Sidebone
Be careful when riding your
horse on hard ground or on
the road Sidebone is the name given to the calcification,
ossification or bony deposits in the otherwise flexible lateral
cartilage of the foot.
Sidebone is a common condition in horses and most often occurs
in the front feet. It does not usually cause lameness unless there
are complications.
These supporting structures are found in all horses above and
just forward of the heels of the horse's feet.
They are part of the anti-concussion mechanisms of the horse's
foot - which also involve the frog and the navicular bone.
The natural flexibility of the wall of the hoof also plays a part
in anti-concussion.
Most horses get a degree of sidebone in the
lateral cartilage of the foot as they get older without showing
any signs of lameness.
Sidebone can be detected by feeling around the top of the coronary
band - when there is loss of the normal flexibility of the heel
over the affected cartilage.
The coronary band of the foot may bulge over the cartilage and
the conformation of the hoof wall may become more upright.
However lameness can occur in horses with sidebone
if some of the bony mass fractures - or if 2 separate ossifications
develop and rub together.
This will present itself as an acute or sudden lameness. Your
vet will be able to to X-ray the foot to confirm
the diagnosis and assess the damage.
Fractures of sidebones often resolve to a much
less painful situation if the horse or pony is rested for 6 to
12 months.
This allows a callous to form and stop the fragments of sidebone
rubbing together - which is the cause of the pain.
Remedial farriery and skilled trimming of the
feet to gradually encourage heel expansion is essential in the
treatment of acute and longstanding sidebone.
The horse should be shod with a wide-webbed shoe with rolled
toe. Nails should not be inserted behind the mid-quarters of the
shoe.
To relieve the pain the horse may be given equine anti-inflammatory
drugs such as Phenylbutazone or 'bute'.
Care of a horse with Sidebone
It is important to be careful about exercise.
It is believed that too much road work or work
on hard ground can con contribute to the early formation of sidebone
in a horse - so it is a good idea to avoid this.
If your horse is in pain and goes lame give
him as much time off as necessary.
Be alert to the weather too. The temperature, atmospheric pressure
and humidity can affect bony processes - just as they do in humans. |
