Lump on cannon bone - pics added

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Sid these days!
Apr 30, 2010
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Well, it had to happen. Today Charlie has a lump on the inside of his right cannon, about 2 fingers below the knee. It's about the size of a marble, and hard.

It's not hot, it doesn't hurt him and he's not lame, but I haven't seen this before. My friend Carol thinks he may have clocked himself getting up from lying down or similar, and he is a bit cack-handed, but I don't know whether to be worried or not. I'm inclined to wait and see but wondered what everyone thinks?
 
I wonder if he's thrown a splint? Don't think there's much you can do about it if so, if ridden there's a period you should wait before resuming exercise (can't remember what it is now - Raf had one years ago). I think some people put on box rest but, from memory, on our yard they're just turned away until the splint has fused.
 
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I'd also guess a splint, and they can create them by cloning themselves so Carol is probably right. Generally they don't cause a problem, and if he's sound I wouldn't box rest, at least in part because when you put him back out he'll probably go ballistic and risk giving himself another one!
 
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My first thought was a splint too, I'd just watch it as they generally aren't a problem. I've never box rested unless they are lame with it.
 
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Thank you all, I have looked it up and that definitely looks right. But all my vet type books say "Area will be painful. Horse will be lame, box rest" and he doesn't show any signs of it. Weird
 
Jane&Ziggy said:
Thank you all, I have looked it up and that definitely looks right. But all my vet type books say "Area will be painful. Horse will be lame, box rest" and he doesn't show any signs of it. Weird
Click to expand...

Raf was the same, the only indication was the lump. Glad Charlie is feeling ok :)
 
It depends on the cause of the splint. If it's an internal inflammation etc that caused it then yes it might cause the horse to be off. Then you can cold hose, bandage and box rest.
But if it's more an external my left leg went right and my right leg went left then my knees went splat. Then it's probably ok. :p

Mine threw a split and I was mortified because my understanding that this was caused by overworking a young horse. I had barely done anything with her!
But I happened to catch sight of the morning gallops with her pals and that's most likely where it came from. She had no issues with skidding down the hill and bucking at the bottom and going off to do it all again. She's wasn't dainty that was for sure and back then she lived with 18!!!!
 
I agree with everyone else - probably just thrown a splint. I have to say I am slightly bemused when i read advice to box rest, lameness etc. I cant remember a single horse ever presenting lame when they threw a splint, but we would not work them again until it had set - i.e gone hard and firm and no heat.

I wonder if in alot of cases, as the splint initially appears any heat and lameness is so slight that it is rarely even noticed, only when the lump has formed and cooled and hardened it becomes apparent so really rather like 'closing the door after the horse has bolted' type scenario?

As always just my musings and not a definite and exact opinion on splints lol!
 
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When Ben has his splints they were initially hot and inflamed and he was lame. I had an ointment (Campogel I think) to put on daily and he was on box rest for 5 weeks. The cause of his splints (he has one on each front leg) was due to him throwing his weight forward to avoid his stifle lameness which we had not yet discovered. They are now hard and cold and don’t cause any problems.

I would expect newly formed splints to be tender initially. If the lump is already cold and hard, I would suspect it had been there for a while.
 
I wonder where that saying comes from.
"shutting the door after the horse had bolted" I only lunged mine once as a youngster and left the gate open, she sat me on my bottom and took off out of it.
I haven't failed to shut a gate to lunge since, but there was the occasion the little minx smashed through a gate and there wasn't a gate to shut after she had "bolted"
Memories of the good ol days. Don't panic @Jane&Ziggy yours will be a poppet.
 
Jim had a couple of big splints. One was from him hitting himself, and although it was massive it never seemed to cause him any problems. The other was on a hind and caused by him being absolutely obsessed with an in season mare in the next field - he literally pounded a track along the fence line an inch deep from endless jogging up and down (she wasn't much better on the other side), worked off 70kg in a week and wasn't safe to go anywhere near. When she came out of season & we could get near him safely he had a hot swollen splint that, once his mind wasn't full of lust, made him lame. It did settle and I didn't box rest - though the mare was moved to the other side of the farm! - but it took a while, possibly because he'd inflamed it so badly before we could get to him.
 
I tried to take some pics this morning. They are hopeless, but it sort of shows it.

It really doesn't bother him the remotest bit. But will it go away or will he always have a lump?IMG_4191.JPGIMG_4194.JPGIMG_5432.JPG
 
Yep looks like a pretty normal presentation for a splint :( It wont hurt it to cold hose it if you can and perhaps give some arnica or pop arnica and witch hazel lotion/cream on it :)
 
Part of the reason it looks so big is where it is, but generally they cause less problems there than where they can interfere with other structures. They often reduce a bit in size as the inflammation eases, also with him being a youngster his body may reabsorb at least some of it. How much stays visible is mostly down to luck I'm afraid.
 
Jane, don't know I'd you're interested but a good friend of mine is a Bowens practitioner and recently bought a Theraplate to add another string to her bow. She posted on FB yesterday saying that she treated a young horse that threw a juvenile splint had needed only 3 sessions on the Theraplate for it to disappear.
 
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