I have a 14 year old quarter horse who has developed some boney growths behind her fetlocks. They are hard and about the size of a quarter. I haven’t seen this before, so looking for some guidance. Photo below.
She is not noticeably sensitive to the touch on them, and she seemed sound when I lightly lunged her. Just not sure what they are?
She is an extremely easy keeper but very prone to IR and weight issues.
I have been taking periodic photos to track her weight, and looking back through them, I was able to track a timeline of their development:
- November ‘24, not visible
- April ‘25, minimally visible
- June ‘25 very visible
- July ‘25 very prominent
She transitioned from 8 acre pasture to a 4000sqft sand dry lot in March to avoid spring grass. She’s trimmed every 7 weeks. Seems like the dry lot could have accelerated or exasperated their development? Like maybe she’s inflamed/stocked up?
I’ve this mare since she was 3. I stopped riding last spring due to pregnancy risks, so she has been enjoying life as a pasture ornament for over a year. With my new baby, I’m not spending near as much time at the barn — I’m very attached to this horse and devastated I overlooked this.
Diet 2x per day:
- 3 lbs TC Senior
- 3 flakes costal
- 1 flake alfalfa
We live very rurally and our large animal vets primarily work with cows. I can haul her 2 hours to a reputable equine vet, but I’d love to get an idea of what could be going on before then.
Photo for reference:
