Static observation
All the standard observations should be noted: condition of coat, eyes, muscle and conformation. For example, does the back third of the horse look as though it belongs to the middle and front thirds? The state of the joints, angles of the shoulders, pelvis and pasterns are all observed and note is taken of any leg length or hoof height discrepancies.

Dynamic observation
The horse is observed in walk and trot, away and toward, and note is taken of cadence, stride lengths, limb placement and tracking. Movement of the pelvis and hips are observed and, from an osteopathic viewpoint, any sidebending and rotation in the thoraco-lumbar spine and any counter sidebending/rotation in the neck is looked for. From these observations it can be ascertained whether or not there are any twists in the chassis which might affect the horse’s diagonal limb placement in the various paces.

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