Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Horse drags hind toes

From: Robin

Dear Jessica,

I have a 6 yr-old Hannoverian/Thoroughbred cross gelding I purchased as a 2 yr-old. When I bought him I knew that he was close behind, even cow hocked. A "progressive" farrier put hind shoes on him that had an extra width of steel on the inside which supposedly would make him stand straighter. The result of 6 months of this type of shoeing made him almost wobbly in his hocks. He has been shod in standard steel shoes, making sure he is balanced for nearly four years now. My question relates to his toe dragging in the back. He is somewhat weak in his hindquarters and also a lazy horse. I put some weights on his back legs for a few weeks (worked up to 3 pounds each leg), wrapping the legs with leg wraps. I was attempting to strengthen him but I stopped because although I didn't see any problems, I don't want to cause any. What thoughts do you have using weights for toe draggers? Some people have suggested injecting his hocks but I honestly don't think he is sore. I had him on Grand Flex for a number of months but again I stopped that because I don't think his problems are in the joints. Any comments or suggestions would be VERY appreciated. THANK YOU!!!!

Robin

Hi Robin! Your horse is still young and developing, so don't give up on him yet. ;-) I think that keeping him balanced and in ordinary shoes is a good idea, so you're on the right track there. You might also talk to your vet and farrier -- who should be able to communicate with one another, either directly or through you. In an ideal world, your farrier would be able to shoe your horse based on the way the horse moves and on what you ask it to do when it's being ridden, but in the real world, farriers often see horses only on cross-ties, and never get to observe them under a rider or even in motion. In these cases, your vet's input can be very valuable. You and your vet and your farrier should all be working together for your horse's good.

One of the first things that comes to my mind is that your horse should be trimmed so that his feet are balanced, and so that he has a short toe and an adequate heel. Many horses are trimmed incorrectly, usually because their owners ask the farriers to "shoe for a long stride", and the result is horses with too-long toes and nonexistent heels, no longer in balance, and on their way to being sore and unsound. And the long-toe, low-heel trimming doesn't increase their stride length, either.

It's not unusual for a youngster to be a little weak behind, so unless your vet thinks that this gelding has a neurological problem, I'd just focus on sensible training and conditioning if I were you. You may need to take a few steps back in your program, in fact. If your six-year-old gelding has been shod by this particular farrier for the last four years and was shod by someone else before that, then he was obviously started under saddle VERY early, long before he was anywhere near physical maturity. It's quite possible that he's not really weak or lazy -- but he may have been asked to do far too much, far too soon. If he's still sound, you can make up for the too-early start by taking his training slowly and putting your focus on helping him develop physically.

In any case, assuming that there's nothing actually wrong with your horse's basic soundness, the "solution" is likely to come from slow, steady, progressive training methods. I'd suggest that you do lots of walking, lots of trotting, and lots and lots of GOOD transitions between walk and trot. If you're in an area with hills, walk up and down them. If he's getting stronger and more balanced in a few months, you'll be able to start trotting up the hills and walking down them.

Help your horse strengthen his abdominal muscles and stretch his back. Let him stretch every few minutes whenever you ride, and encourage him to step deliberately and lift his back (instead of shuffling his feet and dropping his back). If you're confined to an arena, put a few ground poles here and there, and walk over them -- looking down at them and reaching with the legs will help your horse develop his muscles and balance. Remember to use only HEAVY pole that are hexagonal or octagonal and will stay in place -- not round ones that can roll if your horse's feet hit them.

I'd keep well away from leg weights -- you need to strengthen your horse without endangering his soundness, and for that, the only equipment you'll need is a saddle and bridle and your very patient self. Time and transitions and hill work will help you reach your goals without without damaging your horse. ;-)

If your VETERINARIAN thinks your horse needs injections, consider them -- but don't sign up for them just because someone you know happens to know someone whose horse had injections. Never inject a joint casually, because it's too risky to do unless there's a very good reason for doing it. If your vet recommends injections, that's another matter.

Jessica

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