Evaluation of Rein or Bridle Lameness

After doing lameness examinations on horses for many years it has become quite clear to me, that we as veterinarians should never underestimate the number of cases that are presented and never satisfactorily diagnosed. Very often, even the more sophisticated diagnostic tools don’t really give us an answer!

Over the past 10 years our practice has started to take into consideration the aspect of riding during the lameness examination. These results have clearly shown me that a rider with the wrong influence on the horse can produce a picture of lameness which can easily be mistaken with other causes of lameness.
Rein or bridle lameness, as it is described in the old riding literature, is caused by the disturbance of the back long musculature which is no longer working correctly. Very often a simple change in the riding or training methods will cure the symptom immediately or within the next few days.
With the above description of the functional anatomy this illustrates the link between irregular movement of dressage horses and disturbance in the contraction and relaxation of the back muscles. One of the most important messages to understand here is that the horse is constructed as a bridge. He carries his back up while being ridden with his nuchal ligament and the muscle system in his neck and not as many people think; with his back and abdominal muscles. The long back muscles and abdominal muscles are muscles that are used only for movement. It is the rider’s responsibility to make sure that these muscles ara able to work freely without any negative tension. The quality of the three basic gaits will indicate very clearly the condition within the chain of these back muscles. Here, I want to stress once again that the horse’s centre of movement must be kept free from any negative tension. [...]