Lameness work-ups

Very few lame horses have one simple thing wrong with them. Most have a thing, and then a thing they have been doing to avoid it.

We start by watching: walk and trot in a straight line on a hard surface, then circles on the soft and the hard if you have them, and under saddle if that is where it shows. Hoof testers, flexions and hands on the legs come next. Nerve blocks numb one area at a time, working up from the foot, until the horse goes sound, and that tells us where to look.

The X-ray and ultrasound come with us, so most horses never need to leave home. You see the images on the yard as they are taken, and we talk them through, including what we cannot tell from them. If it needs an MRI or a referral, we will say so and ring ahead for you.

Then we write a plan with dates: how long off, how much walking, when we look again. People get horses back to work by sticking to that plan, not by the injection, however expensive.

What it includes

• Trot-ups, circles and ridden assessment
• Nerve and joint blocks where they help
• Digital X-ray and ultrasound on your yard
• A written diagnosis and a rehab plan with dates
• Follow-up visit included in the first month
• Referral to a hospital when it needs one

What it costs

A lameness work-up starts at £145, with blocks and imaging on top. The price list has the rest. We tell you what a job is likely to cost before we start.