Mystery Horse Lameness? Exploring Rein Lameness

other gaits rein lameness is usually most notable when trotting.
In the past year I have become increasingly vocal about drawing riders attention to the fact that muscle tension patterns can indeed be the source of lameness. Initially this can sound too simplistic riders assume that something on their horse must be broken pulled or otherwise very wrong if the horse is moving not quite right. But lets stop and think about this.
Of course plenty of horses can be exercised in all manner of incorrect postures and states of tension and yet they do not develop rein lameness. Others however are very susceptible. In my own experience I believe some horses are just naturally more negatively affected by muscle tension and imbalance. Perhaps it is because of a less than ideal conformation or metabolism or a delicate constitution. The good news is that despite having a slight limp in their gait many rein lame horses are not in pain. Remember the limp comes from a mechanical glitch not necessarily from a glaring soreness.
The answer that many vets do not provide is that the problem must be fixed with good correct gymnastic exercise. The horse must be ridden in a basic dressage balance and required to stabilize his core for short rhythmic bouts of exercise.
Resting a rein lame horse does not usually resolve the problem. Chances are high that once he is put back in a training routine the underlying gait patterns will show up again after a week or two. In
order to resolve the problem the horse must be exercised with his body in an ideal balance and engagement. On several occasions I have seen the disrupted gait pattern disappear immediately once a skilled rider gets on and asks the horse to carry his body with correct posture. Other times it might take a day or two but it rarely takes longer than one week.