A horse that’s “just a little off” could be dealing with anything from foot soreness to a joint issue higher up the leg. An early schallenge for a subtle lameness can be devining which leg is painful.
That’s where flexion tests come in. They’ve been a staple of the veterinary lameness exam for decades, and for good reason. During a flexion test, the vet holds a horse’s limb in a flexed position for a set period of time, then immediately asks the horse to trot off. If the horse shows uneven gait for at least 3 strides it can point the vet toward the area that’s causing trouble.
But flexion tests aren’t as simple as they might look. The amount of force applied, how long the limb is held, and which joints are being stressed all influence the result. Because it’s nearly impossible to flex one joint without also putting pressure on surrounding structures, interpreting the response takes real skill and experience. And while a positive result can be a helpful clue, it’s rarely the whole answer on its own — many sound horsesalso show a brief response to flexion.
In this video, we’ll walk you through how vets use flexion tests as part of a complete lameness workup, what they’re actually looking for when your horse trots away, and why these tests remain a valuable — if imperfect — tool in the lameness detective’s toolkit.
