Most horses are One Tenth Lame

Flame_ said:
How on earth can so many people not feel/ignore that horses are wrong?

OK, novices and real hobby riders but for anyone competing above riding club there's really no excuse, is there? :confused:
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Do you realise how little 1/10 lame is?

I reckon it would be fairly unusual for anyone but a vet to describe a 1/10 lame horse as lame at all, especially if it's on a hind leg. I've got a sharp eye for lameness but even I would probably only be saying it was a tiny bit short or a tiny bit unlevel.
 
When I had vet out as I felt my boy wasn't right he was 1/10th lame when lunged on a tight circle. 3/10th after flexion. I thought that was terrible, but maybe it's not so bad :)
 
Most horses are wrong in some way though. If I was to be vetted I'd probably fail through being slightly wonky!, but at the end of the day I'd still do go a good days work depending on what I'm needed for!
 
cptrayes said:
Do you realise how little 1/10 lame is? Yes

I reckon it would be fairly unusual for anyone but a vet to describe a 1/10 lame horse as lame at all, especially if it's on a hind leg. I've got a sharp eye for lameness but even I would probably only be saying it was a tiny bit short or a tiny bit unlevel.
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But you'd feel it though, wouldn't you? Most of the good riders I know pick up on unsoundness before the vets can see it at all.
 
Interesting so would most people not call the vet if there horse was 1/10th lame presuming they noticed it.

My pony was 1/10th lame on his left hind after being kicked by another horse but I had a clue that something was wrong as he had swelling and small kick wound. I called the vet and he actually had a broken splint bone that required 3 months box rest and the vet was not letting him off box rest until he was sound again.

I would add that just because a horse is 1/10th lame does not mean that there is nothing serious going on, some horses have a higher pain threashold than others. My pony was initially diagnosed as having an infection by the vet as although he had swelling he was not very lame and I was advised to continue riding him and turning him out to get the swelling down when really he should have been on box rest with a soft cast on.

His lameness was hard to notice more as others have said an unlevelness and complicated slightly as he is not shod on his hinds so there was a question that he was unlevel due to being not shod and the trot up area was a little bit stony but bearing in mind I hack him fine over flinty ground I felt that was not the reason.
 
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I went to a lameness convention in recent years.. The take home message was basically that most horses are unlevel, or bilaterally lame and look stiff as a consequence rather than lame.. Also that working from behind causes lameness behind, whereas working on the forehand does the same in front and basically as riders we should choose one and expect it as we try to ride our horses in a balanced way (or not)..

Quite disturbed me actually..
 
Comparing the American 5 point scale to the UK 10 point scale, that means that 2/10 lame will be the equivalent to this:

Grade I. Difficult to observe. Not consistently apparent regardless of circumstances (i.e., weight carrying, circling, inclines, hard surface, etc.).
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And 1/10 lame will be less than that. We are literally talking about the occasional duff step, or a bit of stiffness that walks off, or a tired horse, or that 'not quite right' feeling that you get that you can't put your finger on but there is nothing to see. Yes most horses will show 1/10 at some point or another.

If there is something more consistent there to feel (even intermittently consistent - ie unlevel on a circle, footy on stony ground) then you are looking at 3/10 lame or more.
 
A heck of a lot of horses a 1/10th lame. I've seen masses competing, groomed for one that got round 3*/4* but was never quite perfect, picked up on my own being a tiny bit lame. Not everyone can spot/feel it however, and I'm sure that for every one I spot as 'being a bit off' there are probably several that I have missed!
As someone said before, someone may be so used to a horse being slightly lame that they do not even notice it - I rode a few hunters for one guy and it felt to me that they were dead unlevel behind, however he was quite wonky himself and so to him they felt normal! They were perfectly happy to keep going along, didn't get any worse etc so I assume it was probably just a muscle imbalance.

amandaco2 said:
Working from behind causes lameness behind...?how... :confused:
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Working from behind = carrying more weight on hindlimbs = more likely to have a bit of a problem with the hindlimbs?
Being on the forehand = carrying more weight on the forelimbs = more likely to develop a problem with the forelimbs?

Not that either will necessarily cause a problem, but thinking logically I guess it's more likely!
 
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