18/07/2025
This article is simply inaccurate. Other than the notion that a stumble may be nothing or it may a sign of neurological disease. In fact, a stumble may also be caused by musculoskeletal or shoeing issues.
Crossing the limbs and observing for correction is the least valuable element of the neurological examination, and many internists forgo this component entirely. A thorough neurological evaluation engages conscious and unconscious proprioception tests, brain, cranial nerve, spinal cord, and spinal nerve root function tests. It is the summation of these that allow the veterinarian to determine which segment of the neurological system (if any) is affected.
Try these two simple tests to tell if your horse's simple stumble is a sign of something much worse. In horses, the first signs of central nervous system trouble are more likely to be weakness or gait asymmetry. A neurologically impaired horse will drift sideways, with his hindquarters out of alignm...
