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16 cze 2022 · Lameness in the horse's hock joint is one of the most common causes of altered hind end gait. Hock lameness is characterized by shortened gait, weight shifting, stiffness when your horse picks their hind legs up, and reduced springiness off the ground when the horse picks up a canter or jumps.
Disorders of the tarsus (hock) include the conditions known as bog spavin, bone spavin, and curb. The tarsus can also be affected by displacement of the tendon from the hock, fracture of the tarsus, hindlimb tendon and muscle ruptures, stringhalt, and thoroughpin.
Capped hock is due to distention of the subcutaneous bursa or development of an acquired bursa over the tuber calcanei. This usually results from repetitive trauma (eg, kicking or leaning on stable walls) and is not usually associated with lameness.
16 cze 2022 · Signs and Symptoms of Hock Lameness. The symptoms of hock lameness that your horse may experience range from subtle to obvious. Most clinical signs are seen during performance and present as the horse feeling “off” when asked to push from the hind end. Common signs of hock problems can include: Shortened hind end gait
This swelling at the point of the hock may be caused by an injury or kick from another horse, but the most common cause is repeated blows to the hock as the horse kicks its stall or trailer walls. Accumulations of fluid form a “cap” that may reach a quart in volume.
Hock conformation is a very important part of a pre-purchase examination. Breeders should select for horses with good hock and rear limb conformation. As a horse owner, you should be familiar with the basic anatomy of the hock and what your horse’s hocks look like normally.
Wear and tear can break down these critical joints. Here are the latest targeted treatment options to avoid hock problems in horses.
