Splints seem to be less common than they used to be - why?

[soloequestrian]

When I was younger pretty much all horses had one or more splints. None of my three do now (touches wood) and my friend says none on her yard do either. Is this just chance or are splints actually less common than they used to be? If so any idea why?

 

[Sossigpoker]

Maybe people keep their horses more appropriately and maybe they have better hoof balance nowadays?

 

[TinseLeneHorse]

Less trotting on tarmac roads and more horses than are mainly ridden on a surface in arenas? Though the latter brings it's own problems.

 

[Widgeon]

Less trotting on tarmac roads and more horses than are mainly ridden on a surface in arenas? Though the latter brings it's own problems.

That would be my guess too...that we've exchanged splints for a whole host of new problems! Would be interesting to see what others think.

 

[Patterdale]

I haven’t noticed any fewer splints!

 

[ycbm]

Maybe people keep their horses more appropriately and maybe they have better hoof balance nowadays?

I think if anything it's the reverse, with one exception. I always felt that keeping youngsters on rough sloping ground encouraged splints, as when I had that ground my horses routinely got them, and now splints are less common, so is that kind of grazing. It may just be coincidence, but the spread of small flat paddocks has happened at the same sort of time. Also single/pairs grazing in small paddocks, which reduces the kind of mad mass hooleys with emergency stops and handbrake turns that also cause them.

The second reason I think is that people don't trot on the road much any more. (ETA I'm bringing to don't this since I wrote it, I think it's always been twisting movement that's caused all the ones I've actually seen form. )
.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Do you mind if I ask what a splint is? Nearly all my horsey vocabulary is French and this is one of the times when I can't deduce the meaning from the post.

 

[scats]

Less roadwork would be my guess.

 

[alibali]

Do you mind if I ask what a splint is? Nearly all my horsey vocabulary is French and this is one of the times when I can't deduce the meaning from the post.

A split is a hard bony growth that can develop on a horse's lower leg. Most usually on the inside of a lower front leg but can be elsewhere. To be more technical it forms between the cannon bone and the splint bone, believed to be as a result of damage to the ligament between the two bones, often in younger horses. Hopefully that helps, I'm sure you will know it in french!

Edited to add, in awe of the numerous posters from other countries on here who post in a second language and who put my language skills to shame!

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

A split is a hard bony growth that can develop on a horse's lower leg. Most usually on the inside of a lower front leg but can be elsewhere. To be more technical it forms between the cannon bone and the splint bone, believed to be as a result of damage to the ligament between the two bones, often in younger horses. Hopefully that helps, I'm sure you will know it in french!

Edited to add, in awe of the numerous posters from other countries on here who post in a second language and who put my language skills to shame!

Thank you.
English is actually my first language, but I left the country when I was 5, so there are whole domains where it is a bit lacking and I get a bit muddled occasionally.

 

[alibali]

In which case I assume you are bilingual and even more kudos! I get muddled with only one language to contend with

 

[Errin Paddywack]

During my time working at a RS we had a fair few horses at any one time, some stayed long term others were transitory. All work was road work and lots of trotting on roads. Only one (long term one) had a splint and that was a mare prone to tripping, had badly scarred knees as a result. When I got my own ponies I only had one throw a splint and that was because I took advantage of the deep litter in the sheep shed after the sheep were turned out, to do a bit of schooling. He had a whopper come up overnight, never lame and eventually merged into his leg. One other had a small splint caused by knocking her leg stamping at flies.

 

[rabatsa]

Years ago I can remember someone proudly showing me their new show jumper. I commented that it had a lovely set of splints. WHAT? I pointed them out and the comment was "It did not have them yesterday when we went to view it".

Maybe people just do not see them if they are not causing a problem?

 

[ycbm]

Thank you.
English is actually my first language, but I left the country when I was 5, so there are whole domains where it is a bit lacking and I get a bit muddled occasionally.

So what is it in French ?
.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

So what is it in French ?
.

My second first language?

 

[ycbm]

My second first language?

I meant what are splints in French
.

 

[SantaVera]

Better balanced food regarding the calcium/phosphorus ratio and less hard work at a young age I should think.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

I meant what are splints in French
.

Oops, sorry. They're know overall as "tares dures" (literally hard of solid defects), but apparently there are plenty of more specific names depending on where they're found exactly on the leg.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Mine did one this summer running around the field like a prat

 

[w1bbler]

Still plenty common around me. One of mine has one, I only just found it amongst his feather when I bought him. Friend has recently bought a youngster that has one, which sparked a conversation in our horsey group, over 50% of the horses we know seemed to have them

 

[soloequestrian]

Maybe it's just coincidence that I've not seen many recently then. I'm around mainly barefoot horses, I wonder if that has a role? Feet can balance themselves so less stress on the limb above.

 

[rabatsa]

Maybe it's just coincidence that I've not seen many recently then. I'm around mainly barefoot horses, I wonder if that has a role? Feet can balance themselves so less stress on the limb above.

I have seen lots of splints on growing youngsters that have never had a shoe on in their lives.