Splints or not????

[MillionDollar]

First of all im sooooooooo ashamed, very very very very ashamed.

My friend came over the other day to drive my pony and she was picking out feet said what are these? There is a lump inside each of my ponies fore legs. They are in exactly the same place right below the knee and exactly the same size. They are not round but about 2 inches long. I swear he has NEVER ever been lame. But i've never noticed these before (so embarassing and feel very bad)!!!

Heres my (not very good) diagram of what they are like-

So are they splints??

 

[Jemayni]

er... don't think so, if they are that small I think you prob are just feeling the top of the splint bone...

 

[gemma1992]

Aren't they the chestnuts????

 

[MillionDollar]

No they are below his knee and they are def his bone!

Im probably really embarassing myself here, lol.

 

[MillionDollar]

Don't think i've explained very well, its definitely his bone as its under his skin, but i don't know if its normal? The other horses don't seem to have to though

And friend said they're splints aren't they!? And i was like i don't know. Touch wood i've never had a horse with a splint before.

 

[Vicki1986]

Your not alone. i am confessing. my pony has then too and i never noticed. but when i looked back to photos of 8 months ago when i bought her they were there then (admittedly couldnt see then through her thick coat until the spring) but i only noticed about 1 month ago. i have come out of the closet so you do not feel alone.
*hangs head shamefully and steps back in closet*

 

[Forget_Me_Not]

To be honest not many horses/ponies dont have splits mine was never lame pasted a five stage vetting, I didnt even notice either untill a stuck up snob veiwing said she had be bluddy big splits

In fact they were two tiny, def not see able only if you really feel

Vet said from either her mother (mothers can rpoduce foals with splits

) or a accident a long time ago *when she was a baby... just goes to say splits mean nothing.... unless there big and slightly or cause lame-ness i wouldn't worry if shes not lame just forget about it as common as colds!

 

[MillionDollar]

lol, i know i felt so bad, i felt like such a bad owner

I don't know if he had them when i got him as he was an unhandled wild stallion with a very thick winter coat.

Are they the same then?

 

[Forget_Me_Not]

What breeding is he? From Where?

 

[MillionDollar]

Hes pure Welsh A (although only reg'd PBW) hes from a field in the middle of no where and was living with his father!

I just want to know if they are splints or not a i hope to sell him next Spring

 

[Tia]

Yes they are definitely splints.

 

[Forget_Me_Not]

If hes not lame i wouldn't give it a second thought to be honest... Fine me a horse with totaly clean legs... Unactive spilts/uncleaness that isn't sightly shouldn't effect him nor his price etc. The prospect home will no doubt vet him... if you do feel guilty *I alway sooo nevrous for vetting* about them spending hunders to find out somthing you wern't 100% sure againest then pay refund vetting... It would be hard to tell if its a split or not to answer your question.

 

[MillionDollar]

Thanks Tia thought you might know, will it effect him a lot when i sell him? Price/appeal wise?? Obviously i'll tell people when they come to see him.

 

[Forget_Me_Not]

Forget to say its just a blemish like a small scar, white hair etc and im guesing its not staring right at you unlike scars or white hiars.

 

[Tia]

No it generally doesn't greatly affect the selling price of a mature horse. Some people are wary (me included) of buying youngsters with splints. Anyone coming to look at your horse will find the splints immediately but I don't know too many folks who are overly concerned about them, but then I am not into showing and don't know many who are.

For showing it would be an issue.

One of my guys has been throwing a splint for a couple of months - it is finally through now so hoping he will be fully sound soon.

All other splints that I have had dealings with have never made the horse lame.

 

[Elmere]

Yes i'd say they are but can't say for definite without seeing him, if he's still a stallion then it doesn't matter if running out with mares or even showing in-hand but if you were wanting to sell him to a showing home for life on the ridden circuit and they are noticable then he won't be suitable

 

[MillionDollar]

Thanks again. Well he'll be 6 when i sell him, and he hasn't ever been lame so they don't effect him. Plus hes won a lot in-hand and all the judges commented on what lovely movement he has.

 

[MillionDollar]

No not a stallion still i gelded him as soon as i had him. He's broken to drive and i'll be competing him in Horse Driving Trials in the New Year.
I'm hoping someone on the circuit might like him he'd be perfect for that.

 

[virtual]

Even in the show ring some judges don't take much notice of splints compared to other defects (afterall, they can be caused by trauma, rather than poor conformation/soft bone). However being just below the knee they are more likely to cause lameness than splints further down the cannons. If he's never been lame with them, I wouldn't worry too much, they are most likely to cause lameness when they're first forming. You may find they flatten and eventually dissapear as time passes, especially if he has a few months off or does very little work on a hard surface.

 

[Tempi]

it wouldnt effect him when you sell him - i brought Archie with a splint on his off fore, its a tiny one which he was never been lame on. I didnt get money off!!!!!! As long as they arent lame on it and obviously they horse isnt wanted for showing then it dosent matter. Loads of horses have them, they arent life thretening!

however you need to inform your insurance company, but you can get them reassessed after 6 months and then taken off the insurance notes.

 

[KatB]

My horse threw one a couple of mnths before he was due at his first county. I was mortified! It wasd fully formed, and not huge, but was convinced it would ruin his chances. It didnt get mentioned, and he was highly placed in both large classes, so really don't think they effect them or showing TBH! If it was a dead tie between the top two, one was clean legged and the other not, the clean legged one would win, but wouldnt worry about it!

 

[muffinino]

My boy has splints due to jumping out of his field a few months ago(him&2 others came hurtling down the field&he got to the point of no return - jump the fence or be squashed

), landing on tarmac&cantering up the road. I noticed that night, after hosing his legs for 5 mins, that he has a large, hard lump on his off fore&a smaller one on his near fore, which I took to be splints. He's never been lame and the near side one has gone, whilst the offside one has gone down a bit. He's been hunting&ridden almost everyday since and is sound (he's shod&a cob so has lots of bone to take the impact!)