Equine Lameness Score Calculator

Calculate AAEP lameness grade from head bob severity, stride asymmetry, flexion tests, and hoof tester response.

Inputs

Affected limb

Head bob / hip hike (0-4)

Stride asymmetry (0-4)

Flexion test response (0-3)

Hoof tester response (0-3)

Tab to move between fields

Results

AAEP Lameness Grade (0-5)

Composite score0

Soft tissue likelihood0

Hoof pathology likelihood0

Rest days recommended0

Assessment agreement (%)100

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Affected limb, Head bob / hip hike (0-4), and Stride asymmetry (0-4).
Set Flexion test response (0-3) and Hoof tester response (0-3).
Review the AAEP Lameness Grade (0-5) result.
Use Composite score and Soft tissue likelihood to inform your decision.

What each input means

Affected limb: 0 = Forelimb (head bob assessment), 1 = Hindlimb (hip hike assessment).
Head bob / hip hike (0-4): 0 = None, 1 = Subtle, 2 = Mild, 3 = Moderate, 4 = Severe. Primary lameness indicator.
Stride asymmetry (0-4): 0 = Symmetric, 1 = Slight, 2 = Moderate, 3 = Marked, 4 = Severe shortening.
Flexion test response (0-3): 0 = Negative, 1 = Mild positive, 2 = Moderate positive, 3 = Strong positive.
Hoof tester response (0-3): 0 = No response, 1 = Mild, 2 = Moderate, 3 = Strong withdrawal.

What each result means

AAEP Lameness Grade (0-5): AAEP lameness scale: 0 = Sound, 1-2 = Subtle, 3 = Consistent, 4 = Obvious, 5 = Non-weight-bearing.
Composite score: Weighted composite of all assessment parameters.
Soft tissue likelihood: Index suggesting joint/soft tissue origin (higher = more likely). Range 0-1.
Hoof pathology likelihood: Index suggesting hoof/foot pathology (higher = more likely). Range 0-1.
Rest days recommended: Suggested minimum rest period based on lameness grade.
Assessment agreement (%): How well the individual parameters agree with each other. Higher = more consistent findings.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Affected limb = 0, Head bob / hip hike (0-4) = 0, Stride asymmetry (0-4) = 0, Flexion test response (0-3) = 0 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate AAEP Lameness Grade
AAEP Lameness Grade
0 = 0
Calculate Composite score
Composite score = headBobSeverity * 0.4 +
0 = 0
Calculate Soft tissue likelihood
Soft tissue likelihood = flexionResponse / max(1, flexionResponse + hoofTesterResponse)
0 = 0

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