Splints?

starryeyed

starryeyed

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I think my mare has developed a splint - but I luckily haven't had any previous experience with lumpy bumpy legs so was just after a bit of advice really..

I check her over / feel her legs every night, and last night I noticed that she's developed a hard lump on the outside of her cannon bone - about an inch tall and half an inch wide. It's solid and feels bony, there's no swelling or heat - when I prodded it and applied pressure she didn't give me any reaction (and she's the type to not hesitate to let you know if something's not right!) so I'm sure it's not causing her any pain - she's not at all lame.

From the appearance of it I assumed it was a splint...? But she hasn't been worked hard (with me - she was in her previous home), has been having quite an easy time recently too with the cold weather - just schooling on a supportive surface, her paddock buddy hasn't been in with her for the past few days so she hasn't been kicked - I was also under the impression that they develop over time, can they literally just appear overnight? I suppose it's possible that she somehow bashed herself hooning around in the field, though not sure how she'd have got the angle!

I just wanted to check how I should go about "treating" it - I assume as its not hot / swollen that I should just leave it alone? Should I give her some time off work in case this makes it worse, or should I carry on as usual as she's not lame and likes to be kept busy?

Sorry for all the questions - feel like a bit of a numpty but previous horse spent his life avoiding anything which may involve potential injury or risk so never experienced anything like this with him! :o x
 
The same sort of thing just happened with my horse but on the inside just under his knee. Highly probable he's just whacked himself but possibly due to hoof balance and just having had shoes back on. Vet's advice over the phone was lay off any hard exercise like jumping, fast work, etc, for a couple of weeks to make sure its settled and not going to worsen but its not likely to cause problems. Also ibuleve(sp) gel to help it settle, and massage to possibly reduce size (which doesn't matter with my horse, he's already only got one clean leg left anyway. Showing was ruled out long ago, lol!) Then just keep a close eye on it to make sure its not getting hot, sore or bigger, or getting a skin reaction to the gel.
 
Sounds like a splint, leave it alone is best suggestion. Carry on as usual.

If it causes heat or lameness, leg clay it for a week with bute and box rest.

After a week if its still causing issues get the vet out!
 
I think every horse or pony I have ever had has had one. They disappear in time... A long time. There are various potions you can try...

However, best thing is to find out why it happened. If a knock, not much you can do, but if something to do with strain, then you need to find the strain and remove that e.g. Hoof balance.
 
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