Hear the Differences
Finally, learn to "see with your ears." When moving your horse on a hard surface, you'll be able to hear subtle differences in how hard he's landing. Close your eyes and concentrate on listening to the sound of his feet striking the ground. Each footfall should be as loud as the others, and you should hear an even rhythm.
You can hear many changes long before they can be seen. A softer sound will be heard when your horse isn't putting full weight on a leg, and the sound that follows will often be louder. If the rhythm-that is, the interval between footfalls-has a "skip" in it, with a loud ground contact following quickly after a softer sounding one, that's your horse hopping off a sore leg more quickly and shifting weight to another leg.
Clues from the Saddle
You can pick up important lameness clues when you're in the saddle. Do you feel a relaxed sway at the walk or does your horse's back feel rigid? If rigid, there's pain somewhere. When you post the trot, does he throw you evenly on both diagonals? If not, the side with the weak thrust may be hurting. Does he take both canter leads evenly? If he's resisting a lead, suspect the hind leg on that side. Reluctance to turn to either direction suggests pain in a leg to the inside of that turn.
The Feet
It has been estimated that 60% of all lameness problems originate in the feet. In fact, that's probably too low a number. Unfortunately, you can't check the internal structures of your horse's feet for heat and swelling or pain on pressure like you can for the rest of the leg. Even hoof testers can give false negative results.
However, there are clues. As described earlier, look at how your horse stands and whether he habitually points a front foot. Also watch for frequent weight shifting up front. Look at the feet themselves. When one foot hurts more than the other, it'll often be smaller. It's also often more prone to thrush because the horse will try to avoid putting full weight on that foot. Bearing full weight on a foot forces manure and bedding out of the foot, keeping it cleaner. A narrower heel and frog are other signs of decreased weight bearing.
The Pastern
The back of the pastern should be smooth and tight, not puffy. Filling or edema can be caused either by inflammation in the foot or problems with the deep flexor tendon or the ligaments that insert on the back of the pastern. Look for both diffuse swelling and defined pockets of swelling or fluid as you travel up each leg. Also pay attention to any areas that feel warmer than the rest of the leg and warmer than the same area on the opposite leg.
Joint flexion tests and detailed palpation of tendons and ligaments really are best left to your veterinarian, who'll have much more experience with a large variety of horses and how they normally react to the degree of joint tension or finger pressure used for those examinations. However, you often pick up your horse's legs for routine tasks, such as cleaning hooves. Pay attention to whether he objects to lifting a particular leg for you.
How well your horse stands for the farrier is an even better test of the same thing. When a horse doesn't want to pick up a leg, it's often because either the opposite one hurts to stand on, or the one you're asking for hurts when you flex a joint.
The Bottom Line
You don't have to go to veterinary school to be an important link in keeping your horse sound. Paying attention to all the clues that indicate your horse may not be comfortable will make your riding partnership more enjoyable for both of you.
