The third edition of Adams’ Lameness in Horses was my ‘ bible ’ when I first started learning about lameness, and I gleaned a tremendous amount from it, but as a European, at times I felt annoyed by some of its Americanisms. The sixth edition has come a long way forwards and unquestionably contains much new information compared with previous editions, but retains an American-based authorship and some colloquial American writing which is at times irritating in a scientific text. For example in a description of distension of the tarsocrural joint the terminology ‘with chronic bogs’ seems out of place.</P>The book is divided into four main sections, the first considering principles of clinical examination and methods of diagnosis, the second dealing with causes of lameness divided on an anatomical basis, the third discussing principles of different types of musculoskeletal injury and management, and the fourth considering injuries specific to particular types of horse. The first section, which occupies almost one-third of the book, has new and comprehensive chapters on scintigraphy, ultrasonography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. There is also a valuable new section on diagnostic acupuncture. Traditional methods of lameness assessment are complimented by an in depth consideration of objective methods of lameness analysis. This section is however curiously longer than that on how to look at the horse. The section on ultrasonography is comprehensive and well-illustrated, whereas the diagnostic value of ultrasonography is somewhat underplayed elsewhere. The short section on arthroscopy, endoscopy and bursoscopy is beautifully illustrated by crisp colour photographs.</P>In the section on lameness conditions, the balance between sections in places seems somewhat strange. For example, conditions of the bicipital bursa get considerably more space than injuries of the accessory ligament of the deep digital flexor tendon, which are far more common. The section on curbs focuses on the comparatively rare plantar desmitis, with barely a reference to the much more common subcutaneous swellings and injuries of the superficial digital flexor tendon. However a very welcome addition is the more comprehensive discussion of conditions of the neck, thoracolumbar and pelvic regions. There is a lot of valuable information packed in, with up to date references and many new illustrations. Personally I would have liked to see more text and ultrasonographic images and fewer radiographs of fractures and fracture repair.</P>The third section gives a comprehensive overview of joint disease, bone injury including principles of internal fixation, tendon and ligament injury and muscle injury; there could have been more cross-referencing between this and the previous section of the book. This is followed by a broad but critical overview of all the current range of treatment modalities, including treatments still in their infancy such as mesenchymal stem cells and platelet rich plasma.</P>The final section follows the lead set by Ross and Dyson ( Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse , Second ed., Elsevier, 2011) in describing a variety of sports and the types of injuries sustained by horses in those specific activities. However, a much narrower range of sports disciplines is considered.</P>The book is accompanied by a comprehensive DVD, covering the principles of clinical examination and diagnostic analgesia. This is narrated by the Editor, Gary Baxter. My copy had ‘ gremlins’ and kept stalling in which ever computer I used, but it was nonetheless clear that there was a wealth of practical information contained in it. This welcome addition to the book makes it good value for money and a worthwhile successor to the fifth edition.</P>

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