How to Identify which leg a horse is lame on

Most horses when sore will be sore on a fore leg. This is because horses carry more weight on their front end then hind and thus it is more prone to injuries. Because of this we look for the front legs first and then move to the hind legs to determine where the lameness is.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• a helper to jog the horse
• firm ground
• hoof pick
• white (masking) tape

1. First pick the hooves out make sure there is no foreign object in any of the hoof. while picking the hooves out use ear hands to check for any excess heat in the leg. At this same time look for heat in the legs and any swelling.
2. Hand the horse off to your assistant. View the horse trotting towards you in a straight line on your firm level ground. Watch the front legs and which leg when striking the ground the head lowers. The head will bob DOWN on the sound leg and up on the lame leg.
3. Still not sure which leg he's lame on? watch the hind end. Put two peices of white masking tape on the horses hips where you can view from behind- just above the point of buttock. Have your helper trot the horse away from you. If the lameness is in the hind end- one hip will hike up higher then the other. The hip hike is on the sore leg.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure your helper keeps the lead rope loose to not alter the horses head movement.
• Use a crop or whip to encourage the horse to trot freely
• if the lameness is still difficult to diagnose try putting the horse on the lunge line and spiral the horse into a smaller circle. The smaller the circle the more pronounced the head bob should be
• If the horse is extremely lame- near to non weight bearing or not weight bearing on a leg call the vet immediately
• no matter how subtle the lameness the horse should be given several days off of work and have reduced turn out. Subtle lamness can still be serious
• if the horse does not improove with in 2-3 days contact your vet for advice