Lameness/Shoeing of course!!

Question
Hi there, my 15.2hh 9 year old horse has been lame for 8 weeks plus now (could be longer as we only noticed he was lame when he had his back checked as he is ONLY lame in a small circle right rein).  He is sound in a straight line and only about 1/10 lame left circle.

The first vet I had x rayed the left fore foot and nothing was found.  I wasn't really impressed as I thought it was right fore he was lame on.  Had second vet and he advised yes he was lame right fore and just to carry on riding him gently and let him know in 3 weeks if he was still lame.  My farrier did subsequently find a small corn but that is not where he's sore with the hoof testers.  There is no swelling, heat, stone bruises or anything else obvious.

I am now going to have his right fore x rayed as well, to rule out any obvious problems there.  My question is, what in your experience would cause a horse to be lame on a circle (he doesn't want to bend either) and absolutely fine in a straight line?  Also should I ask the vet to x ray his leg as well as his foot and should my farrier be putting any special shoes on in the meantime?  He's due to be shod on 1st October.

Thank you so much in advance for your advice.  I'm pulling my hair out here!

Sophie.

Answer
HELLO SOPHIE...THANKS FOR YOUR QUESTION...

You need to go to a veterinarian that specializes in equine problems.

It is actually a "good" thing that he ISN'T LAME going straight away. It narrows down the problem
for all concerned. The reason for him being "off" on a turn, is that the horse is "overloading"
the hoof and limb; where as straight away everything usually loads evenly.

The horse should first be "flex-tested" to see if any soreness occurs after stressing each joint.
90% of lameness occurs below the knee/carpus...80% occurs in the hoof.
Next, The hoof should be checked for abscess,foreign matter,punctures,bruises and such.

Radiology should be done both from the front (Anterior/posterior) and the from the side(Lateral)
to determine any bone changes...spurs,cyst,hairline fractures,calcium build up(ossification)and
such.
Next...IF things have not "stood out" as far as spotting the problem, then a nerve block should be done. Palmar digital nerve block to determine what basically goes sound and what stays sore.
It is done at different levels in the limb/leg to decide which area/sector of the limb goes
sounds.

NO SHOES right now. The farrier really doesn't know what he/she is treating so it is best to wait on the vet's diagnosis to apply the correct shoe or package to aid in recovery.

Remember...time IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT when it comes to lameness. Things/problems usually never
take care of themselves and horses don't "reason" things out...it is only good or bad with them.

Wish you the Best !!
Joepaul Meyers,C.J.F.