What's the problem?

Lameness is often the first thought if a sport horse performs below par, but there are plenty of other possible causes. Imogen Johns FRCVS explains

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INSPIRED by the athletic feats of the Olympic horses, we might be keen to get out competing. But when a horse's performance is not what it once was, it can be worrying.

While there are many possible reasons for this, medical ones are important to recognise so they can be effectively treated and managed.

Lameness is considered the number one cause of reduced performance in horses but many others are possible. This article will discuss some of these causes; what signs might be present, how a diagnosis can be made and how they can be treated to return a horse to his previous level of performance.

A PAIN IN THE NECK?

PAIN originating from the neck (vet clinic, 29 September 2022) can include muscular pain, joint pain (osteoarthritis) or nerve pain. Signs suggestive of neck pain can be fairly diverse and non-specific, and can include:

• a reluctance to move forward, especially in a more collected outline

• limited neck flexion (the movement involved in "carrot stretches")

• a hopping-type lameness when ridden

Confirming neck pain as the cause of a horse's reduced performance can be challenging. For other joints, such as hocks and fetlocks, local anaesthetic can be injected to numb the area. If the signs (usually lameness) then resolve, that joint is confirmed as the source of pain.

However, local anaesthetic is not routinely injected into the neck joints or the nerves that exit the spinal cord in the neck as they lie very close to the spinal cord. If any of the local anaesthetic leaks out of the joint and contacts the spinal cord, marked weakness and sometimes recumbency can occur as the spinal cord has in effect been "numbed".

Although the signs are usually temporary most vets believe the procedure to be too risky to perform in most cases.