Splint questions

[Leary]

My mare has been on box rest for ten days due to an injury in the field. The vet thinks she may be developing a splint on her nearside front leg. I've been cold hosing it twice daily and hand grazing her for about an hour a day to make her life a little more happy. She looks completely when I walk her to the grass, but obviously don't know about trot until the vet comes. When I run my finger over the area it feels tiny, smaller than a pea. The vet said if she is still lame when he comes back on Tuesday he will scan her to see if she has damaged the suspensory ligaments.

Just wondered if anyone has experience of splints. Everyone I speak to who's horses have splints had them when they bought them so can't answer my questions, and the splints are alot bigger than Liri's tiny bump. How long are they normally on box rest, how long before they can gradually be re-introduced to work etc. I know I can ask my vet on Tuesday, but the wait is making me more anxious. Just wondered if anyone on here could tell me a bit more, many thanks.

 

[dianchi]

Splints can take ages or go away really quickly.
Id say your looking at a minimum of 6 weeks to start with.

Rest and nothing else really helps

 

[Ezme]

It is funny how most people have horses with splints but got them like it.... wonder where they all come from lol. One of ours has a splint the size of a golf ball (and no i'm not exagerating infact its probs bigger than a golf ball) on his near fore and it doesnt seem to bother him. Unfortuantly I'm pretty sure this meants he can't show.... shame as he's a a pure percheron by Lime Trappeur....

 

[lucym]

my 4yo developed one after a mad session in the field.
he was on walk work for 11 weeks, had to keep riding him or else he would lose the plot
he had ice packs on it for 20mins twice a day, and now touch wood, a year on, the splint seems settled and pain free

 

[Halfstep]

God I know all about the blood things. Yes, they can start so tiny you can hardly see them, and still cause lameness. The initial pain is caused by a strain to the interosseus ligament that joins the splint bone to the cannon bone. The splint bone rubs against the cannon bone and causes extra bone to be laid down - hence the lump that forms. Usually once they are formed and hard they are fully calcified and painless. However, in some circumstances (like the dark bay in my sig LOL) it proves to be a fracture and the bone has to be removed surgically.

 

[Saffylou]

My mare used to trot quite heavily down a concrete lane to be turned out each day and subsequently developed a small splint (although not as small as the one you describe)...

Fortunately she didn't ever go lame with it and when a vet looked at it she said that there wasn't really anything that could be done about and that as long as she stayed sound then not to worry.

She did say that if I were to show her she could be marked down for it but that wasn't of much concern to me and it has since disappeared!

 

[Leary]

Thank you everyone, just have to wait and see I suppose. At least she seems to be coping with box rest and no work very well, bless her.

 

[Tiffany]

My girl was a little unlevel last year yet nothing showed up on x-ray or scan. A few days later I noticed a small lump which turned out to be a splint. Vet said they can sometimes be painful when forming but rarely cause a problem afterwards. He's certainly been right in my girl's case.