Recently three veterinarians from North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine came to talk to the Foothills Riding Club in Tryon. One of the topics was of particular interest to me. It had to do with how we see lameness.
I wrote about it more extensively on my blog at myhorse. com but the bottom line of the discussion is that recognizing lameness is a skill that improves with practice. It’s not a science. While we may have known that on some level, recent research bears it out. The research also underscores how subjective seeing lameness is — the same veterinarian looking at the same horse may describe a lameness differently from one visit to the next.
I came away from that discussion with two points reinforced for me: Not everyone will see the same things I’m looking at. It’s worthwhile trying to develop your “eye,” your ability to recognize subtle differences in movement.
Two years ago, I hosted a clinic with Vernon Purdy with the topic “How to Look at a Horse.” It was about training your eye to recognize symmetry (or asymmetry), and to be able to look at a horse’s way of going. It was a fascinating evening.
So don’t give up watching horses move. You can teach yourself to notice small changes. It’s a worthwhile goal.
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