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Decreased fetlock drop during the stance phase of the stride may be seen in cases of lameness, with the lamer leg producing less drop than the sound leg as the horse tries to relieve weight on the painful limb. [17] Decreased height to the stride (flight arc), or dragging of the toes, also indicates lameness, as the horse avoids bending its joints.
Additionally, swimming encourages the horse to maintain a hollow, inverted position with the head up, back dropped, and legs kicking out behind it. It is therefore less suitable for riding horses that are expected to develop the strength to carry the back up with an engaged hind end, and may also be associated with back or stifle problems.
Fetlock joint: the joint between the cannon bone and the pastern. Fetlock is the common name in horses, large animals, and sometimes dogs for the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints (MCPJ and MTPJ). Although it somewhat resembles the human ankle in appearance, the joint is homologous to the ball of the foot.
Fetlock luxations account for 91% of all fatal luxation injuries. Due to the construction of the fetlock joint, luxation will result in either a complete rupture of the flexor tendons and suspensory ligament or a lateral disarticulation. The joint capsule may also be completely ruptured and the articular portion of the bones exposed to view. [51]
Skeleton of the lower forelimb. Each forelimb of the horse runs from the scapula or shoulder blade to the third phalanx (coffin or pedal) bones. In between are the humerus (arm), radius (forearm), elbow joint, ulna (elbow), carpus (knee) bones and joint, large metacarpal (cannon), small metacarpal (splint), sesamoid, fetlock joint, first phalanx (long pastern), pastern joint, second phalanx ...
When the horse puts weight on his leg, the fetlock sinks closer to the ground, which is a needed response as it helps to absorb the shock of the footfall. However, when the pasterns are too long or sloping it does not support the fetlock enough, and the fetlock may hyper-extend, possibly to the point where the ergot touches the ground.
Osselet is arthritis in the fetlock joint of a horse, caused by trauma. [1] Osselets usually occur in the front legs of the horse, because there is more strain and concussion on the fetlock there than in the hind legs. The arthritis will occur at the joint between the cannon bone and large pastern bone, at the front of the fetlock.
A flexion test is a preliminary veterinary procedure performed on a horse, generally during a prepurchase or a lameness exam. The purpose is to accentuate any pain that may be associated with a joint or soft-tissue structure, allowing the practitioner to localize a lameness to a specific area, or to alert a practitioner to the presence of sub-clinical disease that may be present during a pre ...