Suddenly fell to knees during ride

Question
Hi,
I have a 20 years old mule that suddenly went down on his knees this past Sunday during a trail ride. He did not trip or stumble we just went from walking fine to him being on his knees.  H
He is fully vaccinated, the saddle is the same one I have ridden him with for over a year.  He seemed fine afterward and is not lame then or now, but he was mopey the following day.  Any suggestions?

thank you,
Lori

Answer
Hi Lori

This is one of those, "have your vet check him" questions.  Causes of stumbling and falling can be anything from narcolepsy or certain CNS diseases to arthritis, improperly trimmed feet, a simple lack of collection or a moment of inattention.

It's going to require some investigative work to narrow this down. My favorite Thoroughbred would do this on rare occasions when he was a 2 and 3 year old.  For him, it was just "daisy cutting".  He tended not to pick his feet up well and when he was growing into himself it occasionally caused a problem.  After those two years, e never did it again in the next 18 years.

Your mule is older so it COULD be some arthritic stiffness that caused the fall. I think I would treat it as an anomaly UNLESS it happens again.  If it occurs again, I would absolutely talk to a good vet.  Meanwhile, pay attention to possible causes.  Watch him move on the longe line or in pasture and look for things such as lack of flexion in either front or back legs.  Does he stub his toes?  Are his toes a bit long?  Does he ever fall or nearly fall when dozing?  The more detailed information you can give your vet, the better.  

Good luck with him.

Lynen Curtis Gudes