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Horses cannot tell people when or where they hurt. Unlike dogs that will whimper or whine to show pain, horses are prey animals, making them reluctant to express their pain. In the wild, prey animals don’t want to draw attention to their pain because their predators can sense when they are weak. Although this is an advantage for wild animals, this becomes a disadvantage for domestic animals. Horse owners must to learn to be very observant of their animals so they can be able to tell when they are hurting. The most obvious way a horse shows he is in pain is by going lame.

A lame horse is hurting somewhere in his body and it’s up to the owner to find out what is causing the pain and to make sure that the horse will receive the proper treatment. Many times lameness is a temporary problem and the horse will recover fully with proper care. Sometimes though, if the lameness is chronic and all treatment options have been exhausted and the horse is unable to be kept comfortable by any means, then euthanasia will become the only humane option.

Lameness is defined as an abnormality of gait that can be caused by any pains or limitations of movement. The eight most common causes of lameness in horses is:

1. Osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease).

2. Osteochondrosis (developmental)

3. Epiphysitis (developmental).

4. Laminitis or Founder (metabolic).

5. Exertional Rhabdomyolysis or Tying Up (metabolic).

6. Foot wounds or abscesses (infectious).

7. Inflammation of a joint or other body part (inflammatory).

8. Injury or external trauma (traumatic).

Now that you know the eight most common causes, now you must be able to identify the location of the problem. When trying to distinguish which leg may be causing the problem, you must be very observant when trying to identify the lame leg. The things you will want to look for is:

1. An abnormal stance, for instance is the horse resting one leg more than the others, pointing the toe of one foot, or is it dropped fetlock?

2. In forelimb lameness, does the horse have any abnormal head-nod movements?

3. In hind limb lameness, does the horse have an abnormal hip hike?

4. In the reduced arc of foot flight, does the horse appear stiff in the leg or is he reluctant to flex the leg normally?

5. Is there a shortened stride length or a shortened swing phase of his stride?

6. An abnormal foot position, such as landing toe first as if to spare the heel?

Now you must evaluate the horses gait on a level, even surface. First the walk and then the trot, this should be done both in a straight line and then in a circle, making sure he is on a loose lead and watch carefully in both directions of the circle. Make your observations from the front, the sides and the rear. You can evaluate the horse on both soft and hard surfaces and remember that the problem could be more than just one leg.

When you’re trying to locate the specific problem causing area, the only tools you will need are your hands and your eyes. You will also be required to have three skills: Observation, Palpation and Manipulation. In observation you will need to look for balance between the right and left legs and also in between the outside and inside of a normal proportionate body structure. If any imbalances are found, it’s normally caused by swelling or a reduction in tissue mass.

In palpation you will need to feel for swelling, heat, pain redness, and changes in texture or tone of any tissue that can be characterized by soft, fluid-filled or firm, hard swellings. In manipulation you will need to move the tissue or body structure through a regular range of motion to check for pain, an increased or decreased ranged of motion or a grinding, grating, crackling sensation due to crepitus.

When investigating the specific areas of lameness, the most common sites are: the foot, joints, bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments, neck, and the back. Other possible sources can include: the skin, the tack, the rider and even the nervous system.