The most common location of lameness in horses is in the foot. Most of the time the location and cause of the lameness is fairly easy to determine on physical exam alone. However chronic undiagnosed lameness of the foot is also a common aggravating issue for horse owners. In the 1990's and early 2000 many of the traditional diagnostic techniques and their interpretation have not stood up to scientific scrutiny. Radiographs, local anesthesia, and intra-articular blocks have been studied and many of their interpretations changed. This article takes a step wise approach to the diagnostic techniques used to arrive at localization and diagnosis of diseases of the foot then in many cases provides links to specific diseases of the hoof. There is also a section on handling the undiagnosed foot lame horse.

The first step in any lameness exam is to localize the effected leg(s) ...more. Once a lameness has been localized to a leg, the leg is examined for signs of disease. Even if there are early signs that the foot is the problem, the whole leg should receive a good look with flexion tests just to be sure some other problem is not overlooked.

On the initial physical exam it may not be apparent where in the leg the pain is coming from. When this is the case, further diagnostic techniques are applied starting at the hoof and working up. Some history and initial findings that the foot may be a problem are:

• recently trimmed and/or shod,
• worsening lameness on hard or gravelly ground,
• swelling above the foot that may extend to the knee,
• short stiff strides suggesting bilateral lameness like navicular syndrome or founder,
• warm to the touch or bounding digital pulse.

We have a number of illustrations of the foot to help you understand the examination and anatomy of the horses foot.