During a routine trail ride or an afternoon hack, you realize your horse’s gait is slightly "off." Concerned, you wonder what’s causing his discomfort. Could he be suffering from structural lameness or from soreness due to saddle fit or rider balance? This can be a difficult issue to sort out.

Owners and veterinarians usually can spot the cause or origin of a "true" lameness fairly easily, but according to Gary Baxter, VMD, MS, professor of surgery in Colorado State University’s Department of Clinical Sciences, a group of more nebulous lamenesses that are simply performance-limiting might not be detected through a simple physical ¬examination.

Duncan Peters, DVM, of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Ky., says horses that are just a little "off" are an interesting challenge. Initially, you don’t know whether the horse is experiencing temporary soreness or the beginning of something more serious. "Owners or riders may look to the veterinarian, chiropractor, or acupuncturist for an instant answer, but a slight gait irregularity or soreness may take a while to decipher," says Peters. "Even though we have good diagnostic tools, it may take trial and error."

In this article we look at the steps you and your veterinarian might take to determine the cause of a perplexing and frustrating gait abnormality