Does your horse feels a little uneven, resistant or just not right? It can be hard to know what you’re seeing or how to explain it. Talk Lameness helps you recognise the signs, understand what your vet is looking for, and feel confident asking the right questions. Because getting answers starts with knowing what to look for.
What is lameness?
Lameness is when your horse looks or feels uncomfortable or uneven, but the signs can be easy to miss. It might show up only when you ride, or on a circle, on one rein, on a certain surface or when your horse is tired. It can also look like a training problem, stiffness or a change in attitude.
Some horses do not “limp” in an obvious way. Instead you might notice shorter steps, a change in rhythm, reluctance in transitions, uneven contact or a drop in performance. None of these signs proves lameness on its own, but they can be useful clues to share with your vet.
Horses are good at coping. They can shift weight, change how they move or look better after warming up. That is why it helps to step back and look for patterns over time, not one moment in the arena.
This site is here to help you organise what you are seeing so you can describe it clearly. The aim is not to diagnose your horse, it is to support a better vet conversation and a clearer plan.
Could you spot these signs of lameness in your horse?
This short quiz will help you check what you already know and what you might be missing. It’s designed to be educational – not diagnostic – providing the answers to common signs of lameness and the information your vet may ask for:
- Spot subtle signs that can look like behaviour, stiffness or something “just not quite right”
- Learn the language of lameness to help describe what you’re seeing – in plain English
- Understand what information helps your vet decide on next steps
Knowledge Hub
Our owner-first guides will help you notice lameness patterns, reduce worry and feel prepared for your next vet visit.
Lameness diagnosis: why it’s important for horse & owner
5 things to discuss with your vet
How your horse’s age can help your vet give the right treatment
Webinars
Find out more about TalkLameness
Welcome to Talk Lameness!
Welcome to Talk Lameness where we help you get to know your horse, observe what you see, take notes and have that conversation with your vet.
Webinar
Who is Jackie Potts?
William Fox-Pitt’s Head Groom Behind every great event rider, there’s a team — and at the heart of William Fox-Pitt’s operation for around three decades has been his head groom, Jackie Potts. Jackie didn’t take the traditional route into the horse world. She started riding at age ten, when a friend asked her along to
Webinar
An overview to the lameness exam
For most owners, the lameness investigation can feel like a mystery. Your vet arrives, watches your horse trot, presses and prods, maybe does some flexion tests… and then starts talking about blocks, scans, and referrals. It’s a lot to take in. And when you don’t fully understand the process, it’s hard to feel confident about
Webinar
The value of nerve blocks in the lameness examination
Your vet can watch your horse move, feel for heat and swelling, and flex the joints. But often, the source of pain isn’t obvious. The horse can’t tell us “it’s my fetlock” or “it’s deep in my heel.” So how do we find out? This is where nerve blocks come in. Nerve blocks – or
Webinar
Lunging a horse
Sometimes a horse looks perfectly fine trotting up and down the yard. But put them on a lunge circle? That’s when subtle issues start to show. Lunging is one of the most valuable tools in lameness detection – vets use it routinely because the curve of the circle puts extra demand on the limbs and
