Splints on a 2yr old Show horse! Advice Please!!

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Welshponywoman

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Im looking for some advice or peoples own experiences of splints in young horses. I purchased a 2yr old welsh cob in June to show who had been stabled most of the time, the owner trimmed the horses feet himself so they were very unbalanced. Long story short I turned him out in the field, got the farrier out and within a week of having his feet done he developed a splint on both fore legs. He has now been stabled for nearly 6 weeks, cold hosed for the 1st 3 weeks and he has had approx 2 1/2 weeks treatment with splintex silver which I am continuing. They have reduced slightly in size but im wondering to what extent do splints reabsorb? How long is best to continue stabling him for before reintroducing turnout. I do hand graze him twice a day but he's full of himself understandably. If he hadn't got the potential to be a HOY's quality show horse then I wouldn't be as worried but id like to know anybody else's experience with splints in young horses and what you did to help reduce them or whether they did become unnoticeable after time?? Any help/suggestions much appreciated.
 
I would suggest that as he threw splints immediately the farrier 'balanced' his feet, that they were actually the balance that he needed them to be at that time even though they did not look cosmetically correct.

I have seen splints in a pony of that age disappear with the use of BR linament, used to be called bone radiol.
 
My mare threw a large splint on her front leg as a 4 year old (she wasn't in work, just stood in a field). She's now 8 and it's pretty much disappeared. I never did anything with it because she was totally sound, I just found it one day.
 
I'd be more worried about the implications to the horse's mental wellbeing of being stabled constantly as a 2yo than the difference it will make to the splints being in the field rather than in the stable. In my experience as he is still young they'll probably go down quite a lot in time.
 
They should go down. You can get various lotions and potions to rub in. My 2 year old had a splint and I think I used Radiol, and it disappeared over time, I was showing him by 4.

Don't know why you need to keep him in though - did the vet recommend this?
 
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