What Causes Horse Thoroughpin?

Thoroughpin is typically unilateral and considered to be a consequence of trauma to the DDFT within the sheath or to the sheath lining itself. Although it can vary in size, thoroughpin usually constitutes a cosmetic blemish and is therefore of greater concern in show horses.

Does Thoroughpin cause lameness?

The fluid swelling can often be moved, with manual pressure, from the lateral side of the tendon sheath to the medial side or vice-versa. Thoroughpin is not itself a cause of lameness.

What is a Thoroughpin hock?

Thoroughpin is a swelling of the tendon sheath around the deep digital flexor tendon of the hind leg as it passes around the hock. It therefore is found just in front of the Achilles tendon and just above the point of the hock.

Do bog Spavins go away?

If your horse is young, bog spavin will often resolve itself with rest and compression bandaging. However, surgical drainage of the joint may be necessary followed by anti-inflammatory injections directly into the joint.

What causes capped hocks in horses?

Capped hock is due to distention of the subcutaneous bursa or development of an acquired bursa over the tuber calcanei. This usually results from repetitive trauma (eg, kicking or leaning on stable walls) and is not usually associated with lameness.

What is the most common lameness in horses?

The most common causes of lameness in horses include infection (e.g. foot abscess), traumatic injuries, conditions acquired before birth (e.g., contracted tendons) or after birth (e.g., osteochondritis dissecans).

Can Sidebone make a horse lame?

Lameness, primarily associated with sidebones, is rarely seen and if lameness occurs it is usually caused by complicating features, e.g., when the ossification becomes advanced and the growing sidebones press on adjacent sensitive hoof structures and deform the foot.

Is a capped hock serious?

A deep capped hock can cause lameness due to local pressure and inflammation, but usually improves with rest. Capped hocks almost always merely represent a cosmetic blemish, but if a wound is involved, the bursa can become infected which represents a much more serious condition.

How do you treat a curbed hock?

Treatment. In most cases, the only treatment that can be given for this injury is rest with pain relieving medications and cold compresses. If treated properly, this ailment is known to resolve itself, but often only after it has reached a chronic level.

What causes a swollen hock?

The swelling is a fluid-filled joint sac that may develop because of the strain of jumping, dressage, or reining when a young or unfit horse is asked for exercise beyond its level of fitness. A curb, or curby hocks, is a condition resulting from enlargement of the plantar ligament that runs along the back of the hock.

Should I buy a horse with bog spavin?

Simply having a bog spavin does not preclude a horse from upper-level dressage or other elite competition. But it might signal a weakness, previous problem or injury, and therefore a horse that has a bog spavin should be carefully examined to determine the cause.

What do you do for a bog spavin?

Many horses with bog spavin do not require treatment. Rest and anti-inflammatory treatment such as phenylbutazone (bute) and topical anti-inflammatory gels can be useful in the early stages.

Is bog spavin painful?

It may first appear as a soft swelling or bog spavin or begin as an arthritis. Signs of spavin pain are evident when the affected hind leg is picked up or when the affected leg is made to support all the horse’s weight as the other is picked up. The horse will seem stiff and painful when it is being trimmed or shod.

Can you ride a horse with capped hocks?

An uncomplicated capped hock is considered to be only a cosmetic problem for the horse, and will not affect athletic performance. However, if there are underlying complications, such as infection or damage to nearby bony or soft tissue structures, there may be a detrimental effect on performance.

How can I improve my horse’s hocks?

Riding over raised poles (cavaletti) is helpful for developing strength in the horse that has weak stifles or hocks. The slow action of lifting the hind legs up and over the pole will strengthen the Tensor muscle as well as the Long Digital Extensor. Both muscle groups are responsible for the stability of the stifle.

How often do horses need their hocks injected?

Hock injections can be effective anywhere from 6-12 months. If your hock injections are only lasting 8-10 weeks, your horse may be a candidate for laser arthrodesis (surgical fusion).

What is the best treatment for a lame horse?

Conventional therapies are still commonly recommended to treat horses’ lameness issues. “[These include] rest, cold therapy in the form of cold hosing, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Bute® [phenylbutazone] or Banamine® [flunixin meglumine],” says Robinson.

How long does it take for a horse to recover from lameness?

Recovery from lameness varies depending on diagnosis or underlying cause of the lameness. Some minor injuries can take just a few days to a week to heal, while more extensive injuries may take up to 6 months or more.

Should you ride if your horse is lame?

When a horse goes lame, you can’t ride them. Riding a lame horse can injure it further and will almost certainly cause pain. You certainly don’t want to hurt your horse!

What medication is used to treat horse synovitis?

Liposome-based diclofenac for the treatment of inflammation in an acute synovitis model in horses.

Can a lame horse be cured?

“While I would say that for the most part we can at least benefit most horses with lameness, we can’t heal everyone,” says Carter. “We can, however, improve the outcome in the majority of cases.” Most horses with lameness problems will probably have to have some form of rehabilitation.