Diagnosing Performance Problems in Western Horses

Western performance horses do it all: pleasure riding, reining, cutting and roping, speed events, and more. So when a horse isn’t performing as he should, there are more than a few places practitioners can look. Here’s how vets hone in on a diagnosis.
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western horses
Rhoads encouraged practitioners to evaluate horses under saddle if an issue doesn't show up on a normal lameness exam because, many times, a problem isn't apparent until the horse is actually performing that specific maneuver. | Photo: iStock

Western horses do it all: pleasure riding, trail classes, reining, cutting and roping, barrel racing and other speed events, and more. There’s even Western dressage. All these disciplines place different stresses on the horse’s body, potentially resulting in a variety of injuries. When one of these horses isn’t performing as he should, there are more than a few places practitioners can look.

William Rhoads, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, ABVP, owner of Premier Equine Veterinary Services and Sports Medicine Center, in Whitesboro, Texas, and an experienced reiner, is well-versed in evaluating and treating Western performance horses in multiple disciplines. At the 2018 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 1-5 in San Francisco, California, he shared tips on how veterinarians can approach poorly performing Western horses.

About 90% of the poor-performance-related cases Rhoads sees in his practice involve clinical (apparent) or subclinical (inapparent) lameness or musculoskeletal pain

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Erica Larson, former news editor for The Horse, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in eventing with her OTTB, Dorado.

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