Conference noted::equitation

    I know of one horse who had a fractured coffin bone and went through
    a treatment program like the one your horse is undergoing.  He came
    out of it 100% sound...eventually competed and went Top Ten at the
    Nationals and is still - many years later - being shown as an
    equitation horse.
    
    The only problem he had was a stomach problem from an over enthusiastic
    program of Bute...darn near killed him.  But once the appliers figured
    it out all went smoothly.
    
    Good luck!
    
    gwen
    

One of my fourlegged fellows was suspected to have fractured his coffin bone
(right hind). He was 3 legged lame when I called the vet. He said that if
it were a coffin bone fracture that, if he were kept quite for 6 months, 
that the prognosis was very good. He also suggested that he might have done it
kicking the stall walls (which he does sometimes). So it is usually an impact
injury as opposed to a twisting injury.

At the time I read every lameness book I could get my hands on, and they 
all said that coffin bone fracture, treated properly, is the one showing the
highest success rate as far as recovery, usually to 100%. So this backed 
up my vet's assessment.

Sounds like it backs up your vet's assessment too.

	Good Luck!


As it turned out, my horse's injury was an abscess and a small one
(Thoroughbreds can be such babies sometimes). 

    It's his right front foot. I figured that the coffin bone would be an
    impact type of fracture; that's why it is puzzling me. If it had been a 
    hind foot, I probably would have guessed he had been kicking the walls or 
    something. Oh, well, it's always something.
    
    What's your vet's definition of quiet? I was told he would need
    exercise but not to let him run around. The vet suggested a 40'x40'
    or smaller paddock for turnout. 
    
    The semi-confinement also concerns me. This horse is *VERY* herd-bound. 
    I'm afraid that he'll get agitated if he's separated from the rest of 
    our gang. That could lead to excessive exercise, attempts at jumping out 
    to get to his pals, etc. Maybe, he'd be better off turned out for an 
    hour or two with the others in a 2 acre paddock and stalled the rest of
    the time?
    
    JoAnne's horse in the previous reply turned out to have had an abcess.
    Ben had that problem last year in the same foot as this problem. He's
    always been kind of a tough footed horse. Stones never caused bruises,
    etc. But, he's kind of a sissy when he isn't comfortable. So, it's
    pretty easy to tell when he's not right. If he picks up a stone in his
    shoe, he limps like he's crippled! (Can't blame him really but it's
    almost a caricature of a limp rather than a real one..."Oh man, it
    really hurts; I don't know if I can go on; Maybe I'll just lie down and
    die right here"...You get the idea)
    
    Glad to hear only positive experiences; 
    Thanks
    John

    When our Thoroughbred was xrayed for an abscess last year, they
    revealed a long-ago fracture in the coffin bone. The vet felt it
    had probably happened in his racing times and was properly treated.
    He's 10 now. It's never given him the least bit of trouble.
    
    Can your horse be put in a small paddock that would still allow him
    to see his buddies out in the field? I'd be leary of allowing him
    out in the group if there's even the slightest chance they'll get
    him running/playing/bucking like groups always seem to do. Or, if
    you have the option to do so, why not leave him in his stall and
    at least one friend in the barn with him at all times? The other
    horses could perhaps take turns "babysitting" him to keep him
    quiet? Just a thought, it really all depends on your individual
    situation. Are they all your own horses, or is he boarded out?
    
    Good luck with Ben, it sounds like everything will turn out fine for
    you!
    

    
    If you can arrange it - I'd go for side by side small paddocks. The
    injury fellow in one and a companion in the other. An hour or two at
    a time and watch that he doesn't get to running around. We often have
    horses laid up for that require limited excersize. Group therapy is
    very likely to cause re-injury.
    
    Nancy
    

    OK, I'm convinced! Our small paddock is irregularly shaped and has a 
    "peninsula" that juts out in one spot. We'll just run a section of
    fence across the neck of that spot and, voila!, we have an "isolation
    ward" for Ben! He'll be able to see the mares but not engage in any
    shenanigans (I hope)
    
    We tried an experiment today leaving him in his stall while we put the
    mares out. He was quite agitated at first but then settled down while
    we cleaned stalls. After about 10-15 minutes we put him out with them.
    
    Well, the shoer comes today so I'd better get busy this weekend and set
    up the small paddock. Have to wait until the weekend to get enough
    daylight to work!
    
    Thanks for talking me out of group therapy. I was gonna ask the vet
    about it but, after reading what you all have said, I just gonna put
    up that piece of fence.
    
    Thanks again
    John

    Jimmy did not have a fractured coffin bone, however, he did have a
    fractured leg. Part of his return to normal treatment - when he was
    able to finally be turned out- was to go out with a very calm pony.
    
