Lameness as a herd problem in dairy cattle typically presents as lesions of the claw horn (CHL); e.g. sole ulcer and white line disease, or as digital dermatitis (DD), an infection of the adjacent skin. The aetiology of these conditions is complex and over 100 potential hazards have been identified involving features of the environment, nutrition, phenotype and physiological state. Strategic plans for control of lameness need to be farm-specific and address the risks attached to these potential hazards on an individual basis. For purposes of analysis however, it is possible to allocate the multiplicity of hazards into functional categories: e.g. external forces acting on the foot, infection and hygiene, foot structure, systemic disorders. This paper examines associations between the severity of proximate risks ascribed to these hazard categories and the prevalence of lameness in first-calving heifers.