Watch the horse walk and trot in a straight line and on a circle, looking for a head nod, hip hike, shortened stride or uneven rhythm. Feel for heat and swelling, check the feet, and call your vet for anything unclear.
Watch it move
Have someone trot the horse in a straight line on a hard, level surface. A lame horse often nods its head down as the sound front leg lands, or hikes a hip as it favours a hind leg. Watch from front, behind and the side.
Look for subtle signs
Not all lameness is obvious. A shortened stride, an uneven rhythm, reluctance to work on one rein, or a horse that feels off under saddle can all signal mild lameness. Circles on both reins, and on different surfaces, often make a subtle lameness clearer.
Feel and check the feet
Run your hands down the legs feeling for heat, swelling or pain, and pick out and check the feet with a hoof pick, since the foot is the most common source of lameness. A raised digital pulse and heat in a hoof point to a problem there, such as an abscess.
Rule out the simple things
Check for a stone lodged in the foot, an obvious wound, or a loose or missing shoe before assuming the worst. Many sudden lamenesses have a simple cause, but a hoof abscess can also cause severe, sudden lameness that looks alarming.
When to call the vet
Call your vet for lameness that is severe, does not improve, or that you cannot pin down. A proper lameness workup finds the source and guides treatment. Early, accurate diagnosis usually means a quicker, more complete recovery.
