Odd lump behind the poll.. seen this before?

[charleysummer]

I've had my mare 2 years and when i bought her i noticed her shadow looked odd as i was riding her- closer inspection revealed she had a raised, rather large lump behind the poll- we had her 5 star vetted and the vet never mentioned a word on it. I will post a picture of it but my vet says it is like a capped hock but on the poll- due to some sort of trauma- most likely from being tethered in Holland where she came from or transport injury.

But he did say he could drain it last year when he saw it-although i'm not keen due to risk of infection- as it doesn't seem to bother her at all, or even her movement.

I wondered if anyone else has seen them and if they had them drained- and also the impact it would have on her value. since she has muscled up it is less obvious, and i also read that capped hocks could be treated with surgical spirit which tightens the skin and removes the fluid from the sack.

interested in what anyone has to say really =] thanks.

 

[Minnies_Mum]

It sounds like it could be a bursitis in the poll- there is a small (normal) pocket of fluid there which cushions the ligaments in the neck as they cross over the back of the skull. It could have become inflamed if you horse threw her head up in the stable or lorry etc. You're right to be hesitant about draining it- if the lining of the bursa is inflamed it will likely refill anyway and if it's not bothering her then the risk of introducing infection probably outweighs the benefit.

Not sure about the surgical spirit theory- no experience of this at all. In terms of her value, a vet would be obliged to note it at a vetting and discuss with the prospective purchaser. It would then be up to the vet who saw her at the time to make a judgement on whether it would affect her suitability for the purchaser's intended use. So it depends a bit on who you are selling to.