I could be wrong, but I believe there are people training Tennessee Walking horses to pick up their feet by attaching weights, and that this is a very old method of training.
I also believe that it a method that is frowned upon from several directions as not being a very horse-friendly way.
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Some horses just aren't very disposed to pick up their feet, but I would go with lots of training over poles and in the terrain, or any exercise that forces the horse to look where it is going.

I agree with Kicki, poles and other things. My Princess does this too, at a walk. But improves after being made to go over poles. In our case, small logs, since thats whats available. Seems to help. The more we do it, the better she gets.

Well, as a farrier I haven't worked with "retired" (so to speak) TBs but I have worked with "retired" standardbreds, both trotters and pacers. Some of these have exhibited the same difficulties that you mention, including trotters, believe it or not. As well, I have raised and trained saddlebreds and shod them to facilitate "racking". As you know, this can and is done with weights, being the easiest on the horse, either using chains, as you mentioned, or incorporating various other "weight" methods that I won't go into here. Chains can bruise the coronet area if not fixed properly, so I would not do so.

I haven't seen your horse "travel" so I can only guess at what "might" be the problem, so here goes. With respect to the race horses that I have been consulted about, whom exhibited the same issues: In consultation with an "equine vet", on many of those occasions the horses had been badly overworked, as is the case with most racers. But, and interestingly enough, they had developed chronic inflammation (in some cases), tendonitis, and/or tenosynovitis, or, just plain "stiffened up", all from extreme overwork, (as opposed to blunt trauma). And obviously had not been given the required rest time and treatment required, because, of course, if they are not "running" they are not making money. Some are given local anesthetic, some oral pain killers, or some nothing at all.

Anyway, I digress, (sorry). So what I would do, if I were you, would be to have a qualified (read: experienced) farrier or good horse vet do a flexion and extension test. Check for the above noted problems as well.

One of the key indicating factors was that although none of these horses exhibited any lameness, they would stumble when asked to trot and sometimes at a canter as well.
However, once they were "warmed up" the problem literally disappeared and it was as if they had nothing wrong whatsoever. As the vet explained, (just as in many human athletes) they had become acclimatized to the pain and/or stiffness, and once warmed up, appeared fine. So, with lots of TLC alternating hot/cold wraps, (under the vets direction)they quickly recovered and were slowly able to be brought back into the "mainstream".

Anyway, that's about it from me, I wish you luck, and hopefully it is perhaps something just as simple as a "break-over" problem?..having to do with the wall angle?

Regards,

Paul

Hello everyone. Here is a short video of my horse in hand. He did not really stumble this time But it also shows his other problem of not wanting to upward transition. I did use the whip to brush him to get him to trot. Once I do get him to trot he has a beautiful one.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMVB_o7TM5o&feature=g-upl
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Hi Christena,
I just watched the video, and first of all I have to say that Ted seems to be a real sweetheart. :)
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From what I can tell, he doesn't seem to have any problems with his movements in regards to soundness etc. What you do seem to lack is propulsion, energy and forward-going movement, due to a flaw in the communication.
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My impression - just from watching this, of course - is that he doesn't have a clue what you want him to do.
He just plods along; waiting for a signal he can understand or one that is strong enough that he feels compelled to respond to it.
Has he been long lined before you got him?
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Furthermore, I think that when you long-line him, you place yourself incorrectly half of the time. You end up in front of the driving position = slowing him down instead. You need to stay at an angle behind his mid-section, driving him forward by moving in a direction with your entire body and mind.
Raise the energy and be extremely precise and distinct with your signals! He can't hear you if you "mumble".
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To get him to trot alongside you, you shouldn't have to drag him along. (The lead rope is also too short - he can't use his head and neck properly and will just pull against the pressure.) There I think you just need to do lots of Dually work getting him responsive to you and the halter.
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I seriously doubt - based on this vid - that weights around his feet would do any good at all. What you need is to find a way to - repeating myself here - raise his energy and propulsion. When you have that, I am pretty sure the stumbling will stop on its own.
A giddy-up rope?
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Having had only a few minutes if vid to go by, I just hope this is of some help to you.
Best of luck!

Hey Christena;

Your video is a great idea, what a great "tool". Not that Kicki needs my affirmation, but I think Kicki hit the nail right on the head. As she said, your horse travels nicely. I wouldn't do any type of "shoeing" that would induce him to "lift". He certainly does not present with any "apparent" hoof or flexion problems. So, I would just follow Kicki's advice and be much, much more forceful and direct in your communication.

