vet suggested....

[lacyloo]

Sooo we took Farah for a check up yesterday and to also get her up to date on vacinations and yada yada.. Then I told the vet that Farah constantaly drags her back feet?.. Like if im riding she doesnt pick them up as ,much and she should.

So he suggested for my to put dog collars betweem the hoof and ankle..OK I did that yesterday afternoon with no results.. GRRRR but he also said we could do it with a light chain.. He said once we start using them, She should start picking up her feet and getting more mussle.
Anyone ever tried this?

[mare]

I haven't tried it, but have seen it done. It did work. Like every new exercise, though, it may take a couple weeks before the muscles that are being targeted will develop to the point there will be a noticeable change. If you're comfortable with it, and trust your vet, I'd do it. I hope it works for your horse.

[WashingtonBay]

It may work if the vet suspects it is a stifle problem or a lack of muscling in the hindquarter, but first you have to understand why it may work... He's suggesting that the chains may cause the horse to exaggerate his movement and help build muscle and flexibility in the hind end.

You wouldn't want to leave them there all the time, only when you work the horse, or they'll either lose effectiveness or cause soreness that would limit the horse's movement and defeat your purpose. They only work if the horse is reacting to them being new and strange. Once the horse gets used to them, they lose their effect.

Better than the chains as the first resort would be working him on hills, or over cavaletti or ground poles on a nice, well thought out fitness plan. I might consider too, if the horse is just under weight and needs more muscle fed into him... ?

What else did the vet say?

[ImaBronsonBear]

Hmmmm, no i've never tried this, but it's really interesting. Both of my horses drag their feet going down hills (but only when they're lazy:D), but Brig more so than Bronson. Hmmmmm....

[mare]

I had questions, too, but figured the vet, having seen the horse had reasons.

Maybe that part of Florida doesn't have real varied topography that could develop musculature the way other areas might. And maybe there is a restricted amount of land on which to ride. When I saw this used effectively it was at a show stable that only had 16 acres of flat ground. I also, not having seen the horse, wonder if the vet suggested the lowest grade of exercise the horse may need before it can be safely progressed to trotting poles/cavaletti, or benefit from them. Hopefully the vet gave some guidelines or if the owner has questions, will be able to.

[WashingtonBay]

Yup, mare.... questions that need answers :)

[HeartofSteel]

Putting chains or collars may help for a short time but won't cure the real problem because after awhile they will get used to that extra weight and walk what is normal for them.
Niko used to drag is toes REALLY bad his hind toes were completely squared off. I emailed Dr. Valentine about possibly EPSM which one of the symptoms is dragging hind toes but that is the only sign he had. So switched him to the diet she suggested but it didn't help. Since that was his only sign I didn't think it was anything that serious, the only other way I could know that he didn't have EPSM was a possible hair folicle test or muscle biopsy, neither of which I wanted to do.
He would drag his toes when he was just walking around, lungeing and riding. He even drug them when he trotted so you can imagine how worn they were lol. I stayed with the low carb-low sugar grain because I prefer it anyways. He drug his feet for probably almost 5-6 months and then one day after the farrier trimmed him I realized his toes weren't squared off. The farrier was good about not re-rounding his already square toe because it was so short already and that way I could see if he was still doing it. After that it has just got better and better, he is also able to canter alot better now since he isn't dragging them. He is only 3 years old and I think it was just from growing because he was rump high for a long time and his hind legs are almost longer then his front.

[rocknK]

Some perfectly sound horses walk around like goobers! Ever notice a horse drag a toe while galloping??

[lacyloo]

The vet said she was perfectly fine,and she isnt lame..She just needs to be rode harder and needs more musling.He said it also might be something wrong in her confo though.So idk im going to get some pvc pipes for ground poles..How far so they need to be set apart?

[WashingtonBay]

PVC might not be the best for ground poles, as horses will tend to step on them and they can break, and just move around too easy if the horse knocks them. Better, and probably no more expensive than PVC would be treated round fence posts.

Is it the horse in your signature?

[lacyloo]

Yes she's a poa.. High butts are a well known trait in the breed and i"think' she is cow hocked..But the vet didnt say anything about it.

[WashingtonBay]

Well, she looks straight through the hock and stifle, which may make her very prone to this issue.

Is the stifle actually locking, or does she just not pick her feet up as much as you think she should?

[lacyloo]

The vet said she is moving really stiff.He said that she doesn't have any reason to be walking like that.IDK but she walks better with one leg than she does the other. To me she walks like she was a stick in her butt. :innocent:

[WashingtonBay]

He said that she doesn't have any reason to be walking like that.That he can see with the testing you've done so far anyhow...

Well, I would try some flexibility and fitness exercises with her then, and see if it helps.

I would use either fairly big (like 6 inch) rounds, or even poles that are set up a bit on blocks, or cavaletti. not so high yet that she'd have to jump. You want her to have to walk over them and lift her rear legs nice and high. As for distance, at first you just want them spaced around the arena, so that she's just walking them, and one at a time. When she masters that, a second one can be spaced so that she'd naturally be able to step over one then the other in successive strides.

I would do several repetitions of this, then do something else and rest, then several repetitions in a row again, starting slow and building up. You want to change the way she walks, that's not going to happen over night, merely be a slow progression hopefully. Perhaps cue her with "pick up your feet" as she steps over the poles. Then if she drags later, you may be able to help her with "pick up your feet!"

As she progresses, you can start working her over them at the trot, but for now, I'd see how she does at the walk. As you push development in this area, you'll find out if, as the vet thinks, there is really no reason for her to walk that way, or if you run into issues with her ability to do this.

[luvs2ride1979]

Fetlock chains are common with gaited horse trainers, to get the horse to pick up the feet higher. It's worth a shot! You could also put little cat bells on the collars you already have. It just needs to be something that either feels or sounds funny to the horse.

Personally, I would have a good chiropractor out (preferably one who is also a vet) and have her worked over good. She could have something wrong in her hips or lower back that's causing the feet dragging. It would really be best to figure out why before trying to "fix" it.

[luvs2ride1979]

I like WB's pole suggestion above.

I'd also work her in and out of low ditches, zig-zagging up and down the banks. So you're going in and coming out at an angle. This is a great hip and shoulder strengthening exercise.

Backing up a slight incline/hill (in hand) is also great for building hip muscle. Just don't do too much as it's hard on hocks and stifles.