My 7 year old thoroughbred completed her first event of the season on Saturday. On Monday, she had what looked like a bucked shin on one front leg. No heat, not sore when palpated and not lame. We did a walk hack and I poulticed her just in case. Yesterday her leg looked the same. We did a light dressage school. Sweated her leg. Today, bump is still there, and another has appeared on the other front leg. Still no heat, not sore, not lame.
This is her second year competing. She is fit, and the fitting was good at the event. Is it possible she’s bucked her shins? Still waiting to hear from my vet.
Bucked shins are sore when you press on them or tap on them with your fingers. It seems unlikely for that to be the issue. I would not ride her until you know what it is however. Any chance you bandage bowed her extensor tendon?
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Here’s an link about bucked shins https://www.vetary.com/horse/condition/bucked-shins
Sounds like it happens in 2 year olds and horse would be sore from the condition.
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Talked to the vet and he’s thinking since she knocked a rail and is not sore or lame that she’s just smacked her legs too hard. We’re going to poultice and do bute and rest for a few days and see what happens.
Is it possible it could be a splint? And did your vet suggest cold hosing?
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/37513/diagnosing-and-treating-splints
I would suspect the extensor tendons are bruised and bit swollen. Rarely does that hurt, not unless they’ve really whacked their legs, and in that case, the soreness is probably more due to bone bruising than the ET.
Me? I wouldn’t bute for this, not from what you describe - not sore, not lame. I’d just cold hose (or rather, ice pack), poultice isn’t going to hurt, regular turnout for a few days, then some hand walking, then get back under saddle at the walk for a couple days, then start working back up to a full load.
Splints are on the sides of the legs, not the front 
The long extensor tendon runs more or less down the front of the cannon bones, front and back.
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I agree with your vet. The swelling indicates some inflammatory process is going on. Bute is an NSAID and reduces inflammation.
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The vet recommended bute, more as a precaution then anything.
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Bucked shins can happen at any age. I’d have the vet take a look, if you want to get to the next competition in the best possible condition.
I know what swelling means and what bute does
I just personally think bute is over-prescribed for things that don’t really need it - yes, even by vets. No, a few days isn’t going to hurt. Yes, a few days could make the horse feel better enough to move more than he should, possibly hide a worse problem.
I just said what I would do, and why. Clearly the OP has to feel comfortable with the choice of using bute, and it’s not a bad choice.
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Back in my previous life, our filly shinbucked on the opening day of the meet. We opted to have her pin-fired, and I regret it to this day. Layup would have been just as useful in her healing. Justa’ thought… YMMV.
Definitely never pinfire bucked shins 
It’s unfortunately still done in some places, and it’s just awful. The forced layup from the procedure is what heals the horses, not the pinfiring, which just adds more pain
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Thank you, JB. I was afraid someone would suggest that to the OP the way someone did to us and was afraid it might sound like a good idea, when it isn’t.
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Not to mention it does’t sound like bucked shins to begin with. Could it be? Possibly, but you need a vet to diagnose that and it seems the vet hasn’t yet actually seen the horse, just going based on what the owner is relaying (not that that’s necessarily a bad idea). But that would be sore to palpate, as Laurie said.
I too am curious if the legs had been wrapped and possibly the ETs are “bowed”. Not the worst thing to happen, but it would be interesting to know if that was a possibility.
My horse racked his hind shins on a coop really hard once. His boots were just neoprene with no extra cushion across the front, and he seriously bruised one leg. Picture a bowed flexor tendon and that’s what the front of his cannon looked like.
He was ouchy to the touch for a couple days and never unsound, but even with icing it took most of the spring to go back down.
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Some injuries that are caused by a hard knock lead to calcification.
NSAIDs are helpful in shutting down the inflammation, and hopefully thwarting any calcification before it starts.
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