IT is not uncommon to be chatting with clients or friends and be met with astonishment when I say that “we can fix horses with broken legs”. But it is quite true. There are, of course, some parts of the body and some types of breaks that cannot be repaired.
This is typically due to the horse’s weight – they are simply too big and too heavy for the metal implants used to repair the fracture to withstand.
For the sake of this article, fractures that are more proximal – that is to say, further up the horse, such as those of the tibia, femur, radius and humerus – cannot be repaired, and certainly not with the horse standing up.
By “standing”, I mean that the horse is sedated in the same way as it might be for clipping or for your dental work, and remains standing throughout the surgery. The area of the leg that is being operated on is then “blocked” using local anaesthetic to desensitise the region, so that screws and plates can be applied to repair and stabilise the fracture.
For us to do this, the fracture needs to be non displaced, or only minimally displaced, so that the horse can still bear weight on the leg – the leg still needs to be mechanically stable.
Most of the fractures suitable for standing repair are distal limb fractures – those below the carpus (knee) and tarsus (hock), and it is these to which this article will refer.
However, as we become more skilled as surgeons, then more fracture repairs in different parts of the body are being attempted in the standing and sedated patient.
For example, a recently published paper describes a series of elbow fractures that have been repaired in a standing sedated horse.
Often, the fact that the horse is standing – and therefore all the anatomy is in the “appropriate” location – makes accurate fracture repair easier.
この記事は Horse & Hound の August 08, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Horse & Hound の August 08, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
'Sorry, but I wasn't feeling it'
Fresh from the opening meet, Tessa Waugh hasn't quite yet been bitten by the hunting bug. Without the crisp autumnal air and cheek-pinching cold she hoped for, it's a sluggish start
New pair pull off a win
A former European Championships pony is on form with his new rider, while elsewhere former showjumpers and eventers take ribbons
Lording it over the rest
Horses who have returned from injury, a second generation homebred and a long format specialist score on the final weekend of the British season
Smith hits flying form
A \"her way or no way\" mare helps Zoe Smith to an impressive ribbon haul and a rider beats his own boss to the top spot
Jankorado hits the jackpot
Paul Sims is triumphant despite his interrupted jump-off preparation and a borrowed horse comes up trumps
Peanut
From \"dangerous, scary\" to hedge-hopping brilliance, hunting has been the making of this unstable but very lovable equine character
She's a corker
Communication, says long-standing and highly respected Belvoir master Lady Sarah McCorquodale, is the key to all, as Catherine Austen discovers
Access all areas Cavalier Centre
The Cavalier Centre is a fully accessible, state-of-the-art equestrian centre designed to improve lives through horse-based activities. Ellie May Forrester pays a visit
'Use it or lose it'
Not everyone wants to reach for the pipe and slippers at a certain age. Becky Murray speaks to some veteran horse-and-rider combos for their secrets of human and equine longevity
A new way forward
Worm control in horses is vital, but established methods will not remain effective for much longer. Tim Mair FRCVS explains why and how we need to change