Common lower leg injuries?

Blog Category: cfzr.com — Blogged by: jane on December 2, 2008 at 8:25 am
  • What are some common lower leg injuries in horses that involve the lower part of the cannon, fetlock and pastern?



  • bone spavin
    bog spavin
    bone chips
    bowed tendon
    bruised heels
    brushing
    bucked shins/shin splints
    capped hocks & knees
    check ligament desmitis/sprain
    cross firing
    curbs
    filled/swollen legs
    grease heel/scratches/mud fever
    jack & knee spavin
    osselets green & true
    over-reach
    ringbone
    rundown
    sesamoiditis
    speedy cuts
    splints
    sprained ankle
    sprained suspensory ligament
    stocking up
    suspensory ligament desmitis/sprain
    thoroughpin
    wind puffs/wind galls

    Injuries/sores of the hooves:

    abcess
    bruised toe
    corns
    cracks/chips
    laminitis
    navicular
    seedy toe/white line disease
    thrush

    I'm sure there are more yet...


  • Leg splints are hard lumps that form around the cannon bone. They take weeks to form, and it's usually best to give the horse box rest over this period. They're unsightly in the show ring, but once formed they don't necessarily bother the horse.
    Overreaching, where the hind hoof gouges a chunk out from the back of the fetlock/pastern.
    Tendon injuries such as sprains and rips. You'll notice swelling and lameness immediately. These also require box rest and cold treatment. A scan can measure the extent of the damage. In the worse cases they can take months to heal and constant veterinary attention.
    Windgalls are swellings around the top of the fetlock joint. It looks puffy and feels slightly warm, but the horse isn't particularly lame from it. You tend to notice these more with heavy horses or with horses that do alot of work on hard ground.
    I can't think of anything else off the top of my head. I've probably missed some crucial ones.


  • http://www.spiletta.com/UTHOF/hippology/...

    I put this site in my bookmarks the other day because I thought it would be helpful. Hope it will be for you, too.
    It discusses more conditions than there really is room here to do.




  • Strains, sprains (tears) of the ligaments and tendons, such as bowed tendon or suspensory ligament strain, joint twists, bruises, lacerations, abrasions, punctures, and fractures would be examples of injuries that can occur....I have no statistics on how common each one is or is not. Joint dislocations may also occur, but I suspect are more rare. There are also common diseases affecting the pasterns and fetlock joint, such as ringbone, but you only asked for injuries.