Only lame in trot

[Identityincrisis]

I was recently talking to an acquaintance about her horse. She told me he is now just a happy hacker as he had back issues which have been resolved with injections but he is still lame in trot, therefore she only walks and canters.

Am i wrong in thinking the horse is lame, whether that is in 1 gait or all 4? I wouldn't be comfortable riding the horse if he was lame in 1 gait but just miss that one out! I was just confused by the statement

 

[Orangehorse]

Depends on what the vet has said. It might be considered OK to keep it in gentle work.

That is what everyone says about mine, no he probably isn't sound in trot if not on medication, but he walks fast and is ready for a canter if offered.

 

[SEL]

Weirdly loving that logic ? Yup - still lame. Vets use trot for lameness evaluations because that two time beat shows up unevenness more than walk or canter.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I would imagine the horse is lame in all gaits to some extent, it's just not as obvious as it is when the horse is trotting. Pain is pain.
I would keep a low level arthritic in gentle work, or a mechanical lameness depending on it's degree. But it sounds like your friend is doing that typical horse owner thing you see where they persuade themselves that what they are doing is okay because it suits what they want rather than what's best for the horse. I see it all the time.

 

[Bellaboo18]

Depends on what the vet has said. It might be considered OK to keep it in gentle work.

That is what everyone says about mine, no he probably isn't sound in trot if not on medication, but he walks fast and is ready for a canter if offered.

I'd be querying the fast walk tbh.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Alot of lameness is only visible in trot but the horse is still lame and probably feels a degree of discomfort in all gaits so that theory doesn't really work in my opinion.

 

[Orangehorse]

I'd be querying the fast walk tbh.

He is thinking of his stable and field. I don't make him.

 

[pistolpete]

I had one like this. Not ethical to ride in my opinion. Each to their own!

 

[Sprogladite01]

For me lame = lame, regardless of pace. And if the horse is lame, it's likely in pain, so I'd be against keeping in work til cause was determined and treated appropriately. If still lame after treatment then it's a no go for riding, however good it looked in other paces. If the horse is still lame in trot how does she know the back issues have been resolved?

I think there are a lot of people (myself included, and some vets included) who struggle to see lameness, both generally and in paces that aren't trot

 

[Kaylum]

It's the most symmetrical gait so easier to see.

 

[IrishMilo]

I'd be querying the fast walk tbh.

Why? If we looked into everything that granular none of us would be riding our horses! Millions of horses walk fast!

 

[Bellaboo18]

Why? If we looked into everything that granular none of us would be riding our horses! Millions of horses walk fast!

The horse is lame in trot!

 

[holeymoley]

How strange. I wouldn't ride it, it's lame in trot for a reason.

 

[Cortez]

Many horses will prefer to canter when they are lame, because it is less painful than trotting. This doesn't mean it is "OK" in canter, the horse is still lame. Lame = in pain = it hurts, something which some horse owners don't seem able to grasp.

 

[The Irish Draft 2022]

Sounds like she is just trying to justifying riding a lame horse.

 

[IrishMilo]

The horse is lame in trot!

Why do you think horses walking fast is a symptom of something bigger though?

 

[Bellaboo18]

Why do you think horses walking fast is a symptom of something bigger though?

You see it all the time horses rushing through pain.

 

[ester]

she only notices he's lame in trot. . .

 

[poiuytrewq]

?‍ Someone I know who’s horse is definitely lame to a varying degree behind but often a good 5/10 insists it’s absolutely fine because it’s only lame in the school, it canters across the field when turned out fine. Therefore is fine to ride

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Gosh going by that then I could still be hacking out my lovely old mare when my other hip is done. She gallops around the field like a two year old some days, at recent yearly vet check she comes up as very, very slightly iffy on a small circle in trot, but appears sound in walk. As my vet said, if we didn't know what we know, you could almost call her sound...on that day......almost.

I would love to still be able to ride her when I am fit again, she would be a perfect hack for me. But I damn well wouldn't. Unsound is unsound, there is no such thing IMO as a little bit lame in any pace, they are lame or they are sound and thats it.

 

[Ratface]

It's like saying something is "only a little bit dead".

 

[spotty_pony]

The horse is lame in trot!

There are two separate horses being discussed on this thread.

 

[Bellaboo18]

There are two separate horses being discussed on this thread.

I know, both lame in trot. Well both lame, the owners can just see they're lame in trot.

 

[spotty_pony]

I know, both lame in trot. Well both lame, the owners can just see they're lame in trot.

nope. Only one is lame on trot. The other doesn’t actually say those words if you read it properly.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I’ve recently, after a lot of investigation stopped riding my horse. He’s going for a long holiday and if no change then is permanently retired or pts.
The amount of times I’m told “he’s fine to hack” or people hunt worse is unbelievably sad.
I think it seems pretty acceptable to people these days.

 

[TheLoneWanderer]

Lame in trot is lame full stop. We have a stupid Australian woman on my yard who insists her horse is 'lame in trot' granted she doesn't try to ride her then. She claims there is always something wrong with her horse, but that's another story. My point was Lame is Lame.

 

[Birker2020]

I was recently talking to an acquaintance about her horse. She told me he is now just a happy hacker as he had back issues which have been resolved with injections but he is still lame in trot, therefore she only walks and canters.

Am i wrong in thinking the horse is lame, whether that is in 1 gait or all 4? I wouldn't be comfortable riding the horse if he was lame in 1 gait but just miss that one out! I was just confused by the statement

Trot uses a different muscle group than walk or canter and its more obvious to the vet, you can also do flexion tests of trot whereas you can't from canter.

 

[JGC]

The number of times liveries on the yard have said "but they weren't lame in walk!" as a kind of "oh it can't be that bad" and I've had to grit my teeth, take a deep and explain as politely as possible ...

 

[Cortez]

Lame in trot is lame full stop.

This ^^^, all day long. There are of course degrees of lameness=pain. Pain is also pain.

 

[eggs]

Lameness is much easier to see in tort especially to the untrained eye. However the horse is still lame even if the owner cannot recognise it.