The air is crisp. The ground is firm but not hard. Your horse's eye is bright, his coat glossy. It's going to be a great hack. You bound up into his newly buffed and polished saddle and gently urge him forward into a walk. After a few minutes, you're heading toward the trail and all is right with the equine world. You ask for a trot. He gives it--with an extra bounce of the head every time his front right foot hits the ground. He is, as they say, 'off'. Lame. Not walking good. Lameness is only one of the many things that can go wrong with your horse's health, but it's probably the worst; the one thing, besides death, that can effectively prevent your riding, day after day, month after month. There is an old saying among horsy types: "A horse without sound feet is no horse at all." Lousy, but true. When I bought Traveler, he came complete with a foot abscess that he'd had for nearly nine months. Although this particular affliction didn't interfere with our rides, it did involve foot packing and endless soaking in Epsom salts, which would terminate only after he'd kicked over the bucket in which he was soaking at least two times per session.
