upset!!! cant ride my pony

[michelle c]

yesterday i was riding my pony and the farrier was watching me, he said that she (meg) looked licke she wasnt moving right with one of her back legs, so i got off and got someone else to ride her so i could see! when she trotted i couldnt tell (but im not too good with these things) THEN he said she is not moving right with both front legs!!! i al so couldnt tell, she looked ok, but he said her front legs arnt going far enough under her b4 she picks them up and going on her heels.!! :( he said she was uncomfertable. But if she was uncomfertable why would she want to trot fast and be hard to stop? He also said that she was poking her nose out in front, but isnt that to keep her balance because she was trotting fast? oh and she was bucking in the canter but i am going to get the back man out for that? :( thanx in advance to your replies

[nutkin]

I would get the vet to check your horse over to be certain but as you say if your horse trots fast the nose poking probably is due to that. Your farrier should be able to correct the way your horse is moving by using natural balance shoeing to help stop her putting all her weight on her heels. There may be nothing wrong with your horse and just because they move in a certain way it doesn't neccessarily mean your horse is lame. A lame horse usually nods its head in trot and this will be quite obvious but sometimes if the lameness is in both feet it will appear as a shortening of the stride. Remember your farrier is trained and should know what he is talking about so I would take his advice seriously and consult your vet. Remember the old saying ' No foot No horse'. Also another thing which can make a big difference to a horses way of going is the ground they are being worked on. Some horses don't like hard or stony ground and if you were working on that then that may also explain why your horse moved that way.

[michelle c]

thanx for your reply! i got someone else to look at my pony as well the next day and she said she is fine ( this person is really good at looking for these things! my pony needs her feet doing desperatley so this is prob the cause of her not troting properly!!!( trotting on her heals) the ground she is worked on is ok and not boggy or hard (in an indoor school) and she has been fine for years on that. the woman suggested i get her feet done then assess her again!! :o

p.s. the farrier who was looking at her isnt my farrier and i think he may be getting at the farrier iv got now!!