The whole horse

This is a post which will be obvious to many of you, but since you know that the horses here all come with foot problems, I thought it might be interesting for me to highlighting some of the related problem areas within the body which are inevitable consequences of lameness in front.  

When horses come here its because they have a long standing problem, usually a lameness which has its source within the hoof - often the caudal (back) of the hoof, although other structures can be involved in the veterinary diagnosis.  

However, it will come as no surprise to any of you that problems in the hoof are never insulated or self-contained and in any animal, especially a four-legged one, inability to use one leg properly affects the rest of the body.   

There are inevitable knock on effects when a horse is unable to load its feet comfortably and correctly.  These aren't sudden, catastrophic injuries but small, niggling discomforts which step by step, day by day, can accumulate and increase.  

The arrows point to the sites of the most common problems:

• The big muscles surrounding the shoulders are almost inevitably sore when horses are lame in front.  It may seem obvious, but this can lead to horses being "sharp" when saddled or mounted.  The problem will usually be worse on one side than the other which will be particularly apparent to equine chiropractors, osteopaths and masseurs.

• Horses can suffer from restricted neck flexion as they brace to take weight off the worst leg.  They will be one-sided on turns, of course, and again the problem will usually be obvious to a bodyworker. 

• Lumbar and sacro-iliac problems are common because most horses are lamer on one front leg than the other.  Inevitably, front limb problems affect hind limbs and restricted movement in - for example - the left front will lead to a shorter stride on the right hind.  Over time, an unequal thrust in the hind limbs will lead to discomfort as one hind leg pushes harder than the other, resulting in a twist in this area. 

• Hooves with a medio-lateral imbalance can strain check ligaments, particularly in faster work or on uneven ground. 

• If front limbs aren't loading correctly, there are often knock-on problems behind - the most common are hock spavins or hind suspensory problems.
  

What I tend to see in the horses here is that as the front limbs become stronger and sounder the related problems also improve - as you'd expect.  But of course, where body issues are secondary to the front limb problem, then if you haven't sorted out the limb first, the other issues will keep recurring, no matter how many times a vet or bodyworker attempts to "fix" them.