It starts with Love and ends with lameness and despair.
Lameness creates long term welfare issues and overburdens rescue organizations.
Half of all horses suffer from lameness every year.
Ridden and unridden horses suffer.
Lameness creates an enormous emotional and financial burden for caretakers.
Hundreds of Millions of dollars are spent each year on diagnostics and treatments.
Imagine true soundness without the need for treatments, surgeries, or medications.
You can help
Lameness World-Wide
Details
In the U.S., a study conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in 2015, reports that 67% of U.S. equine operations had one or more lame horses in the past year, with 39% of operations housing one or more lame horses on the day of the study.
According to an annual National Equine Health Survey conducted in collaboration with the British Equine Veterinary Association in 2016, 26% of horses suffered from lameness. This number excludes horses affected by laminitis caused primarily by the dietary factors. The majority of lameness cases were attributed to degenerative joint disease. Lameness is a world-wide problem and it is not improving despite advances in diagnostics and treatments. It is time to examine lameness from a different perspective, develop prevention strategies, and make education and training accessible to everyone who wants it.
