What are the signs of a coffin bone fracture?

- Very sudden (overnight) AAEP Grade 4 to 5 lameness.

- Hoof testers show pain reaction similar to an abscess

- Reluctant to bear weight in the affected limb

- Presence of a digital pulse

How is a coffin bone fracture treated?

Client needs to call veterinarian. An X-Ray is needed. Some fractures are difficult to detect.

A bar shoe with quarter clips past the bend in the quarters to immobilize the heels, although nailing this on will be difficult.

Hoof casting products are an excellent choice.

- If the heel buttresses are 1/4 inch or more inside parallel lines drawn from the first nail holes on a keg shoe.

- Heels will appear narrow

- Frog sulci are very deep

- Frog may be atrophied

What type of shoe should be used for contracted, non lame feet?

A "slippered" shoe should be used. The branches of the shoe are sloped from the inside web to the outside web on the foot side.

Generally no. Once heels are contracted, the condition cannot be reversed.

The term "contracted tendon" is not accurate. What is commonly referred to as a contracted tendon is really the result of either a contraction in the tendon muscle head or in a check ligament.

- Crowding of the foal in the uterus prior to birth.

- In a young foal up to the age of weaning, poor nutritional management with increased protein, unbalanced minerals, or overfeeding.

How is the 'contracture' of a DDFT noted?

Is the coffin joint involved?

- Weight is borne on the toe with the heels elevated.

- The coffin joint is involved due to the pull of the DDFT on the coffin bone.

- The horse will appear "knuckled over" at the fetlock (broken forward.)

- This is due to the pull of the SFT on distal P1 and proximal P2 as a result of a contracted Radial Check Ligament. (RCL)

If a horse has rapid growth of the radius, which tendon will 'contract?'

- The superficial flexor tendon due to the limited growth of the radial check ligament.

What is epiphysitis?

What area of the leg is of most concern to the farrier?

- A generalized bone disease of young, growing horses characterized by inflammation of the physeal regions (growth plates) of certain long bones.

- The distal area of the cannon bone and the proximal area of P1. Basically, the fetlock.

What causes epiphysitis?

What age range of horse is most affected?

- It is thought to be caused by nutritional imbalance. Specifically high phosphorus low calcium grain, and excessive grain feeding.

- This imbalance causes an imbalance in phosphorus/calcium levels in the blood.

- Young, rapidly growing foals with a peak occurrence at 4 to 8 months.

What are the signs of epiphysitis?

What should be done?

- There will be a marked swelling around the fetlock.

- The horse loads its toe, keeping its fetlock straight.

- Advise calling a veterinarian.

What is a corn?

Which area of which feet are most often affected?

- A corn is a bruising of the sole between the bars and the hoof wall.

- Most common on the medial side of a front foot.

- A corn almost exclusively the result of shoeing. The shoe applies pressure to the 'seat of corn' which causes bruising and a corn.

- A shoe that is too short and tight.

- Shoes that have been left on too long.

- Wearing shoes with heel calks for too long.

- Feet trimmed too low in the heel.

- Horses with long, sloping pasterns shod too short and tight, allowing the hoof to 'grow over' the shoe in 6 weeks.

A red or orange stain at the 'seat of corn.'

- A dry corn.

- A moist corn.

- A suppurating corn.

- A dry corn will be a red stain.

- The horse will not show significant lameness.

- A moist corn will be a red or orange stain that has a tendency to 'crunch' when cut with a hoof knife.

- The horse will be lame on hard surfaces.

- The horse will want to load its toe, avoiding its heels.

Describe a suppurating corn and its effect on the horse.

How is this treated?

- The corn is infected and discharging.

- The horse will have serious lameness.

- Veterinary treatment will be needed.

How are dry and moist corns treated?

What are the shoeing considerations?

- Cut the corn back so that it is a rasp thickness below the hoof wall.

- Wide web shoes and a pad are helpful.

- Use a 3/4 shoe or a Z-Bar shoe that loads the frog. Taking pressure off of the heel may be required if serious lameness is present.

- Poor conformation straining the hoof wall.

- Long feet in need of a trim

- Coronary band injuries

- Dry feet and thin walls.

- Location - Toe, Quarter, Heel

- Site of Origin - Ground surface or coronary band

- Depth - Superficial or deep

- Complications: Hemorrhage or infection

- Stabilize and repair the hoof with synthetics until new growth appears.

- If conformation caused the crack, shoe for the conformation.

What is a curb?

- A curb is a thickening of the plantar tarsal ligament (long plantar ligament.)

Where is the plantar tarsal ligament located?

What is its purpose?

