Re: dragging hind feet

[Abigail Aiyagari <abby1@itsa.ucsf.edu>]

My 6-year-old gelding had a problem with this last fall.  It appeared
rather suddenly when he was "at work"; he would drag them to the extent
that he was tripping over nothing on the trails.  I had him checked by a
chiropractor, and his sacroiliac joint was out.  As soon as he got
crunched, the tripping went away.  After a particularly vigorous play
session this spring (lots of rearing and twisting launches off the hind
feet), he started tripping again.  Got him adjusted again, problem
instantly gone.

Incidentally, he also used to square off his toes--turns out the toes were
way too long, and now that he's getting a proper trim he no longer squares
them off.

I can't say whether this is the problem with the horse you looked at, it's
just one (very simple) possibility.  A vet should be able to do some
simple tests to rule out a neurological problem.

Hope this helps,
Abby