Page 431 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

is fair provided the training programme is modified. Once a horse is 4 years old, sore shins

are unlikely to be a problem as the cannon bone is mature and better able to withstand the
VetBooks.ir forces of fast exercise.

Splints

Each limb of the horse has a long, thin splint bone attached to either side of the cannon bone
by a strong (interosseous) ligament composed of dense fibrous tissue. If the periosteum of the

splint bone or the ligament becomes inflamed, a bony swelling known as a ‘splint’ develops.
The most common site for a splint is on the medial side (inside) of the forelimb, 6–8 cm (2–3
in) below the knee. They tend to occur in horses between 2 and 4 years of age.

ANATOMY

The cannon and splint bones of the forelimb are all metacarpal bones (in the hind limb they
are metatarsals). The medial splint bone is the second metacarpal, the cannon bone is the

third metacarpal and the lateral (outside) splint bone is the fourth metacarpal. The splint
bones are positioned on either side and towards the back of the cannon bone (Figure 10.3).

The suspensory ligament lies as a flat band between the two splint bones.