08/01/2026
Sound? Lame? Or??? Part 2
There are a lot of good horse people on this page! So many great evaluations with this difficult challenge.
A normal walk should have 4 evenly spaced beats, a steady rhythm, and each beat should have the same volume or intensity.
HORSE A: She is neurologic. The key is that her rhythm is irregular, almost every stride is different from the one before. You could think she is lame because some footfalls are louder/softer than the others but if you listen carefully you can hear that it is not always the same beat.
We call this pattern "irregularly irregular" and it is seen (or heard!) with neurological problems. I posted an extended version of her walk. As you listen to more strides it may be easier to hear the irregular rhythm.
HORSE B: He is sound. The rhythm is even, although it does speed up and slow down. There is an occasional loud or soft beat but it is not consistent which could be misleading without the video. He is a 3 year old, race fit, stallion and is full of energy and impatient with just a quiet walk down the aisle so occasionally he tosses his head and makes a louder footfall.
HORSE C: He is lame. His rhythm is not even but it is regular, each step is like the one before it. You can hear a clear difference in volume with one beat, the same beat consistently different from the rest. Our ears tend to notice the louder beat but the lame leg is usually the softer beat as the horse gently puts weight on painful leg. We call this pattern "regularly irregular".
