Q. I got my horse nine months ago. The vet didn't look at him before I bought him, but he did when he came out for another horse and said he was fine. That was last spring when the weather was warm. But over the winter, I noticed that his left back leg gets stiff if he's out in a cold rain.

Just lately I was lunging my horse, but he wanted to gallop, so after I warmed him up, I let him loose in the arena. I pointed him in the direction which he normally won't go because of the weakness in the one leg. Usually when I do this he just turns and gallops the other way, but he did three whole rounds of the arena before changing direction. Would this be a sign that he's stronger? I've been working hard on him, and this is the first big sign I saw of improvement.

A. Unless you asked the vet to do a soundness check on your horse last time he saw him, it's very possible he never even noticed the sound-at-the-time hind leg. I suggest you have your vet take another look, this time specifically at that left hind leg. It would be good to know the source of your horse's stiffness so you can handle it properly when it occurs. There's nothing you can do at this point about not having had this horse fully vetted before you purchased him, but there may be things you can do to keep him as sound as possible for as long as possible.

It does sound encouraging that your horse is more willingly using his weaker hind leg. I would caution you, however, to increase his workload very gradually so you don't do anything to set back his recovery and progress. It's difficult to make specific recommendations since his leg problem has never been diagnosed, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. Just take it easy with him so that the leg doesn't start causing problems again. You might also find it beneficial to avoid lunging him. Lunging can be very hard on a horse's joints due to the constant circling. It's safer to condition a horse of questionable soundness on straight lines rather than around lots of circles and turns. Turning him loose to blow off a little steam is probably a good idea, but lunging or riding him in small circles is not.

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