Horses are also susceptible to compression fractures, which are caused by high torque forces placed on their limbs.įractures can be classified as open or closed, with open fractures easily identifiable as a bone breaking through the skin. Fracturesįractures are more severe than strains and sprains, and are usually the result of accidents like falls. These injuries are most often seen during athletic competitions, such as when racing or jumping. Those that are most prominent and prone to injury include the superficial digital flexor tendon, the deep digital flexor tendon, and the suspensory ligament. Horses have several important tendons and ligaments in their lower legs., running from their knees to their feet. Sprains and strains most often damage a horse’s tendons and ligaments. These injuries are typically the result of overloading or over-stretching, but can also be caused by a direct blow. Sprains and strains are common lower-limb injuries in horses - especially competition and performance horses. Here is an extended, but surely incomplete list of different causes of lameness, with brief descriptions. There is a multitude of causes of horse lameness, with several factors involved. Weight-bearing lameness can be observed as the horse reduces the amount of force, or weight, he applies to the weight bearing limb. Lameness is most often a weight-bearing condition, but can be both. Weight bearing refers to the supporting leg, while non weight bearing refers to the swinging leg. Lameness can be classified as weight-bearing or non-weight-bearing. Lameness most often affects a horse’s knees, but also can affect other parts of the leg, such as the muscles, ligaments and more. It is actually a clinical sign, or manifestation of pain, when restrictions to the horse’s mechanical functions alter his stance or gait. Though it may seem to be, lameness itself is actually not a disease. A horse suffering from lameness will be unwilling or unable to stand or move normally.
Lameness in horses is defined as an abnormal stance or gait caused by either a structural or a functional disorder of the horse’s locomotor system. But first, you need to be able to understand what lameness is. Fortunately, there are some easy treatment options to help soothe your horse’s pain, and overall, the prognosis will be positive. There are many ways a horse can “go lame,” with a variety of associated causes and symptoms. Lameness is one of the most common conditions found in horses.
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