Lameness Evaluation: Art or Science?

"After identifying a lack of reliability and repeatability in experienced veterinarians' evaluation of lameness, a group of vets have challenged the industry to search for and develop "a more objective and reliable method of lameness evaluation for us in the field," and noted that such efforts "should be encouraged and supported." ...

Key findings of this study were: 

* Equine practitioners agreed whether a limb was lame or not 76.6% of the time after trotting the horse in a straight line; 

* Veterinarians agreed whether a limb was lame or not 72.9% of the time after completing a full lameness evaluation; 

* Clinicians agreed on whether a limb was lame or not more frequently if the lameness occurred in the forelimb rather than the hindlimb; 

* If the AAEP lameness score was greater than 1.5, the veterinarians agreed whether a limb was lame or not 93.1% of the time; 

* If the AAEP lameness score was less than or equal to 1.5, the veterinarian's only agreed 61.9% of the time, and 

* When the equine practitioners were asked to decide whether a horse was or was not lame and to pick the limb that was the most lame, they agreed just over half (51.6%) of the time."  Read more