Selecting Your Horse

Basically an unsoundness is any condition that interferes or is apt to interfere with the function and performance of the horse. In horse show halter classes, horses with unsoundness usually do not place. However, in performance classes if the apparent unsoundness is not interfering with the horse's action, it is given little consideration. A blemish differs from an unsoundness in that it is unsightly, but does not and is not apt to interfere with the horse's performance.

A lame horse is obviously unsound. Why is he lame? Is the condition temporary or will it intensify? Horses may be lame due to some disease or affliction in the joints, tendons, ligaments, or muscles. Usually lameness from these causes can't be seen and calls for a diagnosis by a highly skilled veterinarian. Conversely, many unsoundnesses or indications of unsoundness can be seen. Many unsoundnesses and blemishes are due to excessive stress and strain beyond the endurance of the bone or muscle, injury to a bone or joint, or nutritional deficiencies.

The following list covers many of the usual unsoundnesses, blemishes, and ailments:

Anchylosis:

when exostosis (bony growth) is sufficiently extensive to interfere with a joint and reduce movement.

Bad mouth:

top and bottom teeth don't meet (a malocclusion). The lower jaw and tooth structure may extend beyond the top teeth (monkey mouth) or the top jaw and incisor teeth extend beyond the lower jaw (parrot mouth). It is considered an inherited unsoundness.

Blindness:

a disqualification.

Bog spavin:

serious discrimination, a soft fluctuating enlargement located at the upper part of the hock and due to a distention of the joint capsule.

Bowed tendon:

serious discrimination involving any or all of a group of tendons and ligaments, but usually the superflexor tendon, the deep flexor tendon and the suspensory ligament. Caused by severe strain and wear and shows up as a thickened enlargement of the tendon which occupies the posterior space in the cannon region between the knee and ankle or between the hock and ankle. Usually occurs on the front legs. The lameness that accompanies an acute condition may not be permanent.

Capped hocks, knees, and elbows:

swellings caused by injury; results in excessive secretion of the synovial fluid. Capped elbow is sometimes called shoe boil.

Cocked ankles:

serious discrimination. The horse walks over on his toe; usually occurs on rear ankles.

Corns:

bruised and discolored areas of the sole of the foot. Usually located in the angle between the bars of the foot and the hoof wall and may cause lameness. (See figure 11.)

Figure 11. A detailed cross section of the foot shows location of ligaments and pastern bones. The bottom view shows various areas of the foot.

Curb:

an enlargement below the hock on the back side.

Exostosis:

bony growth (spur). Result of the inflammation of the bone which causes the throwing out of bone cells.

Fistula:

lesion or sore on the withers.

Glass eye or Clyesdale eye:

iris of the eye is colorless. Undesirable, but is not in itself an unsoundness as it does not affect vision.

Heaves or broken wind:

the horse can't expel all the air from his lungs and uses abdominal muscles trying to do this. It's a disqualification.

Hip down:

due to injury and will cause lameness where there is still inflammation in the hip. It's a blemish.

Jack or bone spavin:

disqualification, is located in the inner lower aspect of the hock.

Laminitis or founder:

inflammation of the laminae of the horse's hoof from foaling disease, too much feed, or fever.

Lymphangitis or big leg:

inflammation of the lymphatic vessels of the hindleg.

Navicular disease:

chronic inflammation which affects the navicular bone, the navicular sac, and the flexor tendon of the foot. The disease can't be seen, but the horse is apt to go lame and usually "points" with the afflicted foot.

Periodic ophthalmia or moon blindness:

an inflammation of the inner eye. It usually impairs vision and treatment is usually unsuccessful.

Poll evil:

a fistula on the poll, difficult to heal, caused by injury.

Quarter or toe crack:

a vertical split in the horny wall of the hoof. The crack extends from the coronet or hoof head downwards. Usual causes are improper shoeing and too dry feet, coupled with excessive stress such as racing.

Quittor:

festering of the foot anywhere along the border of the coronet: may result from a calk wound, neglected corn, gravel, or nail puncture.

Ringbone:

exostosis or bony enlargement on the pastern bones, front or rear—unsoundness.

Roaring:

noise in breathing when inhaling, due to paralysis of one of the cartilages of the larynx.

Scratches or grease heel:

low-grade infection or form of eczema in the skin follicles around the fetlock. It is caused by filthy stables and unsanitary conditions.

Sidebone:

hardening of the lateral cartilages on the coronet; frequently occurs in draft horses, seldom in light-leg types.

Splint:

a bony enlargement of the inner cannon, front or rear. Usually these don't interfere with a horse's action and are blemishes.

Stifled:

a displaced patella (similar to man's kneecap) of the stifle joint. It sometimes cripples the horse permanently.

Stringhalt or stringiness or crampiness:

an unsoundness, ill-defined disease of the nervous system characterized by sudden lifting or jerking upward of one or both of the hindlegs. It is most obvious when the horse takes the first step or two.

Sweeny:

term applied to wasting away of the shoulder muscle overlying the scapula of the horse. It is generally due to an injury or strain.

Thoroughpin:

a soft fluctuating enlargement located in the hollows just above the hock. It is due to a distention of the synovial bursa. A discrimination.

Thrush:

inflammation of the fleshy frog of the foot, blackish in color, foul smelling, and associated with filthy stalls.

Windgalls or road puffs:

soft enlargements located at the ankle joints and due to enlargement of the synovial (lubricating) sacs.

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