my horse seems to trip alot.  i don't know why.  my farrier says he doesn't get worked enough (true).  i am working him harder and doing lots of tight circles and other moves to get his feet moving....

when he trips, what should i do: 1. ignore it  2. spank him 3. what else???

any opinions.....

--gail

Ditto having a second opinion on his hooves.

I would also eliminate any possible skeletal issues by having a qualified equine chiropractor look at him.

 My Arab has always been lazy about picking up his feet - he is now 25 and I rescued him 18 years ago.

He is lazy about picking up his feet because, along with being starved half to death, he also had an injured vertebra.

I can tell when he's out of adjustment because his hind hooves will leave "snake trails" in the dirt.

Not saying that's the problem with the horse in question, but it would be good to eliminate all physical possibilities first

Tighter circles is not your answer when you're working with a horse that doesn't get worked much.  Tighter circles are for a horse that's more fit and balanced.  Working him on large circles making sure he's forward is the best thing.  I would make sure he's getting a nice balance trim and that he's healthy (no lameness issues etc.) other than that, if he's being lazy, give him a tap with the whip and push him forward when he trips.   

You wouldn't happen to have any under saddle video would you?  I would be willing to bet he's not being ridden forward and that he's tripping because of this OR he's not forward because he's not confident about putting his feet down because he's barefoot.  Many horses may seem fine barefoot (insert my horse here) but are so much more comfortable with shoes that they will work better.  I'm sure he's not clumsy at liberty... 

eta:  The definition of forward (impulsion).  Forward is not fast...forward is a state of mind.

4- Impulsion: Free-flowing energy initiated by the rider, causing the horse’s back to swing, his quarters to engage, and his forelegs to articulate is impulsion. Good impulsion is mirrored through a horse that appears to have an innate desire to go forward with active, lively steps. How far the horse steps underneath his barrel and how much he engages his hocks are both measures of impulsion. Basic training regulates the horse’s engine so that impulsion becomes second nature to the horse and the rider does not have to push all the time.

we are working on impulsion and training him to work off his back end more than his forehand.  he's coming along that way.

there's no issues with his feet or physical injuries.

what i was really wondering is:  if your horse trips because he is being lazy, would you correct him or ignore it?

 I know people don't like to hear it, but just because a farrier SAYS the horse's feet are fine, doesn't necessarily mean that they are.  My old farrier said my horse's feet were fine too, but I've had to spend the last two years trying to fix them after he ruined them, gr.  So get a second opinion or at least post some pics.  I'd be wary of anyone who says "oh, he just needs more work."  Lack of work is rarely a cause for tripping.

Solaris:

 I know people don't like to hear it, but just because a farrier SAYS the horse's feet are fine, doesn't necessarily mean that they are.  My old farrier said my horse's feet were fine too, but I've had to spend the last two years trying to fix them after he ruined them, gr.  So get a second opinion or at least post some pics.  I'd be wary of anyone who says "oh, he just needs more work."  Lack of work is rarely a cause for tripping.

Ditto all of THAT in a big way

Correct him by pushing him forward.  So no...don't ignore it, but don't reprimand him.  When a horse is lazy and heavy up front the will trip.  Add an unbalanced trim and long toes to that and it's worse.  I agree with Solaris that just because your farrier says he's correct and balanced doesn't mean he is.  It took me almost 3 years to correct Boy's feet after a so called "farrier" effed them up.     

I agree that long toes could be a contributor.  If you can post some pictures of his feet, with him standing on a hard, flat surface, not in grass or anything that will cover up his feet, with the camera sitting on the ground straight from the side of each foot.   

When Boy is being lazy, sometimes he will trip.  I just act as if nothing happened and I push him forward.  He's an OTTB and built to run.  He's a long horse so it takes a lot of work on my part to keep him packaged up.  So when I'm being lazy, he get's to be lazy too  

If we could see some video, I would bet money that he's behind your leg and on the forehand when he trips.

can't a horse just be a big klutz?  i mean really.  i know his feet are in excellent shape. he's young (6) and healthy.  but, he's inclined to be lazy.

it is possible it could be conformation a bit.  his back feet brush very close together at a walk (that's the only speed i ever have a chance to see from behind) and his legs are long and his back is short.  i know that occassionally when he has shoes i have heard the back hoof clip the bottom of the front hoof.

that said......still, maybe he's just a klutz.

if i have a chance to video him and get a shot of him tripping i will.  but, so far anytime the camera has been on, he hasn't tripped.

Generally horses are not clumsy by nature.  If he was "clumsy" I would expect to see it at liberty too.  Your boy is an OTTB right?  How is he on the lunge?  All I need is a short video of you riding him walk and some trot to know if he's behind your leg and heavy upfront.  I don't need to see him trip to know what the issue is.

 Some horses ARE lazy with their feet, but constant tripping is still not normal for a horse, they really are not terribly clumsy animals.  A video would be great to just get a chance to see how you two look together when you are riding normally and we have great experienced eyes on here who may be able to help a lot from that.