OklahomaHorses Magazine May 2021

20 OklahomaHorses • May/June 2021 Taking the Guesswork out of Equine Lameness Detection By Mike J. Schoonover, DVM M any horse owners expect their horse to regularly execute some level of performance. Regardless of the discipline or intensity of work, lameness is the most common ailment that inhibits a horse from being able to effec- tively perform. In fact, lameness is estimated to cost American horse owners over $1 billion every year. Lameness can be described as an abnormal way of going, usually noted by asymmetry of movement. However, lameness is not a disease itself, rather it is a clinical sign resulting from