I watched the mare walk and saw a bit of a hind leg swing. She was very lame. Not obviously lame to someone who was around her everyday or someone who does not see a lot of lameness, but she was very lame. There was also a strange clicking sound that seemed to come from the area above her stifle. In my work with horses I find that lame is lame.
Many horse people think limping is lame.
They feel, if the horse is not obviously limping, it is not lame. I feel, if there is noticeable, to me, restriction in the horse's leg movements it is lame. Maybe not dead lame, but lame none the less. Which is why when I get around quarter-horse shows I see so many lame animals. As I went around the front of the horse I noticed a number of scars which the owner said were wirecuts, according to what the previous owners told her.