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Topic:Lameness

Lameness in horses is a condition characterized by an abnormal gait or stance due to pain or mechanical dysfunction affecting the limbs or spine. It is a common issue in equine practice and can result from a variety of causes, including injury, infection, or degenerative diseases. Lameness can affect a horse's performance and quality of life, making accurate diagnosis and management important for equine health. Diagnostic techniques often include physical examination, imaging, and gait analysis. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the etiology, diagnostic methods, and management strategies for lameness in horses.
Evaluation of computed tomographic anatomy of the foot in Jeju horses.
Journal of veterinary science    February 10, 2026   Volume 27, Issue 1 e7 doi: 10.4142/jvs.25250
Kim T, Lee S, Seo JP.Foot diseases are common causes of lameness in horses. Computed tomography (CT) is a valuable tool for diagnosing musculoskeletal lesions in horses and providing a detailed evaluation of foot diseases. Objective: The objective of this study was to establish reference ranges related to the feet of normal Jeju horses by measuring the angles and length of the hoof, and the Hounsfield Unit (HU) value of soft tissues in the foot. Methods: Sixteen normal Jeju horses (mean age: 4.25 years; mean body weight: 282.06 kg) without lameness were examined using CT. After CT scanning, the angles and lengths ...
Riding with care: A review of factors that influence the welfare of the ridden horse and a case for the application of the precautionary principle in equestrian pursuits.
Journal of equine veterinary science    February 4, 2026   Volume 158 105801 doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2026.105801
Copelin C, Merkies K.Equestrian sport's social license to operate has come under scrutiny due to concerns surrounding the well-being of ridden horses. Inappropriate equipment use, such as harsh bits or overtight nosebands, can negatively influence well-being by generating inescapable pressure or pain on the sensitive structures of the horse's head and limiting natural behaviours. Restrictive equipment may also be used to generate exaggerated, stressful and uncomfortable head and neck positions such as hyperflexion. Saddles must be properly fitted to both horse and rider to ensure appropriate distribution of kinema...
How to perform a venogram of the equine foot.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association    January 30, 2026   1 doi: 10.2460/javma.25.11.0755
Santonastaso A, Burns T, Claffey E.The objective of this video is to demonstrate a reliable technique for obtaining diagnostic venogram images of the equine foot. Venogram studies are indicated to assess vascular contrast filling of the equine digit, primarily in cases of laminitis. Unassigned: A healthy university-owned horse was used for demonstration purposes. The protocol was approved by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University IACUC. Unassigned: The horse's shoes are removed, and the foot is cleaned of debris. The horse is sedated and a medial and lateral abaxial nerve block performed. The pastern is clipped...
Equine water treadmill.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association    January 23, 2026   1 doi: 10.2460/javma.25.11.0777
Vargas J.To describe the application of water treadmill exercise for equine fitness and/or rehabilitation in a scientific and clinically reasonable manner. Unassigned: Horses owned by Spy Coast Farm were used for video content. Unassigned: A literature review was performed and compiled in this brief video to provide veterinarians with a comprehensive, evidence-based guide for implementing water treadmill exercise within fitness and rehabilitation programs. Unassigned: Equine water treadmill exercise is an aerobic modality that increases distal limb flexion and range of motion, with no reported adverse ...
Multiplanar intersegmental angular velocity in the assessment of topline movement in horses.
American journal of veterinary research    January 19, 2026   1-10 doi: 10.2460/ajvr.25.09.0331
Ursini TL, Clayton HM, Levine D, Richards J.To measure intersegmental movement in the sagittal, dorsal, and transverse planes of the cranial thoracic to caudal thoracic, caudal thoracic to lumbar, and lumbar to sacral segments using range of motion and angular velocity as measures of quality of movement. Unassigned: 6-degrees-of-freedom spinal motion was measured at the walk and trot in 3 sound Thoroughbred and Thoroughbred cross horses, and the data were pooled, giving a total of 54 gait cycles at walk and 33 at trot. These were compared against 8 cycles at walk and 13 at trot from 1 Thoroughbred horse that was confirmed as having mode...
Functional and biochemical inflammatory responses to low-dose intra-articular recombinant equine IL-1β: a pilot study.
