Splints

[pencarrie]

My horse who is 7 years old developed a splint last October. Since then I have used Sports Medicine boots on him everytime I ride. However over the weekend he seems to be developing another just above his original splint. Is there anything I can do to stop another splint developing? He is having a few days off at the moment.
Many Thanks

[helenc]

There isn't anything you can do to stop it I'm afraid but there are ways of keeping it as small & painless for your horse as possible. Is it a new splint? Is it warm or hot?

If it is new & warm it will not be fully formed yet. Cold hose for 15 minutes at least twice a day. You can get something called Splintex, there are two types, one for forming splints & one for set splints. You can also try using some DMSO which you will need to get from your vet. You can also apply anti-inflammatory gel/cream that you can get from the chemists.

Don't ride until the splint is fully formed, this could take up to six weeks but if you are careful you could be back in the saddle a lot sooner.

[pencarrie]

There is no heat there. And it has just started to appear.
Thanks for the information on the Splintex I will look into that.