Leg and Movement Problems

This page contains links to information about some of the common problems and symptoms which may affect your horses head.

Click on the links coloured green in the table below to find out more about that illness or disease.

Please remember this information is provided as a guide only and professional advice should be sought before any diagnosis or treatment is applied.

Disease - Leg/Movement	Symptoms
Bruised Sole	Lameness, pain in hoof and sole, sole may be discoloured
Buttress Foot	Lameness, heat in hoof, swelling on coronary band. Horse may hang leg
Corns	Severe lameness, bruising and pain in sole
Cracked Heels	Heels and back of fetlock swollen, sore and inflamed, are covered in scabs and lesions.
Laminitis	Lameness, usually in forelegs. May tilt backwards on heels, be distressed and sweating
Ringbone	Small lumps burst and form round scabs which spread over a large area
Sandcracks	Crack in hoof wall either from the top of the hoof downwards or from the bottom upwards. Lameness may be present
Seedy Toe	Gap at bottom of hoof filled with crumbly material. Severe lameness may be present
Thrush	Thick, black fluid discharged from frog. Foul smell present in hoof, frog and sole are soft and frog may be coming away from hoof. Pain and irritation seen
Capped Hock/Elbow	Swelling up to the size of a melon on hock or elbow. Soft at first becoming firmer, pain and heat may be felt
Bog Spavin	Small to large soft swellings on hock joint, one at back above joint, one below joint, one on inside of joint
Bone Spavin	Usually no external symptoms, although occasionally bony swelling on inside of hock. Lameness, stiffness, shortened stride and dragging of the toe may be present
Splints	Bony swellings on cannon bone usually on front legs. Lameness, heat and pain may be seen
Thoroughpin	Small soft swellings on either side of the hock. may be pressed from side to side through hock. Similar swelling to bog spavin. Swelling may shrink during exercise and reappear at rest. Pain, heat and lameness not usually present
Stringhalt	One or both hindlegs drawn sharply up when the horse moves, then sharply down. May hit the belly or only be slightly exaggerated