These conditions can quickly affect the quality of life and lead to a decrease in the horse's performance. As a result, Seaver has developed a tool to assist in the detection of lameness.

Let's start with some definitions.

1. What is a limp?

Lameness is not a disease, but an abnormality of posture or movement, generally caused by discomfort or pain in a limb. Also known as claudication, lameness prevents normal movement. When a horse begins to limp, its weight is transferred to another limb to relieve it, resulting in asymmetry of locomotion.

There are several reasons why a horse may have a lameness. It can occur as a result of shock, leading to swelling. In this case, the lameness is said to be benign and can disappear after a few days. It is also possible that a pebble has slipped into the horn, making it painful to lean on. The intervention of the veterinarian or farrier is then essential. The lameness of the horse can also be explained by pain in one of the limbs. The latter can be pathological such as an arthrosic or navicular disease for example, or result from a sprain or tendonitis. Appropriate treatment is then necessary to ensure the animal's good recovery. The origin of lameness can also come from higher up, such as the patella, stifle or shoulders.

As a general rule, if the lameness is due to damage to the skeleton, joints or feet, it will be more pronounced in "hard" terrain. Conversely, if it is due to a muscular or tendon injury, it will be more pronounced on "soft" ground. It is essential to identify the location and causes of the pain in order to properly treat a limp.

2. How to detect it?

➢ Thanks to your Seaver strap

As mentioned above, when a horse limps, it tends to carry less weight on the affected limb to reduce pain. The Seaver girth measures the weight distribution per limb, helping you to detect a problem early. To do this, the tool compares the upward and downward movement as well as the left to right movement of the horse's chest as each limb is placed on the ground.

By definition, a healthy horse moving in a straight line and on flat ground should have symmetrical movements. He bears the same weight on the left foreleg as the right foreleg and the same is true for the hind legs. It is obvious that this rule only applies to symmetrical gaits, i.e. walk and trot.

A threshold of around 25% asymmetry of movement is suggested to detect a problem, so a horse putting 25% less weight on one limb compared to the opposite limb could have a problem with that limb. It is important to note that asymmetry of movement does not always indicate lameness. Other factors need to be taken into account, such as poor rider position, poor saddle positioning or a saddle that is not adapted to the horse. If in doubt, consult a veterinarian.
For more information on movement symmetry, take a look at our article in collaboration with Camille Judet Cheret, professional dressage rider: here

An abnormal increase in heart rate for the same amount of exercise can also be a tell-tale sign of lameness. Seaver uses electrodes inside the girth to record your horse's heart rate in real time. This allows you to quickly identify an abnormality and anticipate lameness.

Don't panic if we're not sure about you, we've thought of everything. The Seaver strap is equipped with an alert system. This way, notifications will be sent to your mobile application to warn you of a possible limp.

➢ Via a visual inspection

Lameness can also be confirmed visually. To do this, it is necessary to observe the horse moving on flat ground, in a straight line from the front, back and profile, at walk and trot.

In the case of lameness of a forelimb, the head and neck tend to rise sharply when the painful limb is supported, and fall back down when the healthy limb hits the ground.