    Jimmy's factured was caused by a kick to the front leg by another
    horse, and we never gave him bute after the first 2-3 days. The
    reasoning behind this was that bute would make him feel better and 
    he would tend to move around in his stall. The point was that he was 
    to remain as confined and still (quiet) as possible.
    
    He also prefers to be with other horses, and we put him with this
    pony because the pony did not have shoes, didn't particularly care
    to run and basically just kept Jimmy company, and thus calm. A calm,
    barefoot pony might do the same for your horse. 
    
    BTW- Jimmy has returned to normal and is ridden - and jumped -
    routinely.
    
    Pat
    
    

My vet said that the animal should essentially be stall-bound for the first 
phase of the treatment, no turn-out. I have that herd-bound problem with
my horse also, he falls apart if he's left in the barn alone (a real mess).

I had a hard enough time keeping him in for the 1 week that the vet recommended
before he re-examined him. The prospect of having him in for 6 months had
ME ill ;-) I keep my two horses at home, but I couldn't expect poor Zeus to
stay in his stall for 6 months too (head shake). So I looked into
other companion options. Linda Keiran, another member of this notesfile,
was kind enough to set me up with a goat. Thanks Linda, even though I didn't
need it, we were prepared to go the distance stall-bound.

Better safe than sorry. As it was, the abscess and subsequent hoof grow-out
period kept him in lawn-ornament status for most of the summer.

My vet tends to be VERY conservative, which works for me.

Good Luck with Ben, John, I hope everything works out for you! Maybe Linda
still has that goat.

    Even if she does have the goat, it wouldn't help. I'm in Seattle! Well,
    actually we live about 40 miles from Seattle but nobody knows where 
    Puckerbrush, WA is!! Fine, let's keep it that way....
    
    We have all of ours at home, too. This would be a real problem if he
    were boarded! We'll get by. I had already thought about the isolation
    paddock. The section I can fence off will be a trapezoid shape
    like this:
                         25'
                   ______________
                  /       |       \
                 /       20'       \
                __________|__________
                         55'
    
    If I remember my high school geometry correctly, that's just what the
    Dr ordered! He said 20'x20' up to 40'x40'. The 40x40 would be 1600 sq
    feet. And this is less than 1100 sq ft. If the area were rectangular at
    20x55, that rectangle would be 1100 sq ft and this is smaller but too
    irregular to really calculate.
    
    Thanks again
    JND
    
    

    Well, after 8 man-hours and 5 woman-hours of manual labor, we got the
    isolation paddock for Ben set up. Being transplanted Yankees, we used
    mostly what we had on hand. A 14' galvanized steel gate from the
    previous owner's barbed wire fences(Much of which we have torn down
    already), pressure treated 4x4's from a demolished dog-run, some 16'
    1x6's for a top rail. Alas, we had to buy some welded wire.
    
    The basic plan is to keep all the horses stalled for the next 6 months
    with the only turnout being for the hour or two it takes us to clean
    stalls. The mares will continue their work so they should be happy
    enough with the limited turnout time.
    
    We completed the fence Saturday afternoon and put Ben in the 
    isolation ward and the mares in the adjacent paddock while we cleaned 
    stalls. Some of my fears were realized. 

    Although he could see them at all times, he was distraught that he was
    physically separated from them. As I said earlier, he is quite
    herd-bound. (If you want to know HOW herd-bound Ben is, see note 474.13!)
    At first, he was frantic; He tried to canter around but found the space
    too small (HOORAY!!!). He spent most of the hour trotting the fenceline 
    looking at his pals. At one point, he did a nice levade in preparation to 
    jump the gate. He decided that it was too high (We made the fence 5' high; 
    The gate may actually be a couple inches higher). 

    By the time we brought him in, Ben had churned all the grass along the 
    fenceline into mud. He was steaming with sweat and rain. (Did I say
    that it started raining pretty hard while they were out? And, we thought 
    they wouldn't need rain-sheets because it was 55 degrees) So, we had to
    scrape him, towel him and put a cooler on him....
    
    Sunday went a bit better for him. He settled down more and actually
    grazed a little! He mostly walked the fenceline. He managed to stay out 
    for about 2 hours while we stripped and re-bedded stalls. We didn't
    quite finish before he decided he had had enough turnout for one day.
    We put him on the cross-ties for about 15 minutes while we finished
    re-bedding his stall. He wasn't *REAL* happy that his pals were still
    out back but he was OK. 
    
    We'll see how it goes. Maybe, he will accept this turnout situation and
    all will be fine. I hope so. I'll post progress reports and the results
    of the vet exams in case anybody else ever has a horse with a
    fractured coffin bone; especially a herd-bound horse with this problem.

