Fractures of the second and fourth metacarpal (splint) bones are not uncommon. One of the most likely culprits for this injury is direct trauma the splint bones, found in both the front and back limbs, are small, narrow bones found on each side of the metacarpals.
Fracture of the Carpal Bones in Horses ~ Namur-Stjacques from www.namur-stjacques.eu
Splints are not so obvious or easy to identify, and have much more serious health and soundness consequences. fractures and splinting by willis lamm. Slab fracture of 3rd carpal bone what fractures should be splinted in the forelimb?
Distal to femur splint, don't splint femur.
Fractures of the splint bones are quite a common injury (not to be confused with a splint which is a minor soft tissue injury. In a clinical study of 87 horses, 114 splint bone fractures were identified. They also often have a more fragmented nature. Fractures of the splint bone in horses are commonly seen in practice. His splint bone may be small and apparently without function, but without proper support it can lead to painful and frustrating injuries in your horse. Lameness associated with true splint (tearing of the interosseous ligament) is not common fractures of the splint bones are rare but usually involve the fourth metatarsal bone (mtiv), and they often occur from kick wounds. My horse managed to cut his left hind leg last night and it was established that the cut went all the way to the bone and he also fractured his splint bone. Splint bones actually are far from useless bits of bone. Not sure if there's any soft tissue damage, but i'll keep you guys. Splints are not so obvious or easy to identify, and have much more serious health and soundness consequences. A splint bone can certainly fracture, causing great pain. The importance of soft tissue attachments. Proximal splint bone fractures are, unfortunately, fairly common. Fractures of the distal splint bone are mainly encountered in performance horses and occur at exercise, while fractures of the proximal splint bone are traumatic in origin and usually have an associated wound and infection. Fractures of the splint bones can occur anywhere along their length, but are most commonly located at the lower third. Splints in horses are common and rarely cause a problem once they have formed, but will require the horse to be rested when they first appear. They generally occur as a result of a wound or infection.
