until he gets the idea.  The other thing is he might have some kind of nerve problem, or a back problem, that you might have to check out.  If not work over poles can help with either the dog collar idea or toe weights.

 

Good luck, glad you are there for this guy, someone needs to love him.

 

deb

Comment by Patti Bartsch, Ph.D. on January 30, 2011 at 6:48pm

Jeanne - you might try putting light, leather dog collars around his rear pasterns.  This is done frequently with saddle seat type horses to encourage them to pick up their hind legs and engage their muscles.  It's not the weight that does it (they weigh almost nothing), it's the feeling of wanting to step out of them.  You want leather so they can break in an emergency and if they happen to rub, you can put sheepskin halter fleeces on them.  Just be careful because he may kick the first time you put them on him. That would be a low-cost method to try.  If you wanted to put some money into him, perhaps acupuncture or chiropractic would help.  Good luck.  - Patti

Comment by Jeanne Aiblinger on January 30, 2011 at 3:19pm

Hi everyone, its been a while..... I have this horse that is being boarded at my barn and the owner hasn't done much with this poor boy. I believe he is a quater horse appendix. He looks more like a thoroughbred to me and is about 15 hands. The thing about this horse is that he drags his back feet to the point that the blacksmith has nothing to trim on the toes. Is there anything that I can do to change that. There must be some way to get this horse to learn to pick up his feet and do it all the time even when he is out to pasture. He has been doing this since he came to the barn about 3 years ago and I'm beginning to think that it is getting more and more frequent. Would he do that less if was in proper condition? Because he is mainly out on pasture and ridden once a month. He is apporximately 6yrs old. The owner doesn't really want him anymore and I thought maybe I could do something with him. I don't really need another horse but he has such a sweet pesonality and is easy to handle. Conformation wise he is nothing spectacular. I just like the big lug.

Comment by Liz Keane on January 3, 2011 at 6:48pm

Then the snow fall again. And the new leave their own tracks!

Comment by Doreen K Gray on January 2, 2011 at 7:39pm

The New Year lies before you,like a spotless tract of snow, be careful how you tread on it, for every mark will show ~

May the days be long that you ride~Doreen

Comment by Gary Glaser on January 2, 2011 at 7:35pm

Happy New Year everyone and have a safe riding year!!

Comment by Debra McDaid on January 2, 2011 at 11:10am

Hi Liz

In answer to your question, I am an eventer by trade, but have ridden most diciplines, depending on what client came in need of service (or who would pay me at that day!) lol lol  I have ridden western (reining, pleasure, and shown halter), when I was young I was a trail guide, and later on I gave lessons in most diciplines, but mostly english (dressage, jumping, hunter/jumper, and general riding).  Mostly I rode dressage in shows though since my young horses were at that age, and then I would sell just as they were ready to move on, money makes the world go round... or pays the bills as they say...

 

The horse I have now is a part of the family, and will be kept no matter if he makes it or not... I left show riding many years ago, and went into STB's when I married, so now when I went back to riding, I ended up getting one to race, then ride... so far he hasn't made the track... you might like his name, we named him Tiocfaidh Ar La, to honor Bobby Sands. 

 

My husband's people are from just outside of Letterkenny, and it is our hope to eventually move to Ireland to live.  So though your weather is really rather horrid right now, I can only wish we were there! lol

 

Canada can be rough, but a lot of us have arenas, and for those of us who don't we often make due.  For racing it is a challenge, as we are always outside, but we go along anyway, the horses get out most everyday, the tracks are done, and we jog... the only thing that stops us is ice, and they wear corks.  We wear snow pads on Che, but the little horse dosen't... when I showed I usually was in an areana, but if not, then we got everyone together and shoveled the outdoor arena, or blew it out if there was a tractor with a blower available... we tried to ge the horses out, if not we would never have been ready for a season... Canada has most of the time 6 months of horrid weather... at least in Southern Ontario it does!

 

Slan Liz,

 

take care, got to get to doing my taxes... poor me, I stayed home from the barn today, to get them done, my husband will not be amused if he comes home to find that I haven't got them done and he went to do all the work with MY horses! lol lol

 

deb 

Comment by Connie Breedveld on January 1, 2011 at 10:40pm

Yes,here in southern Ontario,it was mild today and quite a bit of rain which made our huge snow banks shrink.I work on a small private horse farm.It was my day off today,but my boss called me in as she had water in  her basement after our wet night.So myself and the guy i work with were busy sucking up water with the shop vac.I then proceeded to scoop water out of a window-well outside.Then John went onto the second storey roof of the house to scoop out the eavetrough.Back down on the ground I heard a cracking sound and as John and I removed the ladder,the eavetrough came crashing down dumping ice cold water over us!!!We were soaked and as a water-logged John stood and looked at me I said....":Happy New Year"...what a way to start off the New Year. Have a great 2011 everyone!!!

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