    John

    Well, after 5 days of watching Ben walk and trot the fenceline, I
    called the vet. I told him how we were managing the horse(i.e. stalled
    most of the day with turnout while we cleaned stalls) and that Ben
    was taking a lot of exercise walking the fence. 
    
    He asked if Ben had made a rut yet from walking the fence. I said, "Yes, 
    8" deep and he has churned the whole paddock to mud. I am concerned
    about the possibility of soft tissue injuries and pulled shoes in the
    mud." 
    
    The vet asked how I thought Ben would behave if turned out with the 
    mares(i.e. would he run). I told him that I thought Ben would graze
    quietly unless spooked because that's what he did before I got the
    isolation paddock built. 
    
    He said to turn Ben out with the mares in the 2 acre paddock next to 
    the barn but ONLY WHILE WE CLEAN STALLS. We have to keep an eye on him 
    while he's out. If he starts running, we will catch him up and stall him. 
    For some strange reason, he accepts being in his stall while the mares are 
    out better than he accepts that paddock! The familiarity of his stall plus 
    the fact that we are there and the fact that he can see his pals probably 
    help...but who knows how this horse's mind works!
    
    We tried this plan today. Ben grazed quitely while we cleaned stalls
    even though there were dump trucks and a backhoe roaring around the
    place the whole time.
    
    The vet wants to see Ben again in January so I'll be quiet about this 
    until then.

    John,  best of luck with Ben.  We're routing for you!
    
    Mary

    Thanks, Mary. I needed that. I didn't realize how much until I read it
    
    John

    John,
    
    Yet another piece of moral support winging it's way to you.
    January looks to be a critical month for us folks with 
    injured equines.
    My mare has been off for 6 months now with sesamoiditis and
    January is the 'test & see' month.  Trying to convince her to
    stay quiet and rested has been an education for me.  
    
    Good luck
    
    Judy

    Good luck to you too Judy.  I find that the test and see period of
    recovery can be the worst.  All too often, the original injury is
    healed, but in their delight at freedom, they cream themselves within
    the first 10 seconds or so!
    
    Mary

    
    I had a horse who fractured his coffin bone about 13 years ago.  He was
    a 4 year old quarter horse.   He fractured his bouncing around in the
    paddock and I had to keep him in for a while (I can't remember how
    long) and he was not very cooperative about it.  
    
    He healed 100%.
    
    Karen

    Hi all,
    
    The vet was out last Friday to check Ben's fracrured coffin bone so I
    thought I'd update you on his condition.
    
    You may remember that he freaked out when separated from his pals and we
    had to put him back in the 2 acre field w/ company. He did REAL well
    that way and stayed very quiet...an occasional trot from on good
    grazing spot to another. (Yes, I know it's winter but it doesn't SNOW
    much out here so there's grass most of the time) SO he was
    quiet...UNTIL New Year's day. A helicopter flew by fast at tree top
    level. They all panicked(sp?) and tore around the field. We caught them
    up as quick as we could but Ben seemed lame on BOTH feet after that.
    
    Then, the next Saturday, it HAILED while they were out! The noise of
    the hail hitting the metal roof of the building next to the paddock and the
    sting of it on their backs/rumps got them going again. I was worried.
    
    But, the news isn't all bad! The vet says that the fracture is actually
    healing faster than anticipated and that Ben may be sound as soon as
    mid-April. But, those 2 flights of terror caused a VERY bad bruise on
    the sole of his other front foot. The vet said that it was the worst bruise 
    he has seen in a while. He also said that he has had two stone bruises
    get infected this month so he's very worried about this one. The sole
    is so thin in this spot that he's afraid an infection would burst the
    sole allowing the soft tissue in the hoof to hang out...Anyway, because
    of the nasty possibilities here, we'll keep an eye on the bruised foot
    for the next week or so.
    
    The bruise was actually so bad that the vet wanted the shoer to shoe it
    the same way as the broken one! But the shoer didn't have the stock to make
    the eggbar shoe with him so they settled on an ordinary shoe with a
    pad. In a couple weeks, he'll get the eggbar shoe until it heals up.
    
    Hopefully, the big guy will be back in action by May!

    John, Algiers got the worst stone bruise my vet had ever seen 1 1/2
    years ago.  It was so bad it hemorrhaged under the sole and separated
    the sole from the bottom of his foot (like a syrian pocket!).  Since 
    he had already been stall bound for 7 weeks due to a strained ligament, 
    we put on shoes with pads.  To prevent infection, we used leather pads 
    lined with pine tar and oakem.
    
    Soft footing should help prevent further injury to the coffin bone
    fracture.  Some exercise and stress is actually good for simple
    fractures, since it stimulates bone growth and healing.  The danger
    with any fracture is too much stress, which can turn a simple fracture
    into a compound fracture.
    
