My friend had a TB that broke his RH coffin bone years ago. Had bar shoe with clips put on ASAP and left him on stall rest for 6 months. If I remember the details correctly, he came sound but had developed Ringbone in the LH from overcompensating with that leg. Vets suggested nerving but was not done. Horse was eventually PTS.
My horse fractured the medial wing of his coffin bone when he was 12. After the requistite period of stall rest he went back to his job as a 3’ hunter and had some of his best, most competitive years post injury. Never took a lame step and he’s still sound now at 19.
Hi, I am just starting to research some information on coffin bone fractures. I have a 7 year old Paint QH gelding that I have had for almost 3 years. When I first got him, was just “finishing” him and creating a bond with him in hopes to do mounted drill team. He was so well behaved and willing that I did do about a year of drill team. The next season, he came up lame a couple times. At first we thought it was something going on with his back as he was sore. I had him “adjusted” and he performed ok after that. As time went on, he was head bobbing a little when trotting, but not noticeable at the lope. My vet finally suggested an x ray (we did not do this at time of purchase as there was no sign of lameness) Anyway, we discovered his coffin bone was fractured. My vet said it looked like an old injury and probably happened sometime before I bought him. We talked about surgery at the time, but the vet said, the “risk” and healing time and cost was probably not worth it and I would be better off just purchasing another horse to perform with. I said was there anything we could do to make him comfortable and he said well we can do injections. So we did them last summer and I continued to use him to finish the season, and then did injections again early this year. However, the injections did not last as long this time. He is definitely lame at the trot. I did not pay a lot for this horse, but we have a bond and he is only 7 so of course I hate to retire him. Is there hope that he can do anything? Should I nerve him? Is it too late for corrective shoeing?
My 12yr Tb gelding fractured his coffin bone over 2yrs ago…it was the same scenario as yours -best type possible for that type of fracture …we did him on 4 wks Of minocycline-as that has the best bone absorption, and we put him in a glue on shoe from new Bolton Center …we stall rested him for about 60-90 days , then after that he was turned out…they suggested 4 months off /rest…we were heading into the winter anyway so he ended up having 6 months off …he recovered 100 % and has been back in work and competing for over a year and a half now …also back in regular shoes like he used to wear ! I used a supplement made by Cox Veterinary Labs called Nice N Eze which kept him sane during his stall rest!
Wing fractures of the coffin bone usually are expected to heal up just fine, and be fully sound on completion of healing. Fractures that involve the coffin joint have a less than stellar expectation, low ringbone is often a byproduct of this type of injury, which can effect future soundness. The bar shoe will result in making his hoof contract, it stops the action of the normal hoof’s expansion, turning the hoof into a cast for the bone inside. So once healed, the foot has to be opened up again to be healthy. Your farrier will look after that for you, but just be warned that the hoof will look contracted after a while in a bar shoe, and it’s OK, it’s just temporary.
