‘Not quite right, but not visually lame’

H&H writer Helen Triggs had a niggling feeling that her 14-yearold pure-bred PRE gelding Anubis (right) wasn’t quite right, but couldn’t pinpoint why.

“He wasn’t visually lame, but he was sometimes reluctant to go forwards and fussy about surfaces,” says Helen. “Last winter he was a guinea pig at a gait analysis clinic held by Farr & Pursey equine vets. When testing on the school surface revealed lameness behind, he underwent more analysis on a hard surface and was found to be lame in front, too.”

Rick Farr MRCVS explains that the practice was seeing an increase in cases of “poorperformance lameness” — lowgrade, intermittent lameness on multiple limbs.

“These problems can fall below the visual threshold and are difficult to diagnose,” Rick explains. “We use the Equinosis Q system, which breaks the stride into three different components: the impact, weightbearing and push-off phases. Alongside the input of veterinary expertise, it is extremely valuable as an adjunct diagnostic tool in a lameness work-up.

“Instead of firefighting, we can detect subtle lameness in its early stages,” adds Rick, who feels the system is a useful preventative measure in the performance horse.

“The system helps us tailor and target nerve-blocking, which is then quicker and more cost-effective for the owner. It also allows accurate comparison before and after treatment.”

Following further investigation, Anubis was diagnosed with early arthritic changes.

“Gait analysis gave me an early warning that these changes were occurring,” says Helen. “Anubis is much happier after joint medication and I now know to be careful on hard ground.”