Poor Performance Investigation

There are numerous causes of lameness and poor performance in horses, some of which can be diagnosed relatively easily and some of which cannot; in more complicated cases, detailed clinical evaluations and the use of advanced diagnostic techniques may be required.

Some days you may feel your horse is having an 'off day', and I'm sure there are days when we all feel slightly off par, but in some cases this loss of performance can become a more persistent and worrying problem. Quite often the symptoms are rather vague and non-specific and it can be very difficult and frustrating for an owner, not least when trying to voice their concerns to their vet. The first thing we would emphasise is to never hesitate if you feel there may be a problem you would like to discuss with us, we are always available for advice and a chat through any concerns and hopefully will be able to come up with some suggestion to get to the root of the problem.

When considering the problem of poor performance we must bear in mind there may be a variety of root causes, including;

• Orthopaedic problems/lameness
• Respiratory disease
• Cardiovascular dysfunction
• Equine Gastric Ulceration Syndrome (EGUS)
• Endocrine problems, such as 'cushing's syndrome'

Contact Us