Equine lameness exams have historically been performed by a clinician who assigns subjective lameness score value to what he or she observes. While this method has been somewhat effective, opinions and abilities to see a lameness can vary greatly between veterinarians. Tools now exist to provide for a more objective evaluations of lameness.
Source: The Paulick Report, March 22, 2016.
While the industry norm is for a clinician to visually evaluate a horse’s movements and the degree to which and where it is impaired, opinions can vary widely from one clinician to the next on the same horse.
INSIGHTS: As technology continues provide more quantitative ways to evaluate lamenesses in horses, it stands to reason that more adoption of such technologies will lead to more objective ways to evaluate lame horses. Current practices often involve multiple nerve blocks and radiographs to pinpoint the area of lameness. Ideally, these new advances will save horse owners money in the long run and allow veterinarians to better focus their time and efforts. They may also lead to faster and more effective recoveries.