Frontiers in veterinary science    January 16, 2026   Volume 12 1746738 doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1746738
Korac L, St George L, MacNicol J, McCrae P, Jung L, Golestani N, Karrow N, Cánovas A, Pearson W.Low-dose intra-articular injection of recombinant equine interleukin-1β (reIL-1β) may offer a useful model for studying early onset or subclinical joint inflammation in horses. This pilot study aimed to determine the lowest intra-articular dose of reIL-1β required to produce biochemical evidence of synovitis, and to correlate synovitis biomarkers with functional, upper-body asymmetry parameters. Saline (control) and 50, and 75 ng reIL-1β were injected into the left or right intercarpal joint of three ( = 3) horses in a three-way crossover design. Synovial fluid was collected by aseptic art...
Clinical Diagnosis, Treatment, and Outcome Analysis of a Horse with Proximal Sesamoid Bone Fracture Complicated by Flexor Tendinitis.
Veterinary sciences    January 2, 2026   Volume 13, Issue 1 40 doi: 10.3390/vetsci13010040
Zhang Z, Yang Y, Ma Y, Mai Z, Fu H, Wang X, Cao X, Li T, Li J, Guo Q.With the growing popularity of equestrian sports, the incidence of athletic injuries in horses has also risen. Among these injuries, proximal sesamoid bone fracture (PSBF) and flexor tendinitis are particularly common in the forelimbs of sport horses and represent major causes of musculoskeletal impairment. A 5-year-old horse presented with obvious symptoms such as swelling at the left fetlock joint and metacarpal region after exercise. Through lameness assessment, diagnostic imaging, and hematological testing, the horse was diagnosed with PSBF complicated by flexor tendinitis. The affected ho...
Lateromedial and oblique radiographs detect most fetlock pathologies as effectively as a full series in horses.
Equine veterinary journal    August 13, 2025   doi: 10.1111/evj.70073
Northwood A, Berner D.Radiographic protocols for the metacarpo-/tarsophalangeal joint during pre-purchase examinations (PPE) vary internationally, but their impact on pathology detection remains unclear. Optimising imaging protocols is essential to balance diagnostic accuracy with workflow efficiency and radiation exposure. Objective: To evaluate the effect of different radiographic view combinations on fetlock pathology detection and observer agreement in a PPE context; hypothesising that detection rates vary with view selection. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Methods: Two observers reviewed fetlock r...
Clinical insights: Musculoskeletal disorders of the sports horse.
Equine veterinary journal    August 6, 2025   Volume 57, Issue 5 1152-1160 doi: 10.1111/evj.14553
Morgan R, Ortved K, Clayton HM, Oosterlinck M.No abstract available
Comments on MacKechnie-Guire et al. (2024): Noseband type and tightness level affect pressure on the horse’s face at trot.
Equine veterinary journal    August 1, 2025   doi: 10.1111/evj.14549
Doherty O, Fenner K, Winther Christensen J, McLean A, Thomson P, Uldahl M, McGreevy P.No abstract available
Does Low-Field MRI Tenography Improve the Detection of Naturally Occurring Manica Flexoria Tears in Horses?
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    July 31, 2025   Volume 15, Issue 15 2250 doi: 10.3390/ani15152250
Aßmann AD, Sànchez-Andrade JS, Argüelles D, Bischofberger AS.Diagnosing digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) pathologies, particularly manica flexoria (MF) tears, can be challenging with standard imaging modalities. Standing low-field MRI tenography (MRIt) may improve the detection rate of MF tears. This study aimed to compare ultrasonography, contrast radiography, pre-contrast MRI, and MRIt to detect naturally occurring MF lesions in horses undergoing tenoscopy. Ten horses with a positive DFTS block, which underwent contrast radiography, ultrasonography, MRI, MRIt, and tenoscopy were included. Two radiologists evaluated the images and recorded whether a...
Outcomes of diode laser-facilitated ankylosis of the distal tarsal joints in horses: A retrospective study of 64 cases.
Veterinary surgery : VS    July 28, 2025   doi: 10.1111/vsu.14312
Sanchez-Arjona R, Lopez Cruz C, Hague BA, Jayawickrama J, Kamm JL.To evaluate the outcomes of diode laser-facilitated (DLF) ankylosis using different surgical techniques to treat distal tarsal osteoarthritis (OA) in horses. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: A total of 64 client-owned horses with distal tarsal OA treated with DLF ankylosis between 2011 and 2021 in a referral hospital were included. Methods: DLF ankylosis techniques included: intra-articular diode laser (L), diode laser with periarticular drilling (L + D) and diode laser with cuboidal bone fenestration (L + F). Horses requiring a second surgery formed a fourth group (T). Ou...
Normal MRI features of the manica flexoria in horses and evaluation of the anatomic variability between forelimbs and hindlimbs.
