SOUNDNESS EVALUATION

Examination of the forelegs.

As a horse carries 65% of his load up front, on a delicate, complicated structure, most lameness will occur in the forelimbs.

Any swelling, cartilage, growth, scar, etc., anywhere from the hoof up, with a few exceptions, is considered an unsoundness. Occasionally, problems have been "cured" with an operation as firing with the point of a hot iron to produce a countertrrating blister, or a nerve block injection. For this reason, get under the hair and feel the skin for the slightest pinpoint of evidence that remains.

Each of the following conditions is important enough to take the time to explain, and examine, individually. The common name, the result, and possible cause, are:

70- Quittor ( 10 ) [31,53]

An injury in the cornet, or coronary band, that rings the top of the hoof, will often result in an abscess. Horses that interfere are the most prone. Do not trust any wire cut in this area, healed over or not.

71- Sldebones ( 10 ) [47,48,49]

Related to the above, these are hard bone formations found by pressing with finger and thumb at the top, and to the rear, of the hoof wall. A heavy horse, with a base and toe deviation that has not been corrected by proper shoeing, is the most likely victim.

72- Ringbone ( 10 ) [21,22,31,32,33,42]

A bony enlargement on the pastern. It can be high, or low,or centered in a joint, which may become permanently fused. It is caused by a hard knock, and stress from a faulty base and toe conformation.

73- Osselet ( 10 ) [21,31,32,33,42]

Any hard swollen growth of the fetlock, front or rear. The horse with the straight-up pastern and shoulder, ridden on a hard surfaced road, is the most common cause

74- Grease, Cracked heels ( 5 ) [83]

One of the exceptions to unsoundness. Occuring at the back of the pastern, and fetlock, both are minor inflammations of the skin — and knowing that, they are self-descriptive, and easy to cure.

75- Bowed Tendons ( 10 ) [33,35,38,52]

There are two tendons that run down the back of the cannon, one to each side. When ruptured, they bend outward, giving the appearance of the leg being too thick when viewed from the side. Feel for puffy swelling, or a knotty thickening. A toe that is too long, perhaps from a broken axis, is the one that produces the most strain.

76- Windpuffs ( 8-10 ) [85]

This is an exception where a blemish is not always an unsoundness. But, beware, as it is a very difficult determination to make. These puffs, or Galls, occur where the tendon sheaths pass over the cannon bone just above the fetlock, and at the knee. A Bursitis, the swelling is puffy, like a boil, but can turn semi-solid when chronic. The horse most usually affected is older, heavy, and has been worked hard all his life.

77- Splints ( 8-10 ) [30, 37, 38, 39 ]

Another difficult exception. These are hard, bony lumps that appear about six inches below the knee, most often on the outside of the cannon. The average splint is not a serious condition, except that the value of the animal is lessened. A lame or fractured splint is diagnosed by pressing upon the lump — hard — and then immediately walking. The set of the knees is a contributing cause.

78- Blg knee ( 10 ) [30, 38, 39 ]

If only one knee is way too large, lumpy, etc., this is the result of an injury. To check for a lameness or strain, lift the foot and bend the knee until the hoof touches the elbow.

If both knees look "funny," it is possible that it could be a conformation fault. If so, this is an automatic unsoundness, as the knee is too complicated and important a joint to hope that a deviation," hasn't bothered him yet probably never will."

Chestnuts:

Please note that the horny growth on the inside of a horse's leg above the knees, and below the hocks, are normal, even if they need a little trimming. Some researchers have suggested that this is what remains of an equine's thumb.

79- Capped elbow ( 10 ) [87]

Related to Windpuffs, this is an inflammation of a Bursa, which is a sack containing lubricating fluids that protect a prominent bone. Drawing off the infection and replacing it with cortisone will "cure" the problem, so many do not consider this a permanent unsoundness. However, the blemish, and the possibility that this condition can become chronic, remains.

This particular Bursitas is caused either by a horse striking forward with a hind hoof to brush a fly away, or by resting the elbow on a horseshoe when lying down. For the latter reason it is sometimes called a Shoe Boil.

80- Lameness of the shoulder ( 10 ) [19,55]

This is a difficult area to diagnose as the muscles protect the bone. The best procedure is to poke and prod with the fingers. Basically, two things can happen here. The first is an Arthritis or Bursitis inflammation. The second is a Sweeny, where the muscles "shrink" away from the shoulder bone, making it appear too prominent. If you had no trouble marking this line with chalk, and cannot locate the cause of a short, stumbling step, the shoulder is suspect.

81- Infestula of the withers ( 10 ) [10,61 ,92]

Another Bursa infection caused by an ill-fitting saddle, or rolling over on a rock. It shows up first as a "touchy" back.