Splints - how to get rid of them?

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saddlesore

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Hiya, my 4 yo horsey has developed small splints on his front legs. No pain, swelling etc and they are small but would like to get rid of them! I know sometimes the body re-absorbes them but does anything help it along? I have tried tensolvet in the past with no success.
Also what do you think is causing it? He brushes but i always work him in brushing boots and he does precious little road work
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I wasn't aware you could get rid of them at all... So long as they're not worrying him I wouldn't worry too much. Not sure what could be causing them to form, sorry.
 
I' not sure why he is getting them either tbh
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He is booted and works on a good surface - does little road work and almost no trotting on the roads!
I only know they can go away as i used to have a young horse that was broken to drive before i got him and he had a splint like a golf ball that he total re-absorbed! Weird!
 
I'm almost sure also that once they have one they are stuck with it, but I could be wrong. Maybe whatever your previous young horse had wasn't a splint but something similar? They're not normally golf ball sized either but rather much smaller.
They are normally caused by things like jumping and galloping, especially on hard ground, but can also just be general wear and tear. I broke in a TB recently that hadnt done much at all, just a bit of lunging before he was sent to be broken, and he had one! It doesnt mean you have done anything wrong if your hoprse develops one.

Sometimes they can cause a horse to be very lame and sore, other times they pop up over night and never casue any trouble. I wouldnt worry, there only really a problem if you plan to do top level showing.
 
Its so weird - he can be lazy too so not exactly likely to be doing laps of the fields of his own accord!! Any recommendations of boots that might prevent any more? I ordered the equilibrium stretch and flex boots but i am now wondering if they will offer enough protection?
 
You can get splint boots, I personally have never used them, and I am sceptical as to the amount of protection they can offer from splints. Since your boy has already got splints, I dont think they would be any good to you. Putting brushing or exercise boots on will offer little protection - they will only protect him from striking into himself or brushing ie. external injuries. There isnt a lot you can do about whats going on inside his legs Im afraid, if there was no racehorses would break down!!
 
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They are permanent and wont ever go.

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I disagree. My Tazz had a splint on her hind leg when I got her at 13 years old, I dont know how long she'd had it but it was hard and caused no problems at all. It was about 2" long and 1" across.

Anyway, I did nothing with it at all. Now it's gone, there is no sign that it was every there.
 
As to him getting any more, Ive never known of a horse having more than one splint on each leg so I really wouldnt worry! They are incredibly common!
 
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I agree Racing_gal, although having read this perhaps it is a bit hit and miss whether or not they go away. Sigh
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Maybe they do sometimes heal themselves, but I personally have never before heard of it and always thought they didnt go away. Interesting.
 
I dont even know when it went! I'd just got used to it been there then one day I noticed it had gone. Thought I was going mad as I thought once they had one, they had it for good. I was checking the other leg thinking I was looking at the wrong side! lol. It was about 3 years ago when I notice it had gone, it's not come back
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I once had a youngster who had one, he got kicked on his offside hind leg by a horse with shoes on ... his did reform from the size it was, but if you ran your hand down that leg you could just about feel it. He was put in a small paddock to stop running about and it was wrapped up daily ... he was just left with a scar although there was never no cut
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they sometimes reabsorb - my old pony had one and it was huge when first formed; now you would never know he had one!

But the only way to remove a splint is to surgically remove it, which is more commonplace than you think, especially in show horses.

A splint can cause from general weakness of the cannon bone and more commonly as a result of direct trauma, such as a kick or a concussion type trauma resulting from jumping, running or working

but then, 4 year old that i rode donks ago developed 2/3 splints when she was . I saw her a year later and her leg was straight - no splints!! the horse still had to grow and she "filled" out, causing her splints to fuse and become straight!! it was very very odd!!
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Fingers crossed there is hope then! I was half wondering if it was to do with his age - esp as he is still growing. Hopefully they will go away! Silly animals grr
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i bought an irish draft over 3 years ago with a large splint which was obviosly noted on the vetting-anyway it seems to have dissapeared-something my own vet has confirmed when doing vaccinations recently. after i bought him he threw one on other front leg which made him slightly unsound when it was forming but as i understand this is how most splints behave and fine now
 
Don't be worried by them,if they are not too near his knee joint and cause no lameness,then you have no worries.And yes ,splints often do reabsorb and dissapear in time.
 
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