Page 158 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse
P. 158
The horse is asked to walk backwards for a few strides and is then walked forwards. The
horse should reverse in a straight line by moving the legs in diagonal pairs and without any
VetBooks.ir sign of discomfort. This test can be useful for detecting conditions such as shivering and
stringhalt (see pages 312 and 314), and also neurological conditions such as wobbler
syndrome (see page 315). Horses with back pain may tense their back muscles and look
uncomfortable or swish their tails when asked to reverse (Figure 4.7).
Figure 4.7 Horses with back pain might look uncomfortable and swish their tails when asked to walk backwards
Observation of tail carriage and assessment of tail tone
Some horses with hind limb pain or muscle tension in their quarters will carry the tail to one
side. In certain neurological conditions the horse will have reduced tail tone and so when
lifted by the vet it has a ‘floppy’ feel to it.
FLEXION TESTS
A flexion test may be performed after the trotting up. This test can be helpful in identifying
the lame limb if the lameness is only slight. It involves picking up the horse’s limb and
