Diagnosing Lameness

Foot X Rays: A Crystal Ball?

When you look at a radiograph (X ray) of a horse’s foot, do you visualize soft tissues, or do you only see bones? If there’s one thing Ric Redden, DVM, founder of the International Equine Podiatry Center in Versailles, Ky., consistently teaches,

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Hitch in the Giddy-Up

I have a Trakehner/Thoroughbred cross that starts flexing his hind legs rather noticeably when trotting

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Clunking Hocks

My two Miniature Horses have a clunking sound that comes from their hocks. What is this condition?

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Diagnostic Imaging for Lameness

There was a time when diagnosing lameness was basic-watch the horse travel, determine where you think the problem might be, and take a guess at what’s causing it. Then came X rays, ultrasound, CT (computed tomography) scans, scintigraphy (bone

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Putting Science Into Farriery: Lameness Evaluation

When a group of people are standing at the barn watching a “lame” horse move, many of you will say he’s lame in different legs. How do you know who’s right? If it makes you feel any better, picking out the source of lameness isn’t always easy fo

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Gait Analysis for Horses

There has been a long journey over a relatively short span of time in the world of equine gait analysis. The first studies utilized high-speed cameras and a treadmill and took place at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences some 35 years

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Function of the Palmar Foot

Several lameness problems can exist in the rear (palmar) half of a horse’s foot; most bear the very general title of “heel pain.” The real problem is that without very careful diagnosis, lameness in this general area might be attributed to the

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The Latest on Lameness

The prevention and treatment of lameness were among the many subjects discussed at the 2006 AAEP Convention. Experts addressed topics such as oral joint supplements, nutraceuticals, shock wave effects, intrasynovial anesthesia (joint blocks), lameness evaluation under saddle, osteoporosis risk, imaging diagnostics, the pros and cons of shoeing, and joint disease.

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Navicular Disease: MRI Provides New View

A large group of horses that developed clinical signs of navicular disease during the six months prior to exam were scanned with MRI. These horses demonstrated typical signs of bilateral forelimb lameness, sensitivity to hoof testers over the middle

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Locomotion (Book Excerpt)

Locomotion is at the very heart of what most domesticated horses do for a living. The way a horse moves (specifically) often is taken for granted. Locomotion is directly linked to conformation as it dictates “the way a horse moves.”

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New Diagnostics Help Decipher Navicular Pain

Horses that had intermittent lameness; pointing a foot; soreness to hoof testers over the frog; shifting leg lameness; contracted, upright feet; and stabbing toes, shortened stride movement were candidates for Navicular Disease.

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Lameness Diagnosis at Home

This system will allow a practitioner to diagnose a horse in the field while trotting in hand, being ridden, or longeing, whereas video-based motion-capture technology (if adequate numbers of strides are evaluated) is restricted to a lab and is very

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