PloS one    July 21, 2025   Volume 20, Issue 7 e0327880 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0327880
Miles S, McCauley C, Carossino M, Del Piero F, Liu CC, Gaschen L.Manica flexoria tears are increasingly recognized as a cause of lameness in horses resulting in a need for improved pre-operative diagnosis. Partial tears are difficult to pre-operatively diagnose and thus research for diagnostics of manica flexoria tears has been seen in increasing frequency over the past decade, though a deficit of information exists for the features of this structure on MRI, which is best suited for evaluation of soft tissues. The goal is to perform an observational study on the morphometry of the normal manica flexoria prospectively and describe it retrospectively on MRI. ...
Innovating for Curriculum Design Using a Text-Mining Exploration of Common Clinical Topics in Equine Primary Care.
Journal of veterinary medical education    July 16, 2025   e20240175 doi: 10.3138/jvme-2024-0175
Batterham R, Allen K, Dickson J, Warman S, Parkin T.To ensure veterinary students are prepared for clinical practice, curricula must provide opportunities for students to learn about the cases most frequently seen in practice. Currently, there is a gap in the literature with regard to the identification of common clinical topics encountered in equine primary care practice in the UK. This study aims to address this gap by utilizing text-mining techniques on electronic medical records (EMRs) to produce a ranked list of the most common clinical topics encountered in equine primary care in the UK. The study included 1,092,731 rows of data from 150,...
Safety study of leucoreduced allogeneic pooled freeze-dried platelet-rich plasma in healthy equine joints.
Frontiers in veterinary science    July 14, 2025   Volume 12 1625431 doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1625431
Kooy S, Constant J, Cole R, Boone L.Clinical use of blood-derived intra-articular therapies, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), have increased in equine athletes due to their proposed disease-modifying effects. Need for a shelf-stable, allogeneic PRP product with known composition for standardized treatment exists. The objective of this study was to compare systemic and local effects of a single intra-articular injection of equine leucoreduced allogeneic pooled freeze-dried PRP (alloPRP) to a placebo control (saline) in normal, healthy equine joints. Unassigned: Twelve healthy horses were randomly assigned to either control (sa...
Outcome of arthroscopic debridement for the treatment of incomplete third carpal bone slab fractures in racehorses.
Veterinary surgery : VS    July 9, 2025   doi: 10.1111/vsu.14313
Garcia-Collao MR, Curtiss AL, Hogan PM.To describe the outcomes of arthroscopic debridement of third carpal bone (C3) incomplete slab fractures (ISF) in racehorses. Methods: Retrospective case study. Methods: Horses undergoing arthroscopic debridement of ISF of C3. Methods: The medical records of horses surgically treated for ISF of C3 were reviewed. Age, sex, breed, limb, fracture configuration, preoperative radiographs, arthroscopic findings, postoperative intraarticular therapies, and exercise recommendations were recorded. Racing performance was obtained from online databases. Univariable analyses were used to determine associa...
Usefulness of a Computer-Aided Learning Module for Teaching Radiology of the Equine Foot to Clinical Veterinary Students.
Journal of veterinary medical education    June 30, 2025   e20240165 doi: 10.3138/jvme-2024-0165
Tumber MR, Burke MK.Lameness in horses resulting from foot pathology is very common. When investigating the cause of a lameness localised to the foot, the first step is most frequently radiographic imaging. Therefore, being able to identify normal anatomy and recognise pathology on radiographs is important for a veterinary medicine student to learn. Computer-aided learning (CAL) is becoming increasingly utilised in the teaching of students on medicine-related courses, especially post-COVID where online learning has been continued in hybridisation with in-person teaching.In this study, a low-cost CAL module was cr...
Mosaic arthroplasty in equine stifle and fetlock joints: A retrospective study of 31 cases between 1998 and 2023.
Veterinary surgery : VS    June 27, 2025   doi: 10.1111/vsu.14296
Pál Z, Tuska P, Vásárhelyi G, Hangody L, Hurtig M, Kaposi AD, Bodó G.To evaluate the clinical application of equine mosaic arthroplasty for joint surface repair, including outcomes and complications. Methods: Retrospective clinical study. Methods: A total of 31 horses diagnosed with subchondral bone cysts (SBCs) in the femoral condyle (22/31), distal metacarpus (7/31), or metatarsus (2/31). Methods: Medical records of horses that underwent autologous or allogeneic osteochondral graft transplantation were reviewed. Follow-up lasted at least 12 months. Success was determined in terms of improvements in lameness and post-surgical athletic performance, classified...
Indicators of mortality risk in ageing horses.
