Splints in a young horse

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PeggyPatch

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My horse has a slight unsoundness, so I called the vet out as this had carried on even though I gave her time off. She wasn't sure if it was due to laminates or something else but advised just in case treat it as though it is because it wont hurt her. However, she did feel a splint on her leg. She is only 4 and although I have started riding her I don't do a lot with her and especially don't hammer her (on hacks we mainly walk and I've done one trot on the road and that's it) so she must have got this whilst walking around on the hard ground in the field. Her lameness is more on the leg where the splint is although she looked a little short on both but this lameness is very slight.

I know splints usually last but in young horses that have not been hammered is it something that's likely to go away?

Also, if they are lame with a splint how long does it normally take to settle down and them become sound again? What is the usual advice if treating a splint?

As the vet was treating it more as a lami case she didn't really go into what to do about the splint. She's been on box rest for just over a week now and will be in for at least this week. Currently no sign of improvement yet though :(
 
The horse may need rest, or turnout on a soft surface. Medication can help, there is something called DMSO that you can paint on which releives the pain and assists with reducing the calcifcation. Ice packs or cold hosing will reduce inflammation.

When you ride boot the horse to prevent strike injuries and make sure your horses shoeing is good, as splints can be caused by poor foot conformation/foot balance. Jumping the horse a lot whilst young can also cause splints.
 
Thanks, I'll take a look into the DMSO.

We haven't started any jumping yet as she is still too young (in my eyes). You try to take it really slow with them to avoid anything like this and it still happens :(
 
PeggyPatch said:
My horse has a slight unsoundness, so I called the vet out as this had carried on even though I gave her time off. She wasn't sure if it was due to laminates or something else but advised just in case treat it as though it is because it wont hurt her. However, she did feel a splint on her leg. She is only 4 and although I have started riding her I don't do a lot with her and especially don't hammer her (on hacks we mainly walk and I've done one trot on the road and that's it) so she must have got this whilst walking around on the hard ground in the field. Her lameness is more on the leg where the splint is although she looked a little short on both but this lameness is very slight.

I know splints usually last but in young horses that have not been hammered is it something that's likely to go away?

Also, if they are lame with a splint how long does it normally take to settle down and them become sound again? What is the usual advice if treating a splint?

As the vet was treating it more as a lami case she didn't really go into what to do about the splint. She's been on box rest for just over a week now and will be in for at least this week. Currently no sign of improvement yet though :(
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Just be warned about DMSO as its not the fairytale solution that most people think. It can actually cause problems, particuarly if applied to a leg that has other substances already on. It can cause changes in teh eye if used for a prolonged period of time and actually make a horse near sighted although this is remedied by stopping the treatment. It does releive the pain and assists with reducing the calcifcation but it is a VERY powerful by product of a chemical solvent and can cause blistering and pain for horses and a lot of people don't like using it. It shouldn't be used in breeding animals or applied by pregnant people as it can cause birth defects. It should be applied with rubber gloves.
 
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PeggyPatch said:
We haven't started any jumping yet as she is still too young (in my eyes). You try to take it really slow with them to avoid anything like this and it still happens :(
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There can be hundreds of different causes. My horse threw two splints within a few weeks of owning him (invariably they get the opposite leg to the splint affected before long) and he got his galloping down a hill towards me when I used to bring him in from the field!
 
splints usually only cause a lameness while they're forming. My girl developed one as a 4 year old while in no work at all, she has a lump but no lameness persisted from it
 
I've known youngsters throw splints whilst out in the field before they are even backed. In both cases there was no sign of lameness. I have also known a couple of horses throw splints which needed treatment to come right.
 
All interesting, We don't know the reason for the lameness the vet wasn't sure if it was low grade laminates (so that's how we are treating it) or if it's the splint or something else. So it's interesting to read all of your experiences with them.
 
My youngster has legs full of splints, all of which occurred before he was backed. He was only ever lame with the first one, but it was huge compared to the others he has (a clean-legged show pony he will never be!). They are all subsiding, slowly, over time.
 
Having had many horses I would say don't worry the splints may well disappear given some rest and time .
Although it's a shame unless your unlucky and they are up by the knee or they rub on the suspensory they are very unlikely to cause any issues .
Do check the horses foot balance is correct .
 
Both my horses have splints. One before I bought her when she was turned out in a field all winter (I think she probably kicked herself).

The other I don't know if she always had it and I didn't notice (I feel that's unlikely because I clip her legs out and the last two times I noticed it but not before!) but she was never lame if it happened while I've owned her.
 
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