Horse Fracture in Leg

[ktj1891]

If a horse had a clean fracture in their hind leg sustained whilst out in the field which no obvious marks or cuts would this suggest a fall or kick?

What I am asking really is if your horse sustains a leg fracture from being kicked will there always be noticeable trauma i.e. cuts, marks etc?

 

[Birker2020]

My six year old horse had a compound fracture of his tibia (the bone came through the skin). THe vet who put him down said afterwards that he felt it was as a result of a hairline fracture that had just given out (the horse was seen to be playing immediately prior to the accident and had bucked and his leg gone underneath him as he slipped and fell on the floor).

He felt the hairline fracture was more likely to be as a result of a kick prior to the accident although he could not determine how prior this would have been - may have been immediately prior or days prior. I didn't look at his leg at the time of the accident as I was told not to by the YO who was holding him, so I gave him a pat and walked away so the vet could PTS. So have no idea if he'd had marks on it, but I did not notice anything the day before that would have suggested he had been kicked. I therefore assume (and this is only by assumption and not based on fact) that during the play when he sustained the fatal injury he had been kicked and when he had bucked and slipped on the muddy field and his leg had gone under him his weight was sufficient to have finished it off.

I found out afterwards that there was a horse high in the pecking order who was very dominant and he was seen playing with him at the time my friend happened to be trying to catch her horse from the same field.

I am sorry about your horse OP. Tragic circumstance in which to lose a horse I know.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

It depends. Sometimes yes, sometimes NI. It depends on the angle, shoes or not, if it was a horse or if the horse slipped or landed wrong etc.

How much work is your horse doing/was doing? Could be a stress fracture that has progressed into a full fracture.

Pretty much anything is possible to be honest. It would would also depend on where the fracture was as to the likely hood of it being a kick or something else.

 

[Goldenstar]

Usually with a kick you will see some external trauma but you will never be able to rule out completely .
I have had a horse this summer come in with a fracture to his seventh rib no external trauma what so ever he was out with another horse who came in at the same time with a through pin .
Nothing in the field to see ( that's worth checking if you have not ) no skids no fresh diverts , no damage to fencing no clue how it happened .
You can't watch them all the time and bad stuff sometimes just happens .