    Mary                     

    Thanks Mary,
    
    The Syrian pocket is exactly the kind of thing we're worried about.
    We have also used oakem and pine tar under this pad. But the vet thinks
    that may not be enough. He's concerned because the sensitive part of
    the sole is practically exposed. He thinks it may be necessary to
    spread iodine on the sole a couple times a day to toughenthe sole and 
    drive the sensitive tissue back from the sole. Unfortunately, that would 
    mean removing the pad and he doesn't want to do that unless it's
    necessary. So, it's wait and see (again)
    
    Glad to hear that Algiers came through his bruise in good shape.
    Thanks again
    John

    Quick update on Ben's progress. The shoer came out last week and put an
    eggbar shoe on the stone-bruised but unfractured foot. In the week that
    it took him to get back to do that special shoe, the bruise seems to
    have improved a LOT. Originally, if you just touched it lightly with
    your finger, Ben would jump as if he'd been poked with a cattle-prod or
    something! It seemed a lot tougher and the sole is regrowing.
    
    So, he's got two orthopedic shoes and pads now. He's happy and quiet
    and hasn't taken a lame step in weeks because we reset his old shoe
    with a pad to protect the bruise until he got the eggbar.
    
    Oh, I couldn't figure out why the eggbar shoe would act as a cast for
    the fractured coffin bone way back in NOV when it was diagnosed. So, I
    looked it up in an anatomy book. The hoof(aka insensitive laminae) is
    connected to the "quick" or sensitive laminae. So far, it's like our
    fingernails and the sensitive tissue underneath them. The sensitive
    laminae are DIRECTLY attached to...RIGHT!... the coffin bone. 
    
    So, by immobilizing the hoof wall with the shoe and clips, it
    indirectly restricts the movement of the coffin bone through the
    sensitive laminae. That also explains what happens when a horse
    founders. If the hoof and the sensitive laminae separate, the coffin
    bone has no support and it rotates/or changes position. In extreme
    cases of founder, the  coffin bone can puncture the sole of the foot.

    BTW, John, it took about 2 months for Algiers' sole to heal
    completely.
    
    Mary

    Well, the vet came to check out Ben's feet last Friday. It's been 6
    months since the initial diagnosis of a fractured coffin bone. Nearly 3
    months since the shaved sole/stone bruise injury to the other front
    foot.
    
    We walked and trotted Ben and observed him from front, back and sides.
    We also turned Ben in tight circles in both directions. Neither the vet, 
    the farrier nor I could detect any lameness.
    
    The farrier then pulled the eggbar shoes w/pads that had been applied to 
    both front feet. The vet used the hoof testers all over both front
    feet. The big guy never flinched!!!!!!!!!! The vet, who looked more tired 
    and worn than I've ever seen him, said that Ben had healed up so well 
    that it made his(the vet's) week.
    
    He said that Ben could begin light work under saddle but that he would
    recommend that we keep the eggbar shoes and pads on for another 6
    months. He said that a fractured coffin bone can take up to a full year 
    to heal and that removing the eggbar shoe too soon could lead to
    reinjury of the foot.
    
    I guess Ben won't be going to any dressage shows this year! Those
    eggbar shoes are so heavy that Ben flips his feet when he trots. Most
    unattractive! I'm not sure that eggbars are even legal in competition
    as many people consider them a sign of unsoundness. I don't care. The 
    horse's health is the main thing.

    John,
    
    That is great news.  Well done all of you.
    It's a good way to start the spring.  
    
    Judys
    

FWIW, John,

To the best of my knowledge there is no rule against showing a horse with 
eggbars.  I've seen some pretty bazaar showing jobs on eventers.  I also haven't 
seend anything about it in my perusals of the rule books. As long as he's sound,
I wouldn't think you would have a problem.


Congratulations on Ben's recovery.

kathy

    
    You can get eggbars that aren't so heavy.  
    
    I have them on my mare (trying to cure a case of corns).  They are
    from flat steel brought in from Holland--they are not as thick as
    standard keg shoes.  But they are wideweb.  And fairly light.  A
    standard size 2 keg shoe is usually 14 ounces or so.  But these are
    only about 8 ounces.   And her movement is good (not as good as with
    aluminum but good).  Also, my farrier makes aluminum eggbars.  So that
    might be an option if you wish to show and not have your horse move
    like a gaited horse.
    

    re .-1
    
    Thanks, that's a good idea. I'll ask the farrier next time he comes to
    see if he can lighten the shoe. This is a thick handmade affair rather
    than a keg shoe. BTW, Ben's normal size 2 keg shoes do weigh 14-16
    ounces.

    Great news, John!