Ringbone is one of the most misdiagnosed forms of arthritis in horses, because it is a doppelgänger condition for a host of other issues such as Laminitis, Navicular Syndrome, Founder and Thrush. Due to its similarities to other conditions, ringbone is very difficult injury to properly diagnose.
What Exactly is Ringbone?
Ringbone is a degenerative disorder that causes inflammation around the collateral ligaments. It most often occurs in the pastern (high ringbone) and coffin (low ringbone) joints. As bone deposition increases, affected joints may even begin to fuse. In very severe cases, an actual “ring” will actually surround the pastern joint just above the coronet band, giving this osteoarthritic condition its name.
Signs of Ringbone
As with other arthritic diseases, such degeneration and calcification causes pain for the horse which results in visible lameness; the severity of which indicates just how inflamed the ligaments are. The horse will protect his sore limbs by avoiding joint compression, and therefore exhibit a weight-bearing preference.
Horses with a genetic predisposition for Ringbone will often exhibit upright pasterns, toe in, and have smaller feet.
How to Cope With Ringbone
Regular farrier appointments for corrective shoeing, mindful rest periods, weight management, keeping an eye on your horse’s foot angle, and attention to the type of surface your horse trains on are all ways to help curb early-onset and manage the condition.
However, contrary to popular belief you should never stall rest your horse for lengthy periods of time, as this will only aggravate the injury.
To truly help address lameness in your horse and ease the pain, Leg Saver’s Electro Therapy attacks the inflammation through a holistic, multi-frequency waveform pattern designed to target the Ting Points in the coronet band. By reducing inflammation, this method helps clear the way for healing of the injury to begin, staving off arthritic tendencies.
See more about Leg Saver and the technology behind it here.