GeroScience    June 25, 2025   doi: 10.1007/s11357-025-01738-y
Kelemen Z, Vogl C, Torres Borda L, Auer U, Jenner F.Clinical care for patients with limited life expectancy often requires adjustments, prioritizing immediate benefits over long-term outcomes, as the relevance of future complications diminishes. This study identifies indicators of mortality risk in horses with chronic orthopaedic conditions to enhance individualized care and welfare. Over 3 years, 123 chronically lame horses and 6 healthy control horses at an animal sanctuary underwent regular (every 3 months) comprehensive health assessments and activity monitoring using wearable sensors. Data collected included body condition scores, muscul...
Prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries associated with lameness in Australian campdraft horses.
Equine veterinary journal    June 24, 2025   doi: 10.1111/evj.14551
Argue BJ, Labens R.Campdrafting is a unique Australian cow horse sport, which evolved from mustering cattle and is one of Australia's fastest growing equine sports. This discipline is associated with its own unique set of musculoskeletal injuries yet to be reported. Objective: To describe the prevalence, anatomical location, and diagnostic modality used to localise lameness in campdrafting horses to better assist efficient orthopaedic management of the campdraft horse. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Medical records were examined from one private practice equine group and one university veterinary h...
Equine Bone Imaging, Part 2: Role of Nuclear Medicine in Racehorses.
Journal of nuclear medicine technology    June 24, 2025   jnmt.125.270050 doi: 10.2967/jnmt.125.270050
Tually P, Currie G.The horse racing industry, like any sport, must contend with the effects of injuries on an athlete's performance and longevity. Catastrophic fractures linked to preexisting bone fatigue can be prevented with the use of imaging technology, such as the nuclear medicine bone scan. The accessibility and affordability of imaging for racehorses remain obstacles. The conventional role of bone scintigraphy has evolved with the advent of advanced techniques, including MRI, CT, and PET. Concurrently, SPECT has expanded the role of scintigraphy in the racehorse. This article explores the conventional and...
Dual-Energy Computed Tomography for the Detection of Bone Edema-Like Lesions in the Equine Foot: Standing Horses and Cadaveric Specimens.
Veterinary sciences    June 24, 2025   Volume 12, Issue 7 614 doi: 10.3390/vetsci12070614
Germonpré J, Lorenz I, Vandekerckhove LMJ, Duchateau L, Diekhoff T, Vanderperren K.Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) is a promising advancement for detecting bone edema-like lesions (BME). However, its application in horses remains limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate DECT virtual-non-calcium (VNCa) imaging in the equine foot and establish which confounding factors could influence its applicability in clinical practice. The DECT VNCa map of 14 standing and 5 cadaveric (recumbent) cases with foot-related lameness was scored in consensus by two readers in comparison to MRI. Overall, 17/19 cases demonstrated BME on MRI, whereas 2 did not. Agreement between DECT V...
Ultrasonographic diagnosis of caudoproximal humeral stress fracture in thoroughbred racehorses.
Equine veterinary journal    June 22, 2025   doi: 10.1111/evj.14546
Vaughan B, McKerney ER, Wollenberger C, Cloninger A, Spriet M, Galuppo L, Stover SM.Humeral stress fractures in racehorses can progress to catastrophic fracture if unrecognised. Scintigraphy is the gold standard diagnostic technique but is limited by accessibility and cost. It was hypothesised that ultrasonography could be used to visualise caudoproximal humeral stress fractures. Objective: To determine the utility of ultrasonography to identify caudoproximal humeral stress fractures in racehorses. Methods: Clinical case series. Methods: Seven racehorses that had a clinical history consistent with the presence of a humeral stress fracture were examined using humeral ultrasono...
Objective Evaluation of Gait Asymmetries in Traditional Racehorses During Pre-Race Inspection: Application of a Markerless AI System in Straight-Line and Lungeing Conditions.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    June 18, 2025   Volume 15, Issue 12 doi: 10.3390/ani15121797
Meistro F, Ralletti MV, Rinnovati R, Spadari A.Subtle locomotor asymmetries are common in horses and may go unnoticed during routine pre-race clinical inspections, particularly when based solely on subjective evaluation. This study aimed to describe vertical head and pelvic movement asymmetries in racehorses that passed official pre-race inspections at a traditional racing event. Twenty-four horses were analysed using a markerless AI-based gait analysis system while trotting in-hand and during lungeing in both directions. Asymmetry parameters (HDmin, HDmax, PDmin, and PDmax) were extracted from video recordings, with values ≥0.5 consider...
