Booting hind legs

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Hello everyone, I have a yearling filly that cut her hind left fetlock pretty deeply back in March. My vet has advised that she has a keloid scar over the site now. It is causing a lot of sensitivity when she brushes/knocks against it and she will go three legged for several strides. I have been ponying her off of my older mare at a walk and a trot and have had to resort to booting her hind legs with sports medicine boots while doing this and when doing groundwork.

I worry about heat in the long run with these boots. I am in the US and live in a predominantly western area so not many people around here have used anything OTHER than the sports medicine boots.

I am looking for boot recommendations that don’t create so much heat but will protect the inside of her fetlock. I have looked into fetlock boots but worry they will not extend down far enough. I am also a bit confused on weather or not brushing boots can be used on the hind legs as all of the advertisements I see have them used on the front legs.😥

Also if anyone has any experience with this same issue I would love to hear about it. I’ve never dealt with so much sensitivity following an injury. My vet does not want to try and open it back up and at this point we are hoping that it will be less of an issue with time. She’s 100% sound until she hits it and then it’s quite painful.

(Including a picture of the wound when it was still healing to help give an idea of where it is located)
 

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A while back I would have suggested polo wraps/ exercise bandages with a 'wrap' underneath, but these days I just use brushing boots....and yes, you can use them all-round.
There's been some evidence to suggest that wraps and bandages can overheat the soft tissues in the leg which can be detrimental. You can get brushing boots with 'air flow' that apparently keep the legs cooler (who knows..?) but it might be worth giving those a try. Good luck with it all.
 
My wobblers horse kept rubbing his hind fetlocks together (didn't know he had wobblers until his diagnosis much later) and we used sausage boots on his hind legs to try and prevent this from happening.

You can buy Premier Equine airflow boots which encourage airflow as there is a danger that tendons can get overheated with boots or bandages. They come in either fronts or hinds or a set of four.
 

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I'd be tempted to see if a sausage boot helped but otherwise as others have said a fetlock boot or brushing boot should cover the area. As you're protecting a known sensitive area it might be worth looking at something with a higher impact protection than a bog standard boot so more of a xc boot - these ones would probably be the ones I would try:

gsequestrian.co.uk

Equilibrium Tri-Zone Impact Sports Boots

The Equilibrium Tri-Zone Impact Sports Boots are the ultimate in leg protection, offering high impact protection without compromising on fit, breathability, flexibility or weight. Working with professional riders, vets and scientists, Tri-Zone Impact Sports boots have been developed to offer...
gsequestrian.co.uk gsequestrian.co.uk
 
OP I haven't heard of a keloid scar before so did Google it, it looks like it is actually proud flesh or granulation in a horse. Please correct me if I'm wrong, if it is proud flesh then you need to get rid of it rather than boot over it. There are quite a few topical applications you can you use, one is equaide which is American & is very good. My horse also has a deep cut in the same place at the moment hence my interest.
 
irishdraft said:
OP I haven't heard of a keloid scar before so did Google it, it looks like it is actually proud flesh or granulation in a horse. Please correct me if I'm wrong, if it is proud flesh then you need to get rid of it rather than boot over it. There are quite a few topical applications you can you use, one is equaide which is American & is very good. My horse also has a deep cut in the same place at the moment hence my interest.
Click to expand...
Apparently it’s a big different. I did ask my vet about removing it but his concern is that it will come back (possibly worse) than it is now. It’s a bit different than proud flesh I believe as he has removed proud flesh on another mare of mine before.

Part of the sensitivity could also be that the cut went right through a vein. It was a bloody mess when it happened. 😭
 
A fetlock boot will cover it, but a sausage boot is worth a try and wouldn't touch it so no issues with rubbing on sensitive scarring.
I'm in the UK but spent a few years riding reining horses across the pond and one of the tricks I learnt there was stacking overreach boots.
If you get the soft padded neoprene ones put one on normally on the affected leg, then turn one upside down and stack it on top so it's like a cone coming upwards over the fetlock. Covers and protects really well but doesn't restrict movement and its open at the top so no problems with airflow and overheating.
 
I have two keloid scars a few cm above my knee from a dog bite. The bite happened 3 months ago, so is much fresher than your mare's injury. I can have days/weeks where I forget about it and then suddenly, something touches it the wrong way and whoosh I get a rush of nauseous pain. .. They DO harden up more with time and there is an argument that the more self-awareness the better. You can't boot your filly 24/7 so she will also be knocking herself in the field/stable. I'd be tempted to give her until next March to grow and just exist and figure out her body. My doctor said it will take "a good year" for my keloid scars to stop hurting, but the good news is they allegedly will stop hurting. from impact/touches, so the key is to retain as much skin flexibility as possible in the area. I would imagine it's quite similar for a young horse. At her ages, she should fully recover and that scar will become part of her anatomy and you'll both be able to forget about it.
 
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