I have a mare who popped a splint 4 weeks ago. It’s still very obvious visually. She has a healed one that was “worse” from before I had her but that one isn’t visible at all except over x-ray. Should I expect this one to do the same or will it always remain as a blemish?
I can only provide limited info. Have a gelding who popped one several months ago, pretty high up. It is much smaller and not very noticeable, but that may be due in part to location closer to the knee. It is my understanding that generally the horse will have a blemish, but I’m not a vet.
Yes usually it will diminish in appearance but remain a slight lump.
It all depends on how old they are, and how “popped” it is. The younger they are in the still-growing years, especially 1-2, the more likely it will totally disappear. The less popped it is, the more likely it will disappear. Giant ones on a 5yo will probably never totally go away
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In my experience, a splint caused by an external force, like something knocking into the area, will heal smaller than one that is caused by repeated mechanical stress from conformation.
So my 6 year old OTTB had a splint popped just from heavy exertion, that went way down. I had a KWPN spook and knock a shoe into his leg (I heard that sickening steel on bone knock) and that one blew up huge but I forget it even happened, it’s so small.
And I had another OTTB that moved very fancy but winged, he kept knocking an old splint when I rode without boots. I eventually just pulled his shoes which killed any upper level use for him but he never knocked it again. That one is still noticeable 6 years out.
I ve had some horses that popped splints,they all went down with Time, some were hardly noticeable After a while
I have often seen them reduce very gradually, like over months and months. Anecdotally a BNT once told me she’d seen them remodel dramatically with regular hand rubbing, for like a minute per day.
