Dealing with a Broken Foot (Coffin Bone Fractures)

There are seven different categories of coffin bone fractures. Some are more serious than others, and some are more prominent in particular horses or disciplines than others.
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When it comes to caring for your horses, you have a lot to think about–diet, training, exercise, and welfare. You don't have to tell us he's worth it (although you think twice on the days he snorts on your white shirt). But there is one part of caring for a horse that every owner dreads and most likely still experiences: Lameness. It can occur for a variety of reasons, including stone bruises, abscesses, improper shoeing…and so on. But a lesser known–and under-diagnosed–reasons for lameness can be one of the most devastating: Coffin bone fractures.

Who's at Risk?

Lance Bassage, VMD, of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in Urbana, has seen his share of coffin bone fractures. The good news is that these fractures are not common, but some horses are more susceptible to them than others.

"They're most commonly seen in performance horses," he explains. "Racehorses, both Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds, are probably the most common (types of horses affected), but coffin bone fractures certainly occur in other performance horses that compete in barrel racing, steeplechasing, polo, or eventing, for example. These horses fracture their coffin bones during maximal exertion exercise

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Katherine J. Meitner is a free-lance writer located in Milwaukee, Wis., and former associate editor of the American Farriers Journal. Her work has appeared in Western Horseman, Green Magazine, American Farriers Journal, and No-Till Farmer.

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