02/02/2026
🧐 Lameness Doesn’t Always Come From the Legs 🧐
When a horse appears lame, the most common assumption is that the issue lies in a leg or hoof. While limb-related injuries and hoof problems are certainly frequent causes, they are not the only reasons a horse may show uneven movement or reduced performance.
Pain or dysfunction can also originate from areas such as the back, neck, pelvis, or shoulders. Poor saddle fit, dental discomfort, muscle soreness, or spinal restrictions can all change the way a horse moves. In some cases, neurological conditions or internal discomfort may create gait changes that closely resemble traditional lameness.
A horse’s emotional and mental state can also influence how they move. Stress, anxiety, tension, or changes in routine may alter posture, muscle use, and way of going, sometimes making movement appear restricted or uneven.
Horses are also experts at compensating. When one area is sore, they may alter their movement to protect it, which can place strain elsewhere in the body and make the original source of pain harder to identify. What looks like a leg issue may actually be the result of a problem higher up.
This is why a full, systematic evaluation is so important when lameness is suspected. Considering the horse as a whole, not just the legs, can lead to a more accurate diagnosis, more effective treatment, and better long-term comfort and soundness.
Movement tells a story — sometimes we just have to read more than one chapter.
