Please Can You Tell Me Everything You Know About SPLINTS!

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Sessle

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As title really!
My gelding has got a suspicious hard lump of the inside of his front leg, its about an inch and a half long, and is about an inch or so down from his knee, I am getting the vet out, but its been suggested it might be a splint, I've never had any experience with splints, but he wasn't lame beforehand, and isn't lame now, and there's no heat or pain. It's pretty much come out of nowhere?!
So just want some more info on splints really, or any other suggestions on what it could be?!
Thanks :)
 
Sounds like a splint to me - doubt its anything else, is it more to the front/back/middle of the leg? My horse has thrown the splints on both legs and both times he has been sound before and after and there was no heat in the second one. I might be wrong but I belive they happen when a horse knocks his splint bone and either fractures it or can sometimes fracture the cannon bone which is more serious and normally presents with heat and lameness. Most vets just say cold hose and walk work for a couple of weeks to be honest, I have never called the vet out when any of my horses have thrown their splints as none have ever gone lame *touch wood* :)
 
I dont know much but I do know that a lot of people worry over nothing.
My mare threw one years ago. Never had any problems with it and it has actually now gone.

A few horses on the yard got them at the same time and none had any problems.
 
agree with nat, people get very worked up over them, its when the horse has damaged the splint bone and a boney growth forms over it, usually they kick themselves with the opposite foot or if they are a very extravagant mover. its probably been forming for a couple of weeks and is only just noticable now, as long as there is no heat and he isnt lame i wouldnt worry about calling the vet to much (unless its for your peace of mind) just cold hose it everyday, lemon juice on the splint is good, stick to soft surafces whilst its forming and boot up for riding and turning out if hes likely to hooly round so he doesnt give himself another one. we have a horse at work who has the biggest splint i have ever seen! and its sound as a pound!
 
Its more probably more in the middle, but its gone down alot today, so fingers crossed its getting better, although if it is I guess its not a splint as it wouldn't heal that quickly would it?!?
The vets got to come out anyway, so I'll get him to check it over :)
 
My last horse had a splint and he was a show horse. Only was a problem when deciding between two horses and obviously the splint would mark us down, but saying that he won a great deal of shows in is life.

His splint just appeared. Was hard. He was never lame on it. I tried putting stuff on it (splintex gold) i believe, it didn;t help, but it never stopped us doing anything. He was sold and vetted and they noticed it, but the vets never say it is a problem, they just point it out.
 
Excessive levels of vitamin D make horses more prone to them. This is why Cod Liver Oil is so dangerous.It is VERY easy to give a stabled horse too much vitamin D. Hay is loaded with it due to the action of sunlight on the plant sterols.
 
Oh don't worry, sometimes they just go of their own accord. Maybe due to high vit d but honestly as it's acute, more likely a stress injury.

Splint bones are remnants of the horses other 'toes' so to speak in prehistory. They don't do very much apart from act as support for the main one that still has a purpose.

Sometimes, undue stress can fracture or callous the little bone and make it produce inflammatory cells that later calcify or grow extra bone to help support increased stress on the bone.

If your horse has a bad leg and puts more weight on the other, this could cause a splint. Tearing around with his mates can also cause one if it did a sharp turn, fell over etc. Sometimes a kick will produce a splint. Jumping on hard ground throws splints too.

I've used ibuleve to a certain degree of success but homeopathy works too.

If you can find what caused it and sort it out, it may go but sometimes the ones caused by a knock or a kick might stay.

You can pay to have one removed by surgery but it costs a fortune and the scar is often worse than the original 'injury'.

Whoops, I've blathered on.. hope it helped, if not sorry :D
 
Hi! my youngster too threw a splint about a month ago - one day fine the next a whopping splint! no lameness, heat, swelling - nothing! & his definately isn't through over work as he's been turned out all summer! I have used radiol b-r bone embrocation on his splint & I'm just waiting now for the blistering to heal to see the result underneath! I really hope it works! I believe bandaging a lemon on their legs works too but unfortunately I couldn't bring my boy in to do that!
Anyone had any experience with splintex?
I'm sure your boy will be fine tho! x
 
Thanks everyone :)
He's been out all summer, and I think is unlikely to be to do with Vit D, he has been hooning around alot though, so I guess I'll put it down to that as I haven't noticed any difference in him whatsoever! It has gone down alot now though :) Barely noticeable now!
I don't think I'd bother with surgery, he doesn't seem at all bothered by it, so wouldn't be worth all the stress it'd cause him! Hopefully it'll just dissapear as its been going down!
Thanks for all your help everyone :)
 
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