- It runs from just below the point of the hock (the calcaneous bone) to the head of the cannon bone.

- It holds the point of the hock in proper position.

What are signs of a curb?

What conformations are prone to curb?

- A swelling or hard bulge on the back of the leg, about 4 inches below the point of the hock.

- Sickle hocked or cow hocked horses.

A keratoma that puts pressure on the sensitive laminae or coffin bone causes lameness.

What is the most common cause of Fibrotic Myopathy?

In which sex is it more common?

- Adhesions form in the muscle of the buttock as a result of injuries such as kicks.

- It is most common in mares.

- Assist the veterinarian if requested

- Create shoes and pads to assist in healing, possibly create hospital plates.

- Green osselets refer to inflammation of the joint capsule of the fetlock.

- When abnormal new bone growth appears in the fetlcok, it is a true osselet.

- A green osselet will have heat and swelling at the fetlock. The swelling will be soft and painful.

- Wit a true osselet, there may or may not be lameness, but there will be swelling at the fetlock.

What causes osselets?

What hoof configuration is most prone to allowing osselets to develop?

- Fatigue of ligaments and tendons allow over bending of the fetlock. This results in fracture(s) of the front edge of the long pastern (P1) bone.

- Horses with long toes and low heels, particularly those using toe grab type shoes are prone to developing osselets.

What is pedal osteitis?

What are the signs of this? (3)

- An inflammation of the coffin bone.

- The horse will be lame at all gaits.

- Hoof testers will be positive for pain over the coffin bone area.

- The horse will be reluctant to travel downhill or on hard surfaces.

Horses with the following should have minimum sole removed:

- Chronic founder

- Club foot

- Flat feet

- Due to the possibility of thin sole, shoes should protect the sole.

- Wide web shoes with shock absorbing pads.

- An aluminum pad that can eliminate ground pressure.

What is a 'popped' knee?

What are some other names for a 'popped' knee?

- Popped knee is anything from a soft swelling in the knee area (a blemish) to acute or chronic inflammation of the knee joint.

- It can also be inflammation or damage to carpal ligaments and/or arthritis of the carpal bones, which would cause lameness.

It can also be called carpitis, knee spavin, or arthritis of the knee.

- Swelling around the knee

- In serious cases, the horse may swing the leg outward while walking to prevent the knee from bending.

- Concussion and trauma

- Overwork of young race horses

- Banging the knee into a stall

- Joint Stress due to conformation faults

- If the cause is a conformation fault, shoe for the fault.

- Support the limb, provide an easy roller motion type shoe, such as rocker toes or half-rounds.

- Quittor is chronic inflammation of the collateral

cartilage(s) of the foot.

- An infection of the collateral cartilage due to:

- A wire cut

- A puncture wound

- severe bruising to the leg over the collateral cartilage area

The bruising can be the result of over-reaching.

- Swelling, heat and pain over the coronary band in the area of the collateral cartilage that is affected.

- Chronic abscessing that breaks open at intervals

- Faulty conformation

- Out of balance shoeing and trimming

- Direct blows to the pastern area

- Wire cuts or puncture wounds

What are signs of ringbone?

What is required for accurate diagnosis?

Non- specific signs of lameness, usually evident in all gaits and upon turning.

A veterinarian using x-rays.

- Full roller motion shoes or shoes with an enhanced breakover.

What should be avoided with trimming or shoeing in dealing with low articular ringbone?

Why?

- The main consideration is easing of breakover

- Avoid leaving long heels

- Do not wedge heels up

Either of these actions cause the fetlock to drop, increasing the degree of motion required in the coffin joint.

Inflammation/dermatitis of the skin on the back of the pastern.

- Retention of moisture, hair and mud on the back of the pastern.

- Horses that are bathed frequently without drying the pastern.

- Varying degrees of lameness caused by the caudal pastern skin stretching with movement.

- Skin is pink, inflamed and hair falls out easily when pulled.

- Scabs on the back of the pastern.

What is seedy toe?

How large of an area is usually affected?

- An area of low white line integrity in the toe region.

- The affected area can be as small as a pea to as large as a marble.

- Clean the cavity

- Pack cavity with antibacterial treatment and cotton

- Use a wide web shoe to prevent foreign material from getting into the cavity.

- Pain and swelling of the fetlock, with the area of the sesamoids being particularly tender.

- The horse will not walk out comfortably

- Horse will have shortened stride in order to avoid excessive fetlock action and pulling of the flexor tendons on the sesamoids.

- The horse will land toe first.

- The heel bulb on the affected side is usually higher

- The affected side hoof wall is straighter

- Abnormal flare to the opposite side