You might want to add something that I have found always helped, with varying levels of success over the years and that is that, when you are out riding, start out slowly, and over time pick the pace up while riding up an incline. Just a slow incline to start, say, 10 or 15 degrees and work up from there. They have no choice but to pick up their feet, and its a great "muscle builder" as well. You may recall Monty telling one of the equestrian jumpers to do that with one of his horses?

Kicki Thanks so much. I was not really trying to lunge him, I was mostly showing how he is just a very slow moving horse. You are right he does not really have propulsion, When I am in the saddle he does want to walk a little faster and to get him to trot I have to use more leg and dressage whip a little more then I would like to get him to trot. As for the in hand trotting, IF I give him more lead he will pull back more and more.
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How does the giddy up rope work? I am really trying to stay away from whips due to his past history of being abused with them at the race tract the day he quit running.

Christena, thanks for the video. It seems strange to me that an ex-racehorse is behaving like that. Just to think again of a medical problem: Does he trot and canter without problems on the pasture (in this case a medical problem would be unlikely)?
Rudi

Hello Rudi, He trots and plays in the field but I have never seen him canter. On a medical note, when I rescued him he had a BAD case of thrush, it was eating away at the frog. He was so bad that he would not walk due to the pain. After battling it for 2 weeks we cleared it up. I have wondered if that may be one of the problems I may be having.

Hello Rudi, He trots and plays in the field but I have never seen him canter. On a medical note, when I rescued him he had a BAD case of thrush, it was eating away at the frog. He was so bad that he would not walk due to the pain. After battling it for 2 weeks we cleared it up. I have wondered if that may be one of the problems I may be having.

Just had a read through and look at the video, he looks as if he is understriding, showing he maybe in discomfort or as has already been said is not sure of what is expected so is not relaxed enough to stride out and lift his feet.

I'd recommend doing the lesson again on 'a course on leading your horse' and see if he changes the stride when relaxing.

We had an ex racehorse at our last stables and he too used to drag his feet so to speak not lifting them for poles. It might be your boy has only done flat racing so would not have recieved training to lift his feet when running as there would not have been anything there to lift his feet for?

If nothing is wrong with him medically, I'd start with ground planks first then raise them as he clears each level, so add an extra plank until it gets to the size of a trotting pole, then switch to trotting poles.

Mel
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Would probably be a good idea to read through Paul's post again too. What he has said made a few pennies drop for me.

I have more than a few years experience with racehorses in the UK and would add to what "pmpleau" stated about overworked racehorses in that the problem originates from pushing on with the exercise or training of a young week horse that isn't physically ready yet. Unfortunately, all the horses tend to step up in their preparation at the same time and it's not until some sort of ailment appears that an easing off occurs of the horse concerned; this is due to some trainers having a one size fits all instead of treating all horses as individuals of different abilities and strengths at various stages of their maturity.

Of course, not all trainers train their horses in a way that "one size fits all" and train their horses as individuals. This is just one facet of many that separates the best from the rest.

Christena;

Greetings once again. I have watched your video (again), and I was able to cajole, (lol), my friend the equine vet to have a look at your video. Now, he has insisted that it be emphasized that the comments he makes can only be based on the video you provided, as well as your comments. I convey those to you now, with respect.

His reluctance to extend his stride and "move out", (at least in the video) can be attributed to a few things. Just plain laziness?...highly unlikely. In light of the fact that he is a TB, he found his demeanor a little surprising, simply because barring any "problem" the difficulty with TBs, historically, is in getting them to "slow down" and "calm down" as their wont is, to use the term, "go like hell" virtually all of the time. If he is not predisposed to wanting to simply wanting to "go" under saddle, it usually, not always but usually an indication of an underlying problem.

The fact that he had a severe thrush problem is very telling indeed, bearing in mind that virtually all horses have a lifelong memory, (with which I absolutely agree) and there is no more severe teacher than pain. So, it may be that having experienced this severe (thrush)pain, he is (understandably) very reluctant to do much more that "walk". It may very well be just that. He asked a question..."when you let him loose in the pasture on his own and he canters about and gallops, does he do so for very short little runs and then seem to quickly stop doing so?" If he slows down and stops "playing" rather quickly,this would not be a surprise under the circumstances and would indicate a lingering residual problem with the thrush or stiffness and so on.

