Lameness in horses

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It can be really hard to tell whether or not a horse is lame, and the basic rule is- if in doubt- ask the vet! Obviously severe acute (sudden) lamenesses are usually manifested by obvious hobbling, head nodding, or an uneven sensation as the horse moves under saddle, but more subtle lamenesses, or those that come on gradually, may be harder to detect and may only be manifested as difficulty working on a circle, inability to work on both diagonals at trot, or both leads at canter, moving disunited at canter, or even simply loss of performance and refusals.

Once you’ve identified the lame limb or painful area, it can be helpful to have a feel of all the limbs, looking out for any areas of heat, pain, swelling or lack of flexibility. This may help you to identify the source of the pain and may give you information that will be helpful to the vet. Lame horses should be box rested to prevent further injury, pending a veterinary diagnosis. In the meantime cold hosing or the use of cold boots may help to reduce inflammation in areas of warmth or swelling and support bandages can be useful. These are used to support the injured limb when tendon injuries are known or suspected, or to support the tendons of the sound limbs in cases of severe lameness, as they will be bearing comparatively more weight.

How to perform a lameness examination:

The best way to assess a horse that you think may be lame is to ask a friend to walk and trot it up in hand in a straight line on a hard, firm surface for around 20 yards on a loose rein.

As it goes away from you, watch the pelvis and try to see if it is moving symmetrically. Also watch the hocks and hooves and try and check that they are moving the same amount.
As it returns towards you watch the head carefully and try and see if there is a consistent head nod, and whether the forelimbs are moving symmetrically.
Also watch the horse go past you, or trot it up in raked sand, and try and check that the stride lengths are symmetrical and that it is tracking up properly.
Trotting a shod horse on the road can also be helpful as the lame foot generally makes a quieter sound on the tarmac as it bears less weight.
Having the horse worked on a circle can also aid lameness detection- this normally exacerbates lameness when the affected limb is on the inside of the circle and thus bearing comparatively more weight. This can be particularly helpful if horses are lame bilaterally as it may be hard to see overt lameness in a straight line- the horse may merely appear ‘pottery’. However on a circle, the inside leg on either rein usually appears the lamest.
Hindlimb lamenesses tend to be manifested as ‘dropping of the hip’ on the sound leg as it bears weight, while the lame leg tenses up as it bears weight.
Forelimb lamenesses are generally easier to assess as normally the head nods up as the lame leg bears weight.

Lameness is normally graded on a scale of 1-10 to aid objectivity:
Grade 0: Sound.
Grade 2/10: Lameness hard to detect at walk or trot.
Grade 4/10: Lameness barely detectable at walk, easy to see at trot.
Grade 6/10: Easily detectable lameness at walk.
Grade 8/10: Hobbling at walk. Unable/unwilling to trot.
Grade 10/10: Non weight-bearing