How to spot lameness
By Your Horse
How to...
19 May 2009 09:35
The causes of lameness can vary but, as vigilant horse owners, we can often tell quickly if there’s something amiss with our horse’s soundness. However, identifying the cause of the problem can often be tricky. Common signs are resting a hind leg or lifting the affected leg. Severe lameness is easy to spot, but for slight lameness the best method is to trot the horse up. Follow our guide to what to look for:
Checking for causes
Lameness can often be more common in a fore leg than a hind. Once you’ve spotted the lame leg or hoof, do the following:
Pick your horse’s feet out carefully, as sometimes removing a large piece of flint or dislodging a stone from the frog can instantly relieve the problem.
Check the hooves, comparing the unsound hoof with the sound hoof. Look for differences such as heat or sensitivity to the underside of the hoof, which may indicate an infection of some kind.
If your horse is in pain, call your vet, making a mental note of how severe the pain is and monitoring any changes until your vet arrives.
If there’s no pain the problem may not be in the hoof but rather mechanical lameness, which may be linked to joint stiffness and or contraction of the tendon.
Run your hands carefully down each leg to look for any signs of swelling/heat/pain.
Either call your vet or box rest for 24 hours and reassess. If there’s still no change, call your vet. He will observe the horse moving and may do flexion tests to help determine what the problem is.
The information in this feature is a guide, and you should always contact your vet if in doubt of any injury.
