# Over-Reaching.....Help!!



## JuniorHunterChamp (Oct 20, 2011)

At the trot, my horse over-reaches with his back, left foot. It started suddenly about two weeks ago and it's driving me crazy! Almost every trot step, he clicks his front foot with his back one. He shows no sign of lameness, and when I talked with my trainer, she said it may be because his front shoulders are sore. Any ideas?


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## JuniorHunterChamp (Oct 20, 2011)

also, sorry for the big font....


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Why does your trainer think it's not a lameness problem? Sounds like it's either that, or his hooves are imbalanced and need to be properly trimmed....


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Tell your farrier he's overreaching, I think he can prolly roll the back toe to aid in his breakover with the back feet.


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## JuniorHunterChamp (Oct 20, 2011)

my trainer said that it could also be because he is "scopey"


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

As someone said above, speak to your farrier about it and they can trim to reduce the over reaching. Also invest in a pair of bell boots.


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## JuniorHunterChamp (Oct 20, 2011)

I tried using bell boots, but unfortunately, I was told that it impedes my horse's movement...


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

It doesn't....
And what does "scopey" mean in this context?


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

I think the it means, in this context, that he has a big, swinging trot with overtrack, which is not how I would use the word, but that's a quibble. 

The sore shoulders makes some sense to me; it he's a fraction of a section slower lifting his shoulder, the overreach can be caused by the timing issue - the front foot isn't clearing the ground quckly enough to avoid the back. 

I second, third and fourth the recommendation to talk to your farrier. One of my horses (with a big, swinging trot) used to have this problem, and the farrier now habitually shoes him with the inside branch of his left front shorter than the right. Normal good farrier practice would allow the branch to be a little longer and little wider at the heel, but we just can't do that with him and have him keep shoes on. The farrier isolated the problem to the inside of the left front and shortened that branch and problem solved - he can move freely and not overreach. 

I am not suggested that this is what's happening with your horse; I am suggesting that your farrier is definitely part of the solution. 

I am not a huge fan of bell boots or overreach boots either, but can't you school in them until you figure out what's causing the problem?


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

Excellent post Maura. Yes, a horse with stiff, sore shoulders can aggravate "forging" but I would suspect long toes on the hind feet are the culprit. I ride a couple of forgers and I have always consulted, favorably, with the farrier with good results. I would pay the extra money to have the farrier put quarter clips on the front shoes to help keep them on if he steps on them. Nothing worse that ripping a shoe off.

Hopefully, you have a good farrier who will work with you.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Please get bell boots and your horse's feet looked at. Impeding movement or not, which it DOES NOT do, is better than a horse having gashes on the back of the front foot's heel and turning up lame.

My horse was doing it for a few days when he got an angle adjustment and stopped once he got retrimmed


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## JuniorHunterChamp (Oct 20, 2011)

Thanks guys! I will definitely talk with both my trainer and my farrier. And about the whole "scopey" thing, he's a competition horse, so my barn is big on that kind of thing.....


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

"Scopey" usually refers to a horse's ability to jump big and wide fences, and to adjust their stride to jump a variety of fences from a variety of distances. 

Not sure how that applies to overreaching at the trot.


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## JuniorHunterChamp (Oct 20, 2011)

@maura I don't really know either.....


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