A huge part of owning a horse is taking care of it’s every need. Competition horses are much more prone to injury and lameness due to the high stresses put on their body during training. That’s why it’s really important to me that I have a regular ‘check in and check up’ so that I can catch any abnormalities as soon as possible.
Now I am not a vet, this does not replace the knowledge and experience a vet would give. But for me the basic place to start is knowing what’s normal. I regularly trot my horses up, probably every other day on their way from the field to the stable. I lunge once a week and slow motion capture their movement so I can see how they are moving and compare it to previous videos to note progress and change.
When I pick out their hooves I always run my hand down the whole leg, checking for lumps, bumps, swelling and heat. I also have a thermal camera that I use around every fortnight to check for any signs of sub-clinical heat (where it’s hotter but not drastic enough to be felt by my hand and there’s no outward signs of injury or lameness yet). Now thermal imaging is a little controversial but for me because I do it regularly on the same horses, under the same circumstances, it’s that built up bank of knowledge and what’s normal for that horse is what makes it a valuable tool. I also use it after riding to look at the heat distribution on their backs and the bottom of my saddle, it’s a great way to show where the contact is and if the fit is even.
I also stretch the horses after every session and run my hands over the muscles, feeling for any tightness, soreness or just unusual flickering. I regularly test the joints range of motion and watch for any reaction to check if anything might be a bit sore.
It’s because of this that when Azid went lame this time, I had stopped training him 3 days before because I felt something wasn’t right, low and behold 3 days later he was lame. Azid has some pretty subtle tells when he’s not comfortable. usually a forward going horse, he’ll just stop and I have to ask him to walk on, where normally I can just think it. He also prefers canter to trot and wants to rush into canter rather than stick to a steady trot. Apart from that though, this time, there is no heat, no swelling, no soreness on testing.
When a horse is lame we tend to stick to a straight forward assessment to try and establish which bit has gone wrong:
- The history of training: I look back at my training logs to see if there are any clues, dips in performance or hard ground for a session or maybe I noted a slip.
- A good look at the horse at rest: Balance and weight-bearing, as well as look for any evidence of injury or stress. How they are grazing in the field, or which foot they are stepping forward with first when asked to walk or trot.
- A thorough hands-on exam: Touch everything! checking muscles, joints, bones and tendons for evidence of pain, heat or swelling.
- Using hoof testers. Applying pressure to the soles of the feet to check for undue sensitivity or pain. Plus checking for any signs of an abscess. I would also always get the farrier out to check feet, shoes and movement.
- Evaluation of the horse moving. I walk and trot up in a straight line on the soft and on concrete and also on a slope. I would then lunge on soft and hard surfaces. Turn on a tight circle both ways and watch them back up. It’s important for me to see them trot straight from the side too, so you can really get a good look at where they are landing and how they are moving.
Actually recognising the signs of injury or lameness is the hard part, particularly if its subtle or they’re not actually lame, just have altered bio-mechanics. There’s quite a cool online tool to help you get better as assessing and recognising lameness: Lameness Trainer. But if a lameness is persistent and I can’t pinpoint the cause then I’ll always get the Physio, Farrier and Vet out.
Beth Endurance 