Objective Lameness Assessment Current Methods and What to Expect in the Near Future

Lameness is the main reason for veterinary consultation worldwide. It affects horses from different disciplines and level of performance and the consequences of lameness can be disastrous for a sports horse career. The clinical manifestations of lameness in the horse are well-known and lameness can be defined as an alteration of the normal gait due to a functional or structural disorder in the locomotor system (1). Although simplistic, this definition places the veterinarian, when confronted with a complaint

of lameness, in a position where he is expected to distinguish and recognize gait alterations that are considered abnormal. Lameness examination is a multistep process that includes the patient’s history, physical examination and in the majority of cases includes visual (subjective) gait analysis where the clinician is required to perform an accurate and precise evaluation of gait. […]