Any Farriers/Farriers OH /Vets out there...Help if Poss

Chavhorse

Chavhorse

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Hi can anyone help please,

I have recently had my horse vetted in the Netherlands and he has come back with a failure due to "kraakbeen" my vet can not find the english translation of the condition in his medical books.

Rough translation is the calcification of the cartilage/soft tissue in the hoof.

He is presenting with it in the rear of the left fore and it can be felt in a semi circle at the top of the foot.

I had assumed it was Ringbone but am now not so sure.

Horse is showing unevenness when lunged in a small circle on concrete on on the right side, perfectly sound when walked, trotted and cantered on soft ground. Vet is saying horse may remain sound for years or be dead lame in a year so anyones guess.

Anyone have any idea at all what this could be as I am madly googling and coming up with Navicular, Sidebone and god knows what else.

Can anyone tell me what it actually is, best way of treating and shoeing options, my YO is saying that he ought to have an airbag fitted below the shoe to cushion the foot and the toe trimmed short to ensure to help him roll over and this should be done ASAP to help the condition from deteriorating further.

Any info so I at least know what I am dealing with would be fantasitc, I am sending him over to the UK, as we are planning on moving back there in two years time and the thought of traveling a lame horse is not a good one.

Thanks for anything you can give me

Lindy x
 
The cartilage that you can feel in a semicircle at the back of the hoof is the lateral cartilage. How old is your horse, because some calcification of this cartilage is, I have been told by a vet, normal for older horses but unusual in the six year old who I had xrays of?

I believe he would be sound for longest if you could go barefoot and avoid any more concussion from shoes, but I'm a committed barefooter and I'm sure others will advise bar shoes. There is some research by Dr Bowker , unfortunately I think unpublished, which suggests strongly that shoes cause a very significant reduction in the volume of the lateral cartilages and a loss of internal blood supply, which is another reason why I would remove them in your horse's case.
 
cptrayes said:
The cartilage that you can feel in a semicircle at the back of the hoof is the lateral cartilage. How old is your horse, because some calcification of this cartilage is, I have been told by a vet, normal for older horses but unusual in the six year old who I had xrays of?

I believe he would be sound for longest if you could go barefoot and avoid any more concussion from shoes, but I'm a committed barefooter and I'm sure others will advise bar shoes. There is some research by Dr Bowker , unfortunately I think unpublished, which suggests strongly that shoes cause a very significant reduction in the volume of the lateral cartilages and a loss of internal blood supply, which is another reason why I would remove them in your horse's case.
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He is six, and is currently unshod hence my utter confusion.
 
Batgirl said:
sorry that posted before I finished :)

most of my research has shown to treat it like a joint degeneration with glucosamine etc. the literal translation of the word it cartilage so should be treated as such:

http://www.glucohorse.com/problemen02.html

Would it not be possible to speak to the vet who made the judgement?
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I have done unfortunately he can not find the English Veterinary term
 
It sounds like side bone. Although that doesn't usually make the horse lame but if the bony mass has fractures or their are two masses that rub together then it will. So if your boy is showing discomfort then I am afraid it is already quite severe in his case.

Unfortunately it is degenerative so it is anyone's guess how long he'll remain sound - regardless of what you do with his feet. Sorry.
 
classicalfan said:
It sounds like side bone. Although that doesn't usually make the horse lame but if the bony mass has fractures or their are two masses that rub together then it will. So if your boy is showing discomfort then I am afraid it is already quite severe in his case.

Unfortunately it is degenerative so it is anyone's guess how long he'll remain sound - regardless of what you do with his feet. Sorry.
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Thanks this is also my deduction, I have printed off pages of info and x-ray pics and will speak to YO today at least then I will know what I am dealing with.

I think next step is x-rays to see where we are. I will then get my Dutch vet on the Phone with OH's friend who is a equine vet in Edinburgh to get a proper diagnoses I can actually understand.

So damn frustrating!

thanks for the input
 
My ex competition horse turned hunter went on till he was 22 despite having sidebone for about 10 years. He was hunting full days twice a week plus the odd competition in the spring and autumn until he was about 20, then went to one day a week :) He had no need of medication in this time.

Farrier OH kept him shod short and rolled the toes - CPTrayes won't like it, but it worked for him. I would steer clear of bar shoes and pads if at all possible though.
 
So after printing out half a forest of info on Side bone apparently that is not it arrrgh,the explanation the vet has given me is wait for it "ossification (calcification ) of the cartilage in the bulb of the heel"

So I have given in and booked him in for an x-ray on Monday hopefully then I can show them to my UK vet and find out what the heck it is! Also means if he needs remedial showing/trimming we can do it before he departs for the UK in 2 weeks.

I kind of feel this is something I need to see through and it is far too much of a big ask to expect my friend in the UK to make these kind of decisions.

I shall let you all know what the heck it is as soon as I find out!
 
Chavhorse said:
He is six, and is currently unshod hence my utter confusion.
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Oh **** !

I am so sorry, he's far too young for that. If it's his heel bulbs that sounds like the lateral cartilage. I hope you can keep him sound.

If you took a steel ruler and stood him up on a flat concrete surface, would you be able to slide the ruler under his frog? If so, you need to find a trimmer who can help you get his frog ground-bearing and he'll have a much better chance of staying sound (and you might have an answer as to why it happened). The only two barefoot horses I know which have had "navicular" type lamenesses (not what yours has, I know) came sound when their frogs were ground bearing, and research by Bob Bowker suggests it's very important as well.

Hope that helps.
 
cptrayes said:
Oh **** !

I am so sorry, he's far too young for that. If it's his heel bulbs that sounds like the lateral cartilage. I hope you can keep him sound.
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Indeed! My very straight talking english vet (also our Best man) went off into a rant about "bloody idiots crossing huge interbred DWB's with an appaloosa which was never supposed to carry that much weight and bone or grow so big in the van attempt to create a sports horse and why the hell don't they just import the Irish ones who are at least bred for the job"

Can't wait till he gets on the phone to my Dutch vet once we have done the X-rays!
 
MrsD123 said:
Is there some reason you want to buy an unsound horse?
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No not at all, this is my own horse who recently failed a pre purchase exam for someone who did indeed want to buy him....sensibly they no longer do and I am attempting to find out exactly what is wrong (via a complicated language barrier!) so that I can deal wit the problem in the best way for the horse.
 
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