Page 341 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse
P. 341
Causes and predisposing factors
The injury occurs most commonly in Thoroughbreds and animals with sickle- or cow-hock
VetBooks.ir conformation. The causes include:
•
direct trauma
• excessive tension placed on the ligament by poor conformation
• violent extension of the hock, e.g. bucking and kicking out.
Clinical signs
• Variable degrees of lameness from mild to severe depending on which structures are
affected. Not all horses are lame.
• Swelling on the back of the limb below the hock which may be hot and inflamed.
Alternatively there may be an area of thickening due to fibrous tissue without any
obvious heat (Figure 7.13).
• The horse may experience pain on firm palpation of the area with an acute injury.
