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4.1 Basic Method of Visual Assessment

A.

B.

C.

unilateral lameness,VL 5a

5.1 Unilateral Transfer of Weight

Lame horses will often transfer weight off the uncomfortable (lame) side and onto the comfortable (sound) side.

VL 5a

bilateral lameness,

contralateral limbVL 5b

5.2 Bilateral Suppression of Lameness

A horse may not want to favor one limb if it exacerbates a problem (such as pain) in the contralateral limb. In this case, the horse may be unable to underload a sore right front limb without overloading a sore left front limb.

VL 5b

As you remember, the horse alters movement to avoid pain, accommodate a biomechanical restriction, and/or maintain balance. But what if something prohibits the horse from making the desired physical adjustments? In this case, our visual perception of the lameness may become more obscure even though the source of the problem persists. For example, if both of your knees were equally painful you might walk funny but not necessarily “limp.” This is because your bilateral discomfort poses a dilemma: to which leg can you transfer weight without exacerbating your pain? Your inability to visibly limp in this instance doesn’t mean that your knees don’t hurt—it just becomes more difficult for others to discern that you have a problem.