When “bubble wrap” seems like the ideal solution…
Do you have a horse you want to keep in a padded room? Or that you’re certain needs to be covered in bubble wrap? I have been there! I wanted to share some tips and suggestions for tangible solutions for a horse that seems accident-prone…
First and foremost you want to rule out neurological concerns or diseases. Working with your vet though this is often the most efficient way to receive a diagnosis. If you do get a label or condition, there is no need to panic or accept it as a death sentence. This clarity is meant to serve you not to scare you.
Whether you gain clarity from your vet or not, ensuring that the nutrition is clean of synthetics, toxins, and fillers is crucial for your horse’s mental clarity –click here to learn more about that…
Then supporting cell health and the microbiome of the stomach and intestines will further ensure that your horse isn’t experiencing brain fog or lack of coordination due to poor cell health or nutrition issues.
The quality of your horse’s health is connected to the quality of the questions you ask-
It’s safe to say that a horse being clumsy is NOT natural… think of what would happen to the “clumsy” horses in the wild. They would be dinner for a predator in no time and the terrain the horse has to maneuver every day would put that horse at high risk of injury.
What other things should you question and assess if your horse is clumsy?
- Upbringing -What terrain and the environment was the horse raised? Foals kept in stalls or small flat paddocks where they are unable to move on varied grades and explore their body in motion can live out those effects permanently throughout life.
- Proper Hoof Trimming – Horses whose feet are not kept balanced can struggle with foot placement and making contact with themselves in motion.
- Body Awareness- Sometimes these horses struggle with body awareness. Bodywork, slow groundwork, and equine somatics can be great ways to encourage the horse to slow down and become more aware of themselves.
- Physical Tension, Pain, or Concern– Checking tack fit, rider biomechanics, circulation to hooves, nutrition, and bodywork are all areas that you want to explore and be aware of.
- Manic or Aloof– there are different ways a horse can express being accident-prone. Sometimes they are more manic or anxious, and that leads to them to not focus on foot placement and body awareness. Or it can seem like they are more aloof, lazy, or almost daydreaming. Each of these would call for a different approach and set of questions to explore further.
Training vs Micromanaging
One last tip or suggestion for an accident-prone horse is to ensure you are allowing responsibility.
The horse that I owned that struggled with this problem, had been heavily micromanaged when he was trained and ridden. Which was a temptation as he seemed very lazy and prone to trip, drop his shoulder, pick up the wrong leads, etc?
It got to the point that I hated riding him… it was so much work! Until I decided I was no longer in charge of what he did with his body, he was. If he didn’t engage properly as we went down a hill out on the trail… he got to go back up and come back down until he did. To be clear I had no emotion or charge on this. It was simply a, “let’s try that again”.
In the arena if he picked up the wrong lead we rode it out awhile, sometimes even did some smaller circles to give him a clear (uncomfortable) feel of what it felt like. If he broke gait I simply asked for the lead I wanted and we tried again. If he didn’t offer to break gait, I would break down to a walk or a trot and try again.
I had already ruled out all the other suggestions mentioned at the start of this post, this type of exploration will only work if the horse is free of pain, tension, brain fog, the tack is fitted properly, etc.
Stumbling Can Actually Be A Tell-Tale Sign-
What most horse owners don’t realize is that their horse IS trying to tell them that there are health problems lurking below the surface! Your horse could be too… with the very fact that they’re “clumsy”.
Other ways your horse tries to communicate concern to you can be not greeting you at the gate, being resistant or dull to your cues, and many other negative behavioral problems. It’s time revolutionize the way you think about and approach your horse’s care and lifestyle; equipping you with the tools and information you need to optimize your horse’s performance, reinvigorating their zest for life, and accessing the “horseplay” and exuberance they are naturally known for.
Discover the forgotten framework of care that will transform your horse’s health! Grab your copy of my book Healthy as a Horse, Click here to reserve your copy now.
I hope you found value in this post. Please share via your favorite social media page to help us on our mission to promote horse health and wellness. You will find share buttons at the bottom of the post.
Life is better when you’re horsin’ around!
