​It’s All About The Toes

By Gaye DeRusso
 
So many horses can trip but the gaited horses tend to trip more. Sometimes it appears they trip on air. Why? Because many are bred to keep their feet closer to the ground for endurance, less lift, less fatigue. Also, the ones on the pacey side and the lazy ones will drag their feet more. It’s just the way they are. 
 
The pacey ones are wired differently than the trotty ones and when they do trip, it is harder for them to catch themselves. When you think they tripped on nothing, what your missing is a change in the elevation in the footing, it can be so minor you do not see it, but your horse drags its toe, and catches his toe on it and trips. 
 
I always say a lazy, pacey Tennessee Walking Horse would be the best arena tester. Because they will find every uneven part in your arena and trip on it. Now don't get me wrong, I love these horses, but if you do not ride them right and you do not ride them with some energy, they can catch their toes. 
 
The slower you go and the lazier your horse is or if it is pacey, it will tend to drag those toes. 
 
Many people think the toes need to be long to gait, but they don't and having a long toe on the trail can lead to disaster in many gaited horses. They catch their toes on tree roots and rocks, and many do not lift them high enough to get their toes out of the way. 
 
So, what do you do?  Talk with your shoer but remember your shoer doesn't ride your horse. So even though he or she is trying to do the best job, you need to communicate clearly with them about what is happening. Your horse never tripped when you first got it, so is it your riding or is it the shoeing. Its best to measure their angles when you do get them so if issues come up later, you can compare if they now have different angles. 
 
With ones that really drag their feet, even one centimeter too long can make them catch their foot. So, you need to ask your shoer to make their toe as short as they can. If your horse is better but then in 3-4 weeks it starts tripping again, you know it’s the toe because the toe is growing back. So, you need to keep the toes short, and you might have to keep them trimmed or shod more often than usual to keep you safe. If they are barefoot, still get that toe back and have them put a mustang roll on it. 
 
If your shoer says no, it won't help then get another shoer. Try one that will work with you so you can actually see if it helps. Some shoers don't understand how much your horse is tripping and how dangerous it is, because if they did, they would work with you to help you. Changing the shoe can also help, roll the toe or rocker the shoe or even use a square shoe. All these things help with the breakover and to get the toes out of the way. And the only way to know if it will help, is to try it. You have nothing to lose but everything to gain.
 
I have had to talk many shoers into putting a square shoe on the front of a major tripper. They say, that’s a shoe for the hindfeet and I said well in a gaited tripper that’s a shoe for the front feet. I tried the roll of the shoe and the rocker, but if no difference, that square shoe can be a miracle. Don't get me wrong you still have to ride the horse correctly, but it helps a lot. 
 
They didn't believe me, so I explained the best I could about these horses and why I needed it. Once they did it, I made them watch the horse move again. And told them just that little more in clearance turned a tripper into a safe horse. I then went on the trail and what do you know, no more tripping or a lot less tripping. I come back and thank them immensely and tell them they saved another gaited horse. 
 
I do like to get x-rays of the front feet because then you can make sure they don't have something like navicular that is causing the tripping, and you can see exactly how much toe and sole they have in their foot and if their angles are helping them or hurting them. It’s worth it in the end to pay for x-rays then fall and pay for a hospital bill. 
 
Now the toes are not the only reason gaited horses can trip, but it is a big cause. And it is something simple to try without a big expense as you are shoeing or trimming them anyhow, and the shoe will not cost more. I will cover the workup of tripping horses in another article, but if you haven't tried this, it’s a good place to start and sometimes solves all the issues. 
 
So, remember if they are tripping, get some x-rays, get those toes back and get a shoer that listens to you and tries to help. Start with rolling the shoe, if that fails, rocker the shoe, this does take some sole off so if your horse has thin soles, or this fails to help, then put a square shoe on those front feet. And remember ride better, be balanced, wake your horse up and don't be a passenger. 
 
You may see a huge change in your horse with just these things, and what everyone was telling you was neurological, was just a gaited thing.