Horse Lameness

Horse Lameness

Horse lameness is a concern for every equestrian, because it’s a situation that we all have to face at one time or another.

“Where does it hurt?” Ask any lame horse that question, and he’ll give an answer. Some responses will be virtual screams: “My right fore, you dope; the leg that’s dangling useless from my shoulder. Stop gawking and get me some help!” Others speak quite clearly through telltale swelling, abrasion or cut: “If you’d scraped half the skin off your left hind leg, you’d be limping too.”

But most lame horses aren’t nearly so blatant in their answers. It’s essential that you find out precisely where the pained part is so you can get a notion of the outcome and firm idea of how to treat and manage the situation. And there stands the sticky/gimpy/ouchy/off horse playing coy. “Is it the ankle? You don’t think so. How about the knee? Maybe, what kind of an answer is maybe? Something wrong with the ligament, then? You’re not sure. Well, it is in this leg isn’t it? A twinge in the hind leg you say? I give up.”

When you’re locating a lameness, you don’t need to go ‘round and ‘round trying to finagle the truth from a seemingly skillful equivocator. Horses don’t know how to lie about their pain. If you ask the right question in a logical order and have the knowledge to interpret the responses, you can work your way to the point of those puzzling lamenesses.

And work it is. Allow yourself a good half hour to go through the process; this isn’t a guide to locating lameness without really trying. Instead, it is a systematic Q-and-A method that’s heavy on perception and brain power and extremely light on equipment.

In this valuable reference guide, we’ll provide you with the basic devices for locating lameness: and understanding of normal equine locomotion, a smattering of anatomy and an investigative mind-set. Experience will sharpen your skills, but as soon as you recognize the logic behind all those missteps and stiff moves, you’ll be able to interpret those locomotor mutters as well as the three-legged screams.

That was an exerpt from the introduction to Investigating Lameness, Sources of Leg Pain. This EQUUS Reference Guide is an invaluable resource, because every responsible horse owner needs to understand the basic types and causes of horse lameness. $9.95

While Investigating Lameness teaches you to understand lameness in horses, there is another way to find the physical problem in your horse.

The STS-2 SCANNER from Sumerel Therapeutics is a device that allows you to externally scan the horse’s body and pinpoint exactly where any problems exist. The SCANNER emits a micro current of electricity which neither you nor the horse can feel. That current is used to measure the resistance in the tissue it contacts. High resistance means normal, healthy tissue. Low resistance means there is something wrong there.

When a problem is detected, the SCANNER beeps. It even varies the strength of the beep to determine the severity of each problem found. (Loud, shrill beeps indicate a more severe problem than a softer beep.) The SCANNER does NOT diagnose problems. It simply locates where problems exist.

Think you have a hock problem? Scan the hock. If it beeps, there IS a hock problem. If not, the problem is elsewhere. We always scan the whole horse as you really never know everything that is going on in any given horse. While this may sound like smoke and mirrors to you, rest assured that there’s real science here, and the technology has been in use for almost two decades.

Gladstone Equine Library contains several other books on veterinary care for horse owners that include additional valuable information on horse lameness. Visit Gladstone Equine’s horse therapies sector to learn the various therapy modalities available to treat you horse’s lameness. It’s also important to understand the common injuries and conditions that cause lameness. Gladstone Equine has collected a wealth of information on horse injuries and made them available to you on our horse injuries section.

Gladstone Equine can help find and treat your horse’s physical problems painlessly. Click here to learn how to schedule an STS-2 appointment for your horse.

Central Virginia’s authorized distributor of the STS-2 Equine Therapy System from Sumerel Therapeutics. To purchase your own system or to schedule an appointment for your horse, Call or email us today – 804.337.7190