Falling on Face! - A question

[Charles Phillips <phillipscj@yahoo.com>]

I have a 20 year old horse that has retired from long
distance riding this year.  Arthritis has started to
set in and she has an old sesimoid injury in the right
front which is starting to calcify.

At any rate, she has the habit of falling down to her
front elbows and catching herself with her face.  This
has happened at the trot most often and even while
walking.  It has not happened at the canter.

It has happened 3/4's of the way through a 50, a
couple of times toward the end of a 15 mile pleasure
ride and once walking back to the barn after being out
for a couple of hours.

In the beginning, I was usually able to come up with
some sort of excuse for the fall.  After the vet check
explained her old injuries and the state of the
arthitis, I started to pay more attention.

A friend said that she was not able to tell where her
front feet were coming down and that because of this
she is very dangerous to ride.

Has anyone ever heard of this before?  Is this horse
too unsafe to ride?

Charles in Michigan

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