Clinical evaluation of freeze-dried secretome (lyosecretome) for osteoarthritis: a controlled trial in dogs and preliminary safety assessment in horses.
International journal of pharmaceutics    June 16, 2025   Volume 681 125864 doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2025.125864
Berni P, Del Bue M, Conti V, Andreoli V, Ramoni R, Angelone M, Squassino GP, Bari E, Torre ML, Rinaldi M, Dotti S, Rossi R, Yusuf I, Mauri P....Most in vivo studies on MSC-secretome for osteoarthritis (OA) have relied on animal models, using products lacking pharmaceutical quality, not formulated for clinical use, and insufficiently characterized, limiting knowledge of its effectiveness. This study reports veterinary clinical trials on dogs and horses with spontaneous OA: in dogs (26 subjects), the trial is randomized, double-blinded, and controlled; in horses, 5 clinical cases were treated for safety assessment. Treatment consisted of hyaluronic acid with either lyosecretome - a freeze-dried, injectable MSC-secretome obtained through...
Suspensory Ligament Injuries: Diagnosis and Treatment.
The Veterinary clinics of North America. Equine practice    June 14, 2025   S0749-0739(25)00023-9 doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2025.04.005
Horne CR, Redding WR.The location of a suspensory ligament (SL) injury heavily influences the clinical presentation, prognosis, and treatment options. Diagnostic imaging is necessary to provide an accurate diagnosis and is critical to ensure the institution of the most appropriate treatment. The hindlimb proximal SL in particular can be challenging to diagnosis, carries a guarded prognosis, and typically requires aggressive treatment to achieve soundness.
Techniques for Equine Tendon Tenorrhaphy.
The Veterinary clinics of North America. Equine practice    June 14, 2025   Volume 41, Issue 2 341-355 doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2025.04.002
Tay A, McMaster M.Equine tendon lacerations are not uncommon secondary to traumatic wounds and degloving lacerations. These wounds are often contaminated and, therefore, basic principles of wound assessment and management are critical to identify the extent of an injury. Ancillary tools to aid physical examination include radiography, ultrasonography, and synoviocentesis (eg, if involving a joint and/or tendon sheath). Prolonged convalescence period, continued external coaptation, and controlled exercise are mainstays of treatment following tenorrhaphy. A poor prognosis for return to full athletic function is e...
Lag screw compression effectively treats proximal subchondral bone cysts and fissures in the first phalanx of mature performance horses.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association    June 13, 2025   Volume 263, Issue 9 1127-1135 doi: 10.2460/javma.25.03.0134
Maguire M, Brusie R.To determine the outcome of skeletally mature performance horses with subchondral bone cysts and fissures in the proximal aspect of the first phalanx treated by lag screw compression. Unassigned: Case records of horses that underwent lag screw compression to treat subchondral bone lesions in the proximal aspect of the first phalanx were reviewed. Performance horses > 5 years old with lameness referrable to the fetlock region; radiographic or other advanced imaging evidence of subchondral bone lesions, with no other concurrent cause for lameness; and at least 6 months of follow-up data were inc...
Desmitis of the palmar or plantar ligaments of the proximal interphalangeal joint: A descriptive case series.
Equine veterinary journal    June 12, 2025   doi: 10.1111/evj.14547
Peeters MWJ, Ott S, van Veggel E, Berner D, Perrier M.Limited reports in the literature are available regarding desmitis of the palmar/plantar ligaments of the proximal interphalangeal joint (PL-PIPJ); the clinical significance of such injuries is unknown. Objective: To describe the ability to differentiate the PL-PIPJ on low-field magnetic resonance (MR) examination. To describe the injury characteristics of the PL-PIPJ on MR examination and the correlation with clinical features and lameness. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Data and MR images of 29 horses were collected from the databases of three institutions. Horses were included...
A Retrospective Study of the Evolution of Orthopaedic Injuries in 70 Dressage Horses.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    June 12, 2025   Volume 15, Issue 12 1740 doi: 10.3390/ani15121740
Boado A, Pollard D, Dyson S.There is limited information about the orthopaedic health of dressage horses. This study aimed to document the orthopaedic status, lesion distribution, and evolution of injuries in 70 horses undergoing a minimum of five in-depth orthopaedic assessments at six-months' intervals. Warmblood (70.0%) and Iberian (24.3%) breeds predominated. The median lameness grade at initial examination was 2/5 (interquartile range 2,2; range 0,3). Hypermetria (42.9%) or hypermetria and weakness (12.9%) were observed at the initial examination and did not change over time. Metacarpophalangeal/metatarsophalangeal ...
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