Lameness and Poor Performance in the Sports Horse: Dressage, Show Jumping and Horse Trials (Eventing)

Successful identification, management, and prevention of injuries in sports horses requires a thorough understanding of the demands of each sport and the ways in which injury may be manifested. It is essential to be able to communicate with the client (be it the owner, the rider, or the trainer), which means understanding the terminology (or jargon) that goes with the sport. It is important to recognize what is involved in the training of the horse to allow it to compete in whatever discipline in order to plan appropriate rehabilitation programs and in order to be able to give a realistic prognosis. For example, the prognosis for a superficial digital flexor injury in an elite show jumper is very different than that for a three-day event horse. It is essential to recognize that despite owners’ and or trainers’ expectations, not all horses have either the athletic ability or the temperament to perform at a high level. However genuine a horse might be, unwillingness to perform does not necessarily equate with a pain-related problem, although of course it may. This is especially the case with amateur-owned and -produced horses. At the other extreme, a professionally produced horse may compete very successfully despite significant musculoskeletal problems, and may superficially appear to be sound. However, recognition and successful management of those problems may enhance the athletic ability of such horses. There are many problems that a horse is able to cope with at lower levels of competition, but which become manifest when greater athletic demands are placed upon the horse, when it starts to train and compete at higher levels. The causes of lameness in horses competing at low levels of dressage, show jumping, and horse trials are very similar to each other, and generally mirror those of pleasure horses. However, they may become manifest sooner since the horse is more likely to be making turns and circles, rather than just working in straight lines. In the forelimb foot pain referable to foot imbalance, bruising and navicular disease, and low grade degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints, and in the hindlimb DJD of the distal hock joints are common. Mild intermittent upward fixation of the patella or delayed release of the patella can be a problem in young horses starting training, especially in Warmblood horses, and can result in low-grade discomfort and nappy (unpredictably resistant) behavior. Work patterns of the lower level horse tend to be rather inconsistent and the ground conditions (footing) on which the horse either works or competes may not be ideal. Amateur riders may be slower to recognize some problems through lack of feel, but other problems may be manifest earlier than in a professionally produced horse because the rider does not have the skill to compensate for gait abnormalities. However, as the level of competition becomes higher and the athletic demands placed upon the horse become greater, some different patterns of acute injuries emerge in the different disciplines.