Does longeing surface really make that big of a difference in how a horse moves? One research team believes so, and they recently worked to determine exactly how surface affects a horse's movement.

When faced with a lame horse, veterinarians will typically perform a lameness examination. Many lameness exams include a longe line portion that allows the veterinarians to evaluate how the horse moves on a circle compared to how he moves on a straight line. This is particularly helpful in cases of mild lameness and when more than one limb is affected, said Thilo Pfau, PhD, a lecturer in bio-engineering at the Royal Veterinary College's Department of Clinical Science and Services, in London, England.

And, sometimes, veterinarians will evaluate the horse moving on both hard and soft surfaces, which Pfau said can help veterinarians distinguish between different "pathologies" (i.e., injuries affecting joints or bones vs. soft tissue injuries).