In herd animals, behavioral signs like isolation, an unwillingness to rise, or aggression at the feed trough are often the only indicators of lameness, mastitis, or metabolic disorders. A veterinarian trained in ethology (the study of animal behavior) can spot a "subtly lame" horse by changes in its stall behavior—lying down more frequently, avoiding the water bucket—long before a gait abnormality appears under saddle.
In herd animals, behavioral signs like isolation, an unwillingness to rise, or aggression at the feed trough are often the only indicators of lameness, mastitis, or metabolic disorders. A veterinarian trained in ethology (the study of animal behavior) can spot a "subtly lame" horse by changes in its stall behavior—lying down more frequently, avoiding the water bucket—long before a gait abnormality appears under saddle.