Lameness Assessments While Longeing Studied

Researchers found poor agreement among less experienced vets and moderate agreement between more experienced ones.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Longeing is part and parcel of standard lameness exams, as traveling on a circular path often accentuates low-grade lameness. In an effort to better understand the accuracy of visual lameness assessments of horses being longed at the trot, researchers analyzed conclusions recently reached by a group of equine practitioners.

The research team applied inertial sensors and classified 23 horses as forelimb-lame, hind-limb-lame, or sound based on objective standards measuring symmetry trotting on a straight line. Additionally, the team videotaped each horse (in its baseline lameness state or with induced lameness) longeing at the trot on soft or hard surfaces in both directions.

Eighty-six veterinarians (half defined as experienced equine orthopedic clinicians and half as less experienced) then viewed 60 recordings of the subjects before identifying the lamest limb presented and grade from 0 (sound) to 5 (nonweight-bearing lameness).

The team found there was poor agreement among less experienced veterinarians and moderate agreement between more experienced practitioners. In addition, all participants identified induced forelimb lameness more accurately (74%) than induced hind-limb lameness (37%)

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Freelance journalist Natalie DeFee Mendik is a multiple American Horse Publications editorial and graphics awards winner specializing in equestrian media. She holds an MA in English from Colorado State University and an International Federation of Journalists’ International press card, and is a member of the International Alliance of Equestrian Journalists. With over three decades of horse experience, Natalie’s main equine interests are dressage and vaulting. Having lived and ridden in England, Switzerland, and various parts of the United States, Natalie currently resides in Colorado with her husband and two girls.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

How much time do you usually spend grooming your horse?
440 votes · 440 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!