rollingrfarm - 2015-07-21 9:45 AM

My mare has a large sidebone due to injury.  The vet said that she could be used infrequently for very light riding on level ground with a special sidebone shoe but that would still aggrevate the sidebone.  He said there were no surgical or medication options to fix or reduce it.  He said he did not recommend nerving because performance riding with twists and turns would cause the sidebone to greatly irritate the tissue surrounding the sidebone leading to an abscess/infection which would be then be difficult to identify by the owner/rider due to the nerving.  He said she was fine to breed and should be kept in a pasture setting.  We are keeping her trimmed and comfortable (stalled when bugs are bad).  I'll watch her get fired up and take off loping with the other horses in the pasture and then slow down to a trot and limp.  It breaks my heart.  She was supposed to be my forever riding mare.  Vet said the sidebone is calcified and not growing larger.    I had no idea something like this could happen as an injury, I erroneously thought sidebones were caused by riding on hard ground.       

MS2011 - 2015-07-21 2:59 PM

I had a horse with a very calcified large one... and a massive scare on the bulb where he tried to rip his foot on in a fence.  I did everything possible to keep him from hittin it running. Duct taped pro-tech (the plastic shell) bell boots right before my run, you name it, I did it.  He wouldn't hit it, but the impact of running alone would cause it to seep blood.  I had it surgically removed and was back running him with no further problems (from it) in a couple of months.  Had another horse with a similar injury and was at a different vet's office and they only remove them as last option because it's a very difficult surgery.  Both times I was at very good equine sports med facilities in Texas.  I would probably get another opinion on the horse before writing him off.  

TuffToBeEasy - 2015-07-21 8:52 PM

I had a gelding that had severe lateral sidebones. Most vets around here told me that alone shouldnt cause extreme pain or issues. However no one around here could keep him sound. I tried blocks, coffin injections, shoeing, etc and he would be better for a few weeks and then off again. Finally had an MRI done and he had a torn medial collateral ligament probably from the sidebone flexing and stretching that ligament. Gave him plenty of time off and PRP however he did not come back any better. I got tired of dealing with the constant struggle and sold him back to the lady I got him from who knew all his issues. I did just find out that they can actually go in and "clip" the sidebones. The vet telling me about it acted like it was rather simple and only required them to be off 2-3 months. He said several places are doing it but Texas A&M is the one he had discussed it with. If you have any questions feel free to message me. Hope you have better luck than I did.