Tripping All Over Himself

It was the most gorgeous day - bright sunshine, perfect temperatures, light breeze. A few of the horses were sun bathing in their paddocks.


Toby is loving the attention he is getting from me. He runs to greet me at the gate to his paddock. He bullies the other horses away from me. Then once we walk back to the barn, he will stop for a pick of grass in the lane, stop in front of his stall door, stop at the first set of cross ties, stop at the second set of cross ties, reluctantly walk up to and stop at the third set of cross ties which are near the tack room and next to the wash rack. Once he's there he's fine it's getting him there that can be amusing.


We tacked up and rode outside again. Toby has been a bit clumsy, moreso than usual lately. He's been tripping and stumbling particularly when we are warming up but then again when we circle. At one point I was cracking up because I had him "put together" and in a great frame moving smoothly along when we would start a 20 meter circle. That's when he would trip over his front legs and stumble along. He tripped on both his front legs. Typically, his stumbling happens when his feet get long but he had his feet done about 2 weeks ago and had steel shoes with clips put on. Hmmm - the shoes... Toby had been barefoot all winter long so the shoes were new.


After my lesson, I called my farrier to tell him what's been going on with Toby. He suggested that the weight of the steel shoes could be the issue. So our plan is to put him in aluminum shoes when he is due to be done next.


Toby, at 19 years of age, is also on joint supplements to help him out. He's been taking this product:Which has it all going on. I do this because both of his stifles seem to give him trouble as he ages. I'm very aware of his weaknesses and do what I can to help him. The supplements help a lot. And just for informational purposes, this is what Toby gets in his supplement packet each day:

Toby's Supplement Regime

Biotin 100 - for his hooves which had been shelly and brittle. The vets at MSU had turned me on to this when Toby had to regrow his outer hoofwall after it was resected due to white line disease. I swear by this product!

Grand H.A. Synergy - for his joint health. See what I wrote above

Vitamin E and Selenium - because the soil in Michigan lacks these nutrients and horses need them.

Flax Seed - for his coat and hooves. I do this mostly for his coat. I'm vain, he's beautiful and it's cheap :)

Paprika - for his coat to keep it dark and minimize sun bleaching. Again, I'm vain, he's beautiful and when bought in bulk it's not expensive. It sure is a heck of alot less expensive than "Black as Knight." I started with the paprika for Jag but since I still have it, I'm continuing to give it to Toby to see how we do throughout this summer. Some people say it's not good for the horse but I've noticed absolutely no ill effects. Of course I am always monitoring my guys health.

So that is his current regime. It's always subject to change as I pay attention to Toby's needs but the flax seed and Vitamin E and Selenium are staples.

Finally for your entertainment, I shot photos of Heather's horses with the black background.