He opined that the thrush problem should be looked at much more closely by a good farrier or vet, as sometimes it can be hidden, being very deeply imbedded at the rear of the central sulcus of the frog, towards the bulbs of the heel, moreso than at the collateral sulcus.

He also advised that you have a hoof tester applied to all four feet, particularly the front feet of course, as this will reveal an awful lot, i.e., exactly if and where any sensitivities lie. As well, do a flexion and extension test, which you can simply do yourself, presupposing of course that you know how to gauge the response, because he certainly shows a pronounced reluctance to do any more than a slow walk, unless compelled to do so.

He, and I of course would recommend that you let him go barefoot for 2 or 3 months making sure that you of course have had him all "vetted" or "farrierd", (I just invented that word, lol) and give him a barefoot trim and make sure that the farrier gives him a nice mustang roll, as its called, to help him break over more cleanly and help avoid splitting.

As well, and as stated previously he may very well just need a nice long rest, being "stiff and sore" from being terribly overworked as most TBs, trotters and pacers usually are. Some nice liniment rubs, gentle hot compresses, lots of stretching him out (which you should do yourself). Presupposing of course that you have "vetted" him out for any injuries etc.

This could be something as sad, but as simple as the poor bugger being constantly made to "move out" in a very aggressive manner with a lot of whipping and so on. Now, he is with you, and thinks he died and went to heaven and you may have to "compel" him more without scaring or hurting him of course.

OK, that's it for me. I hope this helped, thanks for sharing, because it did help me...: )...to get the brain juices flowing.

Cheers,
Paul

Christena;

Greetings once again. I have watched your video (again), and I was able to cajole, (lol), my friend the equine vet to have a look at your video. Now, he has insisted that it be emphasized that the comments he makes can only be based on the video you provided, as well as your comments. I convey those to you now, with respect.

His reluctance to extend his stride and "move out", (at least in the video) can be attributed to a few things. Just plain laziness?...highly unlikely. In light of the fact that he is a TB, he found his demeanor a little surprising, simply because barring any "problem" the difficulty with TBs, historically, is in getting them to "slow down" and "calm down" as their wont is, to use the term, "go like hell" virtually all of the time. If he is not predisposed to wanting to simply wanting to "go" under saddle, it usually, not always but usually an indication of an underlying problem.

The fact that he had a severe thrush problem is very telling indeed, bearing in mind that virtually all horses have a lifelong memory, (with which I absolutely agree) and there is no more severe teacher than pain. So, it may be that having experienced this severe (thrush)pain, he is (understandably) very reluctant to do much more that "walk". It may very well be just that. He asked a question..."when you let him loose in the pasture on his own and he canters about and gallops, does he do so for very short little runs and then seem to quickly stop doing so?" If he slows down and stops "playing" rather quickly,this would not be a surprise under the circumstances and would indicate a lingering residual problem with the thrush or stiffness and so on.

He opined that the thrush problem should be looked at much more closely by a good farrier or vet, as sometimes it can be hidden, being very deeply imbedded at the rear of the central sulcus of the frog, towards the bulbs of the heel, moreso than at the collateral sulcus.

He also advised that you have a hoof tester applied to all four feet, particularly the front feet of course, as this will reveal an awful lot, i.e., exactly if and where any sensitivities lie. As well, do a flexion and extension test, which you can simply do yourself, presupposing of course that you know how to gauge the response, because he certainly shows a pronounced reluctance to do any more than a slow walk, unless compelled to do so.

He, and I of course would recommend that you let him go barefoot for 2 or 3 months making sure that you of course have had him all "vetted" or "farrierd", (I just invented that word, lol) and give him a barefoot trim and make sure that the farrier gives him a nice mustang roll, as its called, to help him break over more cleanly and help avoid splitting.

As well, and as stated previously he may very well just need a nice long rest, being "stiff and sore" from being terribly overworked as most TBs, trotters and pacers usually are. Some nice liniment rubs, gentle hot compresses, lots of stretching him out (which you should do yourself). Presupposing of course that you have "vetted" him out for any injuries etc.

This could be something as sad, but as simple as the poor bugger being constantly made to "move out" in a very aggressive manner with a lot of whipping and so on. Now, he is with you, and thinks he died and went to heaven and you may have to "compel" him more without scaring or hurting him of course.

OK, that's it for me. I hope this helped, thanks for sharing, because it did help me...: )...to get the brain juices flowing.

Cheers,
Paul

good reading the advice and knowledge!!!