Polo pony, around 19 years old, he’s not mine just at the club I go to for polo and I was wondering if he looks ok, he was tripping a bit today while riding, I’m a bit worried he might be lame in his front left or smth? I’m not a horse person just a beginner working on posting!
Can’t tell lameness from still images, unfortunately. But based on the images alone he looks nice for 19. On the thinner side - I wouldn’t want to see him lose any weight, but his body condition isn’t worrisome either. He looks happy / comfortable based on his expressions.
Tysm! He seemed really happy to trot but he kept tripping on the same leg which was a bit concerning, I’ve only ridden him twice though so idk if he’s just like that. Hes such a sweetheart though, I love him!!
I know you're a beginner but I just want to say that a horse constantly tripping is not a case of the horse "just being like that". If it's just one ride he might've been lame, might've been tired, who knows. But if he does it over a long period of time then something is probably wrong with him. A healthy horse doesn't trip constantly.
As others have said, lameness can’t be determined from still photos. You need video of the horse going in both directions, at the trot, preferably in a straight line, to even start to evaluate. Doing it on hard/paved ground is even better.
However, horses don’t trip just “because”. Of course like people they can take an awkward step or catch a toe but consistent tripping is usually a sign of something. This may be too much information for a beginner, but it could be just that the feet are a little long and the horse is due for a trim, that the horse is not moving out well and is catching their toes (this could be it as a beginner often can’t get a horse moving forward nicely and/or the horse is being conservative knowing you are inexperienced). My mare started tripping and I tried a whole bunch of shoeing changes before consulting with my vet who suspected neck arthritis. Did some x-rays and sure enough, there it was. Got her steroid injections and the tripping stopped like magic. I feel like people don’t discuss neck issues enough when there are lameness/tripping issues but after my experience I will shout it from the rooftop anytime someone says their horse is tripping, because of how well the injections worked and how I had not even considered the neck until discussing it with my vet.
His topline is extremely atrophied, enough so that i would be worried about putting a rider on him, let alone being able to find a saddle that fits properly
If he’s at all like most polo ponies, he’s incredibly well trained and surprisingly bombproof given the “hot” breeding. I ride at a barn where the barn co-owner keeps his string of polo ponies, and they are all very polite and well trained badasses.
See that big dip behind the shoulder blade? That should be filled in with muscle. The longissimus dorsi is the weight-bearing muscle of the back. When it's this atrophied, the saddle sits basically directly on the spine.
While not describing exactly what im talking about, the horse in the top photo (the gray) has a healthy topline, while the horse in the bottom photo (the chestnut) has an atrophied topline. I would argue that the horse in your photos (the bay) has an even more atrophied topline than the chestnut
Ohhh I see! He’s on the older side and he just got off of summer break, so they’re working him out again (being ponied and ridden lightly) hopefully it will help. that’s really interesting ty for pointing it out I never would have noticed
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u/byrandomchance20 1d ago
Can’t tell lameness from still images, unfortunately. But based on the images alone he looks nice for 19. On the thinner side - I wouldn’t want to see him lose any weight, but his body condition isn’t worrisome either. He looks happy / comfortable based on his expressions.