In farrier practice, horses with poor gait quality and atypical lameness are frequently presented to the farrier with the expectation of improving the motion pattern.

Usually, the owners complain about stumbling in the front limbs, striking the contralateral limb, short strides, asymmetries in flight arc and step length, toe dragging or hind limb lameness without a clear diagnosis. Often, in these cases, the farrier is asked to improve breakover, trim differently to change the landing pattern or hoof angle, to modify the weight of the shoe or to do any kind of shoe modification to solve the problem.

Although there’s no doubt that farriers can positively support the horse with trimming and shoeing. The question is whether the primary origin of the stated symptoms is related to the distal limb. This article aims to determine whether improving poor gait quality or atypical lameness is the responsibility of the farrier and can be improved with a change in trimming and shoeing. Or is there another reason for the symptoms that cannot be solved by the farrier’s work?

Poor Gait Quality in the Front Limbs Due to Neck Problems

Disorders of the cervical spine can cause frequent stumbling, intermittent lameness, and short or asymmetric strides. The equine cervical spine consists of seven vertebrae (Figure 1).

Figure 2a: The first and second cervical vertebrae (atlas) and their articulations (atlantooccipital and atlantoaxial joint). Image: Dr. Jenny Hagen

The first cervical vertebra is the atlas, which connects to the condyles of the occiput…