Assessing hind leg lameness

[Cat_Tap]

I know that when a horse is off in front the leg taking the short step at the walk is not the lame leg but it is taking a short step to take the weight off the sore leg.

Is that how it works in the hind legs? Horse is taking a short step, not reaching under with one leg in both directions. It is not bad enough for head bobbing. Which leg would you consider the problem? I think it is the leg taking the shorter step.

I am also aware that sometimes a horse is off after chiropractic treatment. Can massage therapy also cause some discomfort causing uneven movement?

I don’t usually call the vet right away unless it is an acute problem. I can often sort things out without spending $$$$ for xrays, blocking etc. after which I may still not have a definite diagnosis.

[Abbie.S]

Well, the answer is kind of the entirely unsatisfying “it depends”.

Diagnosing lameness is often an art, not a science. There is not one formula to determine how to conclude which leg/side is the offender.

I think you’re confused/backwards on the front leg lameness bit. Think about it: the L fore hurts. The horse does not want to spend any more time on it than they have to because it hurts, and they aren’t going to take a long stride with it because that means bearing more weight and more push in the planted phase of the stride. If you consider the old adage “down on sound”, you’ll recognize that the horse’s head and neck is then coming UP when the lame leg is planted: a horse carrying their head/neck high is going to be restricted in the reach of the shoulder. They can’t physically move with the longer or even normal stride. Therefore the short striding leg is going to be L fore, which is the sore leg.

The same principle works for the hind. The horse is sore on the L hind. He doesn’t want to bear weight very long or push off on it. He’s not going to take a deep stride with that leg because doing so requires him to then bear more weight and give more push when it’s planted. So he’s going to move short on the L hind.

But presentation of lameness can be very subtle and change based on where in the limb the pain is coming from and the degree of damage/how acute the injury is. An abscess is going to present differently than a sore/tight haunch which will be different than R hock arthritis which will be different than a fresh suspensory ligament tear. And then there’s the question of “is it even a LIMB that’s the issue?” I have been working for some time with a teenaged gelding who has some chronic, long-held imbalances. He moves short(er) on the right hind. There’s nothing wrong with his right hind, but he is hollow left and tight right and so he carries his ribcage perpetually to the right…there is no ROOM for that right hind to swing through, his ribs are always in the way! His stride has evened out through regular correct work, but it took a while and his owner could have easily spent big bucks of diagnostics only to come up with nothing.

And yes, bodywork can exacerbate problems short-term. Think about yourself: if you have a chronic issue and get intense bodywork, could you walk away and be more sore the next day? Sure could.

[Scribbler]

Yes absolutely the lame leg steps short. That’s always true when I’m dealing with a hoof abscess where the bad foot is clearly known.

Also I injured my own foot over the winter and could feel my own short stride for months after I was pretty much OK.

Another aspect to consider is whether the horse is equally off on firm and soft footing.

If he is off on hard ground but not soft arena footing that could point to hoof problems. That’s certainly been true IME for hoof abscesses and bruises.

If the horse finds deeper footing more difficult than hard ground it could be muscles further up the leg that struggle with walking in deep footing.

@Abbie.S that description of the bent horse going short is really interesting and I wonder if that’s behind the mechanism that causes what we call rein lame, where a horse is ridden badly and appears off?

Also if you had any details on diagnosing different kinds of lameness visually?

I feel like I can see abscess vs heel bruise vs navicular syndrome vs laminitis and founder, toe first vs flat foot landing, and the kind of hock stiffness where the hind leg swings without articulating. But I can’t reliably say that’s hock and not stifle.

The only things I ve dealt with personally are abscess and bruise, then I get to watch chronic problems in other people’s horses. So I also don’t know what to look for in acute injuries like tendons. I have heard toe dragging for rear suspensories.

Also watching at a distance, not everyone is going to want to chat in depth about the diagnosis so I can’t always have my observations verified.

I’m at a big barn with aging horses, beginner lesson horses, etc. So lots to observe. I just wish I had access to everyone’s rads and could be a fly on the wall for vet consults! I know, MYOB.

[Cat_Tap]

In the past I also thought that the problem was the short strided side. This is not always the case proved to me by my vet. He convinced me that the horse took a shorter,quicker step to take the weight off the affected leg, at least when the problem was not in the foot.

I wasn’t sure it it worked the same way in the hind.

I do think his hock is just slightly up in the short strided leg, there was some dirt on it which makes me think he might have done something to it rolling out in the field.

As far as rein lameness goes, one of mine could look off when stressed. This occurred many times during his lifetime.

As a rule I am pretty good at noticing lameness and finding the cause. I have looked after numerous horses for many years. The current uneveness behind is only minute but he didn’t work out of it during a 10 minute walk and a few trots.