Splint ???

charlie55

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Post for a friend. She is going to view a mare at the weekend, sounds exactly what shes after. Has no vices at all, great allrounder and confidence giver etc etc, but she has got 2 splints... She asked me for advice, but i dont know/had no dealings with splints before. He got the first one 5 years ago, then the second one the year after. They said he has never been lame with them. What exactley are they, do they cause problems, are you limited as to what you can do? Like riding on hard ground/jumping etc???

Someones told her that they know of proformance horses with splints and they have no problems.. Thanks x
 
My mare has two splints. She broke it last year in the field.
NEVER went lame and never has since. I compete her regulary with no problems at all.
As long as your friend doenst want to show the horse, I cant see a problem.
They do say that once the splint has broken then fused back its actually stronger than it was to start with!!
 
Usually the only time a horse is lame with a splint is if it is a 'ladder splint' which is basically a long splint with many branches and also when the splint is active it can be sore for many horses. Splints are usually a problem otherwise. My horse has four all which developed one summer shortly after I bought him when the ground was like concrete and he insisted on galloping down the hill in teh field to me when I brought him in to his stable every day. I remember the vet saying that usually when a horse has a splint it has one on teh opposite leg before long, but I can't remember why this is.
 
Once formed splints very rarely cause a problem unless very close to the knee. It wouldn't put me off if I was looking for a general allrounder and I liked everything else about the horse
smile.gif
 
The other day I mentioned to the YO that I was worried potential buyers might be put off my horse when we advertise her, as she has two splints. But she is an active horse, a jumper and a do-er. YO reassured me that a horse in that level of activity will invariably have splints and a splint that is already formed is better than the possibility of one starting to form in the future that could cause a period of lameness. So we concluded her splints were in fact a selling point!
 
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