Pedal bone fracture (wing)

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CCJ1

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Hello,
I have a thoroughbred mare and a few weeks ago we went for a canter up the field. I was worried the ground might be hard (it had been sunny for a week, raining torrential lot before that) so trotted a while first, then decided it was grassy enough so had a canter. It was probably only for 100m or so, up hill. I didn't hold her back but it wasn't a super-fast gallop as I recall - perhaps a steady cross country pace. I had to work a bit to bring her back at the top, but nothing untoward. We walked home happy. She'd been anxious all day (calling etc) so I'd taken her out for a little run to relax. She wasn't lame as I walked her back.

The next day she was hopping lame, having been stabled overnight. An abscess was suspected and she had a couple of weeks off. She was turned out as the lameness wasnt too bad after a few days. X rays then found nothing untoward. She was given 3 weeks rest in the field.

She's just been x-rayed again and the vet says it's a wing fracture to her pedal bone.

I am feeling very guilty for taking her for a canter (though countless other horses/riders canter about in those fields every day). But I'm also confused as I understood that pedal fractures caused immediate lameness. Plus the x rays a couple of weeks after onset didn't show it up.

Any light anyone could shed on this would be great...was it that ride, or would she have gone lame immediately? Is it my fault for having a short canter? I feel terrible!

Thank you xx
 
Its not your fault.

The two I have known did it in the field and you did nothing that thousands of us didn't do that same day.

Both the ones I know recovered fine.

One of them was not discovered for several weeks as it was so little lame.

It's not unusual for fractures to take time before they will show on an xray.
 
Thank you - that's a relief to read and v much appreciated. Also v pleased to hear of others that don't show up for a while as she's been out in the field on it for weeks in the meantime. Hopefully that won't have set her back and she'll be on the mend soon enough. It's tempting to just wrap them up in cotton wool when something like this happens so easily/unexpectedly!

Thank you again.
 
No problem :) we all blame ourselves too easily at times.

The one which wasn't much lame continued to be ridden for three weeks and she still made a perfect recovery. Good luck with yours.
 
Mine did hers in the field - hopping lame when she came in. Got the vet out but as there was nothing obvious we decided to give her some time off (in the field) to see if it was just a knock. After a week she seemed sound but then went lame again, although not hopping this time. An x-ray 3 weeks after it first happend showed the fracture but the vet said it probably wouldn't have shown up at the beginning anyway. She made a full recovery. We'd been X Country schooling the week before it happened & I always worried that might have triggered it off but then the other horse that went with us was fine. Sometimes these things just happen.
 
My 3 year old did this. I think she did it when she was leaping around to avoid the vet for her jabs.
She was a bit lame the next day, then hopping lame, then got better, then got a lot worse. It showed up as a fracture of the right wing, she is now in straight shoes on that foot, completed 6 weeks box rest with another 6 weeks, before we can start walking in hand for 6 weeks, then she can go back out!
Summer? Whats that?
Fingers crossed she makes a full recovery, as she is so young. She has been in her stable for such a long time now, but is coping with it very well! :)
 
Cheers guys you're all awesome. Lexiemoo, good luck with yours I hope she makes a full recovery and can get back out in that field before summer's over!
 
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