Recently barefoot, developed a splint: possible link?

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Primitive Pony

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As title really - I had my horses' shoes removed at the end of August as he is doing very little work at the minute due to sacroiliac pain, and my chiro recommended that going barefoot should be beneficial.

He is now forming a splint on a hindleg - vet came today and he isn't lame on that leg but it is painful: is there a possible link between having taken the shoes off and developing the splint - any similar experiences?
 
I would doubt very much that there is a link to the shoes coming off, more likely a link to the SI problem or vice versa. I have seen splints linked to poor shoeing, but am not for a minute suggesting this in your case. Most horses can cope without hind shoes with no problem at all so again to me this reaffirms my belief that the shoe removal is not relevant. I am of course no vet - I would pose the question to him/her.
 
Thank you for your reply. As well as the SI problem he also had mild hind suspensory issues - more or less where the splint is forming, I imagine. You say there might be a link with the SI - can you expand? Apart from a knock/trauma, I'm not sure I understand what causes splints - what could the link be? (Not disgareeing, a genuine question as a friend had a mare with a splint last year and then a hole in the tendon beneath, so I can see what you mean but don't know why.)

Is there anything else beneficial to help it settle, apart from rest?
 
I have a friend whose horse sadly developed splints on both fores through poor farriery and the vet confirmed this to her. Splints can be caused by the way a horse is moving. If your horse has an SI problem that could cause all sorts of knock on problems with the suspensories and splints and I say vice vera because it could be suspensory problems that have caused the SI soreness/strain.

My WB has chronic SI dysfunction. He likely had a bad trauma injury as a youngster and tore the ligaments in his right upper hind. That has affected so much in him from the muscle sizing and development on either side - the left side compensating for the right and enlargement of different muscle groups to compensate the way he moved. He also had such tightness in his left shoulder where he was loading that diagonal. His righthand hind hoof capsule was much smaller than the left. So there were plenty of knock on effects. I have a friend with a horse with hock problems which caused SI problems.
Best to ask your vet. A good vet should get to the root cause and treat that, otherwise you are just treating symptoms whilst the underlying problem continues.
I have been rehabbing my horse for 2 years now - a year of turn away and now a year of slow inhand work to get him moving straight and correctly. Interestingly and most pleasing is that his right hand hind hoof has grown markedly in size. He hained 4cm of gluteus muscle on his poor side in 12 weeks, which really surprised and pleased his physio. He has been bf for the 3 years I have owned him. Good luck OP.
 
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Thank you, yes, agree that it's a question of finding the cause but it seems to be hard to find - haven't yet worked out which came first for my horse. I was wondering about turning him away but was advised that with SI problems, it was important to keep the muscles moving, but it's still an option.

And thanks - I've had my horse for just over two years and he hasn't been right for about 18 months of that...! Good luck with yours, is that him in your profile pic? - stunning!
 
I would doubt the removal of hind shoes is directly linked to the splint forming.
It could be something as simple as having bashed himself, or it could be due to a more complex reason linked to either weight transfer (due to injury), foot balance or a combination of both.
 
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