Splints on hind legs!?!

[curlygirla2001]

Has anyone ever encountered this?
My 17.1 warmblood had been slightly ever so slightly short for about 3 months, very intermitently, he has only been backed a year (hes 6 now) as he is so big i didnt want to push things.....then one day a splint arrived on the inside of his hind lower leg about 4 inches down from his hock , then the next day one in exactly the same place on the other hind leg!! He has been at the dressage trainers yard and i think because hes so lovely and great to train....maybe theyve been asking a little too much and worked him quite hard!!! :-S
The splints arent HUGE but after their arrival he was understandably pottery on his forehand, bless him.
Hes been off work for 3 weeks, ive had magnetic wraps on all legs for 1/2 an hour 3 days a week and ice gel the other days...hes out in the field chilling at the moment.
Ive not buted him as yet as i wanted to see exactly what i was dealing with!
I understand that bute would help with the inflamation etc,
Some ppl have said leave him at least 6 weeks, others have said bute him and work him thru......Im going to see how he is under saddle tomorrow i think.....and go from there......
Any input would be great!
Many thanks
Carla

 

[Shilasdair]

You need to get the vet, really, and without X rays, even your vet will be guessing.
Splints can be caused by a number of things, in my experience, including uneven foot balance, striking by the opposite leg, incorrect nutritive balance in the diet, work on uneven or heavy going...and it's hard to second guess what caused them, or how they will progress.
I'd get the vet, so you know exactly where you stand.
S

 

[ChristineCorp]

We managed to get rid of a splint once. My daughter's pony had been at her trainer's yard and was kicked by another pony causing the splint. We were surprised to see one in a 10 year old pony.

Any way, my husband used to keep pigs as a young lad and they used to get rid of their splints ( yes apparently pigs can have splints) by hot and cold treatment and massage.

We tried this on the pony using ice packs, even a packet of frozen peas one day, and heat treatment on alternate days. You can't buy blister these days so we used some deep heat and gentle massage all around the splint.

The point is that it worked and the splint was reduced to the size of a screw head.

Hot and cold treatment using hot water and ice packs certainly can't do any harm for any bumps. They are both very soothing.

So sorry your lovely horse is sore and lame but at least it is something that will settle down in time. It's devastating now but you will come out the other side of this.

Good luck.

 

[pinktiger]

i understand your concerns with his size and workload and obviouly that needs careful monitoring, but sometimes esp if two have appeared as in 'symetrically' it could just be down to conformation,being so tall and him being asked to work more from behind! It inho is worth getting them scanned or poss xrayed as this will give an indication as to how far along they are, and yes unfortunatly it could be between 4 and 6 weeks box rest all dependant on the progression of the healing/reobsorbing ect!

 

[KatB]

Mine got one behind from kicking himself (he is quite close behind) and in my experience hind splints cause more probs than not!! I tried working through it and ended up with a lame horse, so I would recommend rest, bute and cold hosing until any soreness/swelling goes down.

I also was lucky enough to have a hydrotherapy unit near us which he had a few sessions in, and the splint has now reduced quite considerably.

 

[curlygirla2001]

Thanks guys......think i'll get onto my vets again, he has been out once already and just agreed with what i was doing, this was 2 weeks ago, maybe its time to re assess ....hes out with his little friend at the mo and isnt lame, although he is a very tough cookie.....xrays sound like a good idea....i suppose only time will tell :-(

 

[pinktiger]

[ QUOTE ]
....i suppose only time will tell :-(

[/ QUOTE ]

sorry sounds so neg, meant to say, my horse had them behind conformational and work orientated, and i had em scanned and put him on box rest for 6 weeks, he was fine after, they went right down, and hes now ready to go novice eventing never had any more problems with them, so once they are formed they should be no problem to you, is just while they are forming that you should be careful, my vet told me!