Seeing lame horses out in the world

[SonnysMom]

I have an OTTB that was NQR. Lots of flexions, blocks, xrays, blood tests for Lyme and EPM, Osphos injections and Dr. Green later and still no diagnosis and no improvement. Put him on Estrone and consistant work and it went away. The first month or so if you saw me riding him he would be low grade lame. He needed to build up the muscling to support the stifle. We did not do small circles and we made sure what work he did was correct such as a marching walk, energetic trot, using his back.

During that first year if he went more than 2 day in a row without being ridden he came up stiff. So if he missed a 3-4 days due to an abscess or thrown shoe he came up lame. Now he is fit enough he can go a few days with no problems. He has also gotten into the habit of trotting around his field a few times randomly throughout the day so he keeps himself somewhat fit.

During those first few months I would not have taken him to a clinic or show but certainl would take him on a trail ride. Actually I would have been willing to take him to an obstacle course type clinic where you are primarily walking anyway. It was not obvious at the walk.

Years ago I was at a very small schooling show. There is a nice old white medium pony in the first division that is moderately lame.
First division is Leadline- so w/t, w/t off lead with handler next to them. Pony doesn’t need to do more than a little shuffle trot and is safe for kiddo.
Next division is shortest stirrup. w/t, w/tc, 4 itty bitty crossrails barely bigger than a ground pole. Pony is very safe and solid for a tiny tater tot of a child. Pony is not getting worse or better regarding lameness.
Next division short stirrup. Pony come into that division with the 3rd kid of the day. Judge halts the class, calls over the show manager and tells them to “Get that f*ing lame pony out of my ring and don’t let me see it again my classes.” Go judge.

[StarPattern]

I don’t show, but I once had someone try to rip me a new as-hole because my horse was “extremely lame”. It was to the point that this person drove after me in her car, yelling at me out the window, as my horse was quite happily pacing down the road. Her preferred gait is the pace and I find it comfortable, so that’s what we’re usually doing when other horses are trotting.

I knew my horse wasn’t lame. But this woman was absolutely convinced that I was trying to trot and my horse was striding out weird to compensate. She called me all sorts of names, threatened to call animal control, etc. It was all I could do to explain to her that my horse is actually gaited and what she was doing was called pacing. She thought I was making it up until I told her to just hang tight because I could show her a trot too, if she was really concerned.

And let’s not even get into the looks I get when my horse is trying to pace her way into a canter. She is so uncoordinated that even I think she looks lame. LOL.

There’s nothing wrong with expressing concern, but be polite about it. Don’t start off accusing the rider of abuse until you know the full story.

[jonem004]

@StarPattern

I don’t show, but I once had someone try to rip me a new as-hole because my horse was “extremely lame”. It was to the point that this person drove after me in her car, yelling at me out the window, as my horse was quite happily pacing down the road. Her preferred gait is the pace and I find it comfortable, so that’s what we’re usually doing when other horses are trotting.

I knew my horse wasn’t lame. But this woman was absolutely convinced that I was trying to trot and my horse was striding out weird to compensate. She called me all sorts of names, threatened to call animal control, etc. It was all I could do to explain to her that my horse is actually gaited and what she was doing was called pacing. She thought I was making it up until I told her to just hang tight because I could show her a trot too, if she was really concerned.

And let’s not even get into the looks I get when my horse is trying to pace her way into a canter. She is so uncoordinated that even I think she looks lame. LOL.

There’s nothing wrong with expressing concern, but be polite about it. Don’t start off accusing the rider of abuse until you know the full story.

Lol!!! That’s hilarious! Ok, I don’t think I’m at risk of being that lady, but I definitely agree that tact is the better part of valor if I am going to bring up an unevenness.

Gaited horses are way outside of my wheelhouses, but they don’t come up too often in my world.

[sunkistbey]

We have an old school horse who is mechanically lame. She lives outside, gets bute when she works, and carries only the smallest of children. She’s happy in her work, the kids love her, and she is the safest horse on the farm. We don’t take her off the farm because her riders are not ready for that. When they are, we move them up to a different horse.
In reference to goodhors comment about the QH Congress, I’ve been going there for about 10 years and have seen far more sound horses than lame ones. I have 50+ years of experience, so I hope I know lame when I see it. Mind you, I’m only there for first two weeks, so maybe things change as the show goes on.

[StarPattern]

@jonem004

Lol!!! That’s hilarious! Ok, I don’t think I’m at risk of being that lady, but I definitely agree that tact is the better part of valor if I am going to bring up an unevenness.

Gaited horses are way outside of my wheelhouses, but they don’t come up too often in my world.

Imagine this - a horse who is doing something that vaguely resembles a trot with some weird hops and skips before doing a clumsy flying-change looking thing to switch to a pace and then pacing faster and faster until finally, she skips into a canter that looks like she tried to save herself from falling on her face. That is my mare trying to canter under saddle because she still doesn’t believe she has something called “balance”. It’s always an adventure.

[findthedistance]

I show up to variations on this all the time in my local horse community because I work in a capacity where I am frequently offered free horses. Depending on the vibe I’m getting from the owner, I might say, “Your horse seems lovely, but I’m concerned by the [right front, left hind, blatant four-limb, whatever] lameness. I’m happy to revisit after your vet sees him.” I often ask, “Is this the way this horse normally goes?” in a totally neutral tone first, to feel out the owner’s understanding of the lameness. If I’m dealing with a trainer, I may lead with, “What’s the maintenance plan on this one?” to give them the opening to admit that they know there’s a problem and share what works or doesn’t.

But if I get the mechanical lameness line without a detailed story about the source of that lameness, I am out of dodge. The vast majority of horses with “mechanical lamenesses” are in pain and undiagnosed. If the lameness improves with bute, it’s not mechanical. If it improves with blocking, it’s not mechanical. True mechanical lameness is rare. (It exists, I’m not attacking you. But ethically, I would say all lameness is pain until conclusively proven otherwise.)

I do a lot of shutting up. A little truth-telling. If I’m volunteering at a show and see an egregious grade 3 lameness, I’ll ask to have the vet come watch #XXX. But out in the world, unsolicited to strangers? If it’s not 3-legged, it’s MYOB.

[Rudy14]

@StarPattern I know the feeling. I have one who can trot, foxtrot, rack, pace etc depending on how the day is going. She tends to be a bit trotty but if she is going through all her gears at once she definitely will look lame to the normal nongaited person.