How to Care for a Lame Horse

Walk the horse on a lunge line so you can watch his movements. In some cases, a horse will appear lame from stiffness when he first steps out of his stall, but will walk normally after a few laps in the round pen.

Watch the horse's head when she walks and trots. A seriously lame horse is called "head-bobbing lame" because her head moves up and down much more than normal as she walks, a symptom of her exaggerated gait.

Call your veterinarian immediately and schedule an appointment. If the horse isn't seriously lame, you can probably wait up to 24 hours for the vet to make it to your stable. In other cases, it might be necessary to trailer the horse to the vet's office.

Keep the horse in a stall until he has been examined by a veterinarian. Turning him out in a paddock or pasture might result in further injury, and it is never a good idea to ride and hope it works itself out.

Avoid applying ice or heat until the veterinarian has arrived. This can foil the vet's diagnosis and make the injury more difficult to treat. The only exception is if there is significant heat or swelling in the leg, in which case the veterinarian might recommend ice until she arrives.

Clean all four hooves thoroughly to make sure there aren't any rocks or pieces of glass lodged in the frog of the hoof. This is a common cause of lameness, and can often be solved without a veterinarian's consult.

Follow the veterinarian's instructions precisely. Lameness sometimes clears up in a matter of hours, but if you neglect to follow the vet's instructions, you could wind up with a worsening problem.