Very Common
Less Common
You also might be observing
Observation
What you see. The starting point for addressing any equine health related issue is your observation.
YOU ARE OBSERVING
Hesitant to Walk on Hard Surfaces
Summary
You notice as you ride, or lead your horse, that they intentionally seek soft ground and avoid walking on hard pack or gravel. Or they slow down and walk gingerly when asked to walk on hard surfaces.
This is usually a sign of foot soreness (tender soles). Often, a horse is described as if they are "walking on eggshells.” The rule-out diagnosis is laminitis, but there are many other conditions that can cause this sign. Horses that are recently trimmed or that have bruised or soft soles often behave this way.
This is usually a sign of foot soreness (tender soles). Often, a horse is described as if they are "walking on eggshells.” The rule-out diagnosis is laminitis, but there are many other conditions that can cause this sign. Horses that are recently trimmed or that have bruised or soft soles often behave this way.
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Code Orange
Call Your Vet at Their First Available Office Hours- If this problem seems severe and has come on suddenly.
- If digital pulse is obvious in the limbs.
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Code Yellow
Contact Your Vet at Your Convenience for an Appointment- If this seems mild or occasional and the horse seems normal otherwise.
- If you do not notice digital pulse or heat in the feet.
your role
What To Do
Assess your horse’s general health using the Whole Horse Exam (WHE), feel for heat and digital pulse in the feet. Lift all the feet and check the soles for packed material. Clean the soles of the feet with a hoof pick. Press on the soles with your thumbs to see how soft they are. A normal sole should feel hard and unyielding. Feel for digital pulse and heat in each foot. Assess for lameness at the walk, especially turning tight circles, both ways on firm ground. Rest the horse until the situation is treated or resolves. Consider shoeing or the use of boots to protect the soles. Share your findings and concerns with your vet.
Skills you may need
Procedures that you may need to perform on your horse.
your vet's role
Your vet will consider the findings in light of the overall conformation and soundness of the horse and will rule out common lameness conditions. Once the cause for the behavior is better understood, treatment and management to optimize the horse's comfort and performance will be more clear.
Questions Your Vet Might Ask:
- When did you first notice this problem?
- Has there been a recent change in feeding, level of work or management?
- What is the horse's age, sex, breed and history?
- If not, have shoes been pulled or hooves trimmed recently?
- Is the horse shod?
- Is there heat or digital pulse in the feet?
- What are the results of the Whole Horse Exam (WHE)?
Diagnostics Your Vet May Perform
Figuring out the cause of the problem. These are tests or procedures used by your vet to determine what’s wrong.
Very Common
Less Common
Diagnoses Your Vet May Consider
The cause of the problem. These are conditions or ailments that are the cause of the observations you make.
Very Common
Less Common
Rare
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Nail or Other Foreign Body Punctures Foot, Sole or Frog
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Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Disease, DSLD
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Tying-Up, Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis
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Endotoxemia, Endotoxic Shock
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Lyme Disease, Borreliosis
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Keratoma, Hoof Wall
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Vaccination Reaction
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Pigeon Fever
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Foal or Newborn, Extensor Tendon Rupture
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Fibrotic Myopathy
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False Ringbone
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Equine Motor Neuron Disease, EMND
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Cestrum Diurnum or Day Blooming Jessamine Toxicity
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Meningo-Encephalitis, Meningitis
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Kidney Failure, Acute Renal Failure
Treatments Your Vet May Recommend
A way to resolve the condition or diagnosis. Resolving the underlying cause or treating the signs of disease (symptomatic treatment)
Very Common
further reading & resources
Helpful Terms and Topics
Written, reviewed or shared by experts in equine health