Sidebone and medial lateral imbalance

claudiahfs

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Evening all,

Has anyone else had x-rays like this? If so did the horse stay sound? Could it still do a job?
Horse in question is a 6yr old draught type mixture. 16.2hh and broken in at 5 by a heavier rider (not me).
Any help/experiences/advice would be appreciated ? IMG_2813.jpg
 

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bluehorse

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I think it’s impossible to answer that question on a forum tbh. There are no guarantees horses will stay sound with or without the issues shown in the X-rays. The sidebone on the LF is significant so in 6yo it would put me off. Actually that much sidebone in both feet at 6yo would put me off. Sidebone indicates instability in the leg so there may be problems higher up which are causing it. Having said that once it’s formed it doesn’t seem to cause too much of a problem in itself. The foot balance on each foot is not good but that could be improved with good trimming/farriery.

If this is a horse you are looking to buy I would walk away. If you own it already then work it as you aim to and see if it stays sound. If it doesn’t look higher up and see what’s happening there.

Some of them stay sound with X-rays like that. Some of them don’t.
 
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Nudibranch

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I had a draught x TB 17.3hh with similar x rays although in his case the medial-lateral was ok but he continually wanted to go long toe/underrun heel. Unfortunately he had a lot going on, with neck, hock and SI changes so he did not stay sound despite very slow and sympathetic backing at 4 1/2 with nothing more than light hacking to follow. He was pts at 7.
Personally I would want shoes off, boots when needed, and a very experienced vet-farrier partnership to get that balance sorted out. IME big heavy types often don't stay sound. I'd also be looking to avoid artificial surfaces as much as possible.
 

asmp

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Mine was diagnosed with large sidebones a couple of years ago but he is about 20. When I showed the xrays to my back lady she mentioned that had he been young he could have had some sort of treatment. I confess that I can’t remember what sort of treatment but I’m sure someone on here will know.

We took his shoes off and he now wears boots. I might be moaning about all the rain that is forecast this weekend but he is happier when the ground is softer.

ETA - mine is only 14.2
 

Darkly_Dreaming_Dex

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I think it’s impossible to answer that question on a forum tbh. There are no guarantees horses will stay sound with or without the issues shown in the X-rays. The sidebone on the LF is significant so in 6yo it would put me off. Actually that much sidebone in both feet at 6yo would put me off. Sidebone indicates instability in the leg so there may be problems higher up which are causing it. Having said that once it’s formed it doesn’t seem to cause too much of a problem in itself. The foot balance on each foot is not good but that could be improved with good trimming/farriery.

If this is a horse you are looking to buy I would walk away. If you own it already then work it as you aim to and see if it stays sound. If it doesn’t look higher up and see what’s happening there.

Some of them stay sound with X-rays like that. Some of them don’t.

Exactly what I’d have typed !
 

ycbm

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If you are looking to buy I would walk away.

If you already own, I would hope for the best.

The shoeing is abominable and I wouldn't expect the horse to stay sound unless that changes. Aside from the lateral imbalance, the shoe doesn't even reach the end of the foot!
.
 

holeymoley

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As ycbm has mentioned the current shoeing- as per xrays the shoe is offering zero support there to anything. This is significant sidebone in a very young horse which would raise a few questions for me. I’d be a bit more cautious too that it’s a heavier type. If you’re keen to get it sorted you need a farrier that knows their stuff and is highly recommend, not someone that maybe ‘thinks’ they know what to do, not the person that currently shoes.
 

claudiahfs

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Thank you. Sorry for slow reply. It was a horse I was offered, but I suspect the damage done is already quite significant. I just wanted to ask in here as people tend to give informed opinions. Thank you to those that replied - it is very appreciated.
 

ihatework

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If the horse is already in your ownership then with some top notch farrier work (not what has been done to date!) and some very careful management then you could likely keep the horse sound enough to do a job for a while.

If the horse is not in your ownership and you are thinking of buying then run in opposite direction.
 

Lovely jubbly

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Get a very good remidial farrier my horse has side bone due to years of not being shod level. She’s just about to start coming back into like work 6 months of feet done every 6 weeks remidial shoes and corrections made to foot…she is showing no signs of lameness at the moment. But she will only be a light hack now but that doesn’t bother me will be happy light hacking. Changing farrier made a huge difference
 

AdorableAlice

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I have a young draught horse with side bone, caused by just 4 rounds of shoeing by a new farrier after my own of 38 years service retired.

Thankfully my fantastic vets persuaded the hospital farrier to take my horse on and we haven't looked back since. He is shod with broad web and double fullering. It is also vital to keep him slim and he does not hammer the roads in trot.
 
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