Page 434 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

laterally than normal, take yet more weight on the medial splint bone and have a high

incidence of splints.
VetBooks.ir • Interference from the opposite limb. Horses with base-narrow, toe-out conformation tend

to swing their limbs inwards as they move and strike the inside of the opposite limb. The
direct blow causes bleeding under the periosteum and soft tissue inflammation.

• External trauma, e.g. a kick from another horse. This is a common cause of splints on the
outside of a limb.

• Poor trimming and shoeing can lead to interference with the opposite limb.

• Working a young horse on hard ground.
• Overworking a young horse.

• Carrying too much weight can predispose a young horse to developing splints.

CLINICAL SIGNS

• Heat, pain and soft tissue swelling develop over the affected splint bone, usually in the

upper third of the cannon bone.
• There may be a single swelling, or several, along the length of the splint bone (Figure

10.5).
• Applying pressure to the area is painful and the horse will usually draw the limb away.

• Variable degrees of lameness. The horse may be:

– sound

– sound at walk, lame at trot

– lame at walk and trot; lameness from developing splints tends to increase with
work, especially on hard or rough ground; it may be gradual or sudden in onset.

• As the inflammation settles, the swelling becomes smaller and the lameness resolves.