An art or a science?

MANY, if not all, horse owners will be all too familiar with those dreaded words “my horse is lame”. But what is lameness and what is the best way to investigate it?

Lameness can be described as an asymmetrical gait abnormality which is often, but not always, due to pain. One would be forgiven for thinking that it should not be too difficult to diagnose which leg is affected and the source of lameness, since horses only have four legs, after all.

In reality, it is not always so simple. Lameness can be acute or chronic, mild to severe, unilateral or bilateral (on