# Hock swelling?



## EveningShadows (May 18, 2009)

I bought a yearling Appaloosa stud colt July 23, made a post about him in the pictures section! He was nearly untouched, had a halter on when he was put in his paddock but was uncatchable when he slipped it off in May/June! Anyway, we went out to see him lastnight (MacabreMikolaj and I) and after a couple thungerstorms his paddock was a mess and my questionable bay was nearly black...we took him to the washrack hoping to just get his legs but he was amazingly relaxed so full body rinse off and into a stall - picked him up today, he was limping. At first I thought it was the rocks in the driveway hurting his newly trimmed feet and MM felt his legs, nothing obvious...

Went out at midnight to do a final headcount tonight and he has a soft, warm lump of a swelling on his left hind hock. Not the whole joint, just a squishy bump on the outside between the back bulb of the hock and the outside bone...don't know how else to explain it and can't get a picture til morning. 

I don't recall him limping when we bathed him and we used our hands to rub him down, but he went straight to his stall after scraping off the excess water and we picked him up today limping with no noticable swelling. There was nothing in his stall other than a hanging bucket of water, another hanging bucket for grain, and a hay rack on the wall. There was a small bucket on the floor actually, the chore kid was probably timid to go in with him...but less than 24 hours in a stall, and he's not stocked up, just a lump.

I've been blessed with hearty, healthy and sound horses all my life so this is new to me! I'll be sure to get a couple pictures online tomorrow by noon-ish...

Thanks for the help and sorry for rambling!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

Is he **** footed? Is it only one leg or both? My mom's horse is **** footed and her back legs swell with fluids if she is kept in a small area. She has to be moving in order to not build up fluids.
It also might be a start of an abcess..is it warm to the touch? Is he still limping? It will also be sore and they will let you know if it's an abcess.


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## eventnwithwinston (Feb 15, 2009)

There are lots of unsoundness and blemishes prone to hind end conformation faults or strain in the hind legs.
Do you have any conformation pictures? Or do you have any pictures of the swelling you could upload.?

By your really specific description (thankyou!! haha) of the location.. I would think that it was thoroughpin. But pictures are always nice to back up your guesses


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## EveningShadows (May 18, 2009)

I'm not 100% what **** footed is *goes to google*

No, he's not **** footed, but he's a little toed out in the back - I think it's called cow hocked? But hopefully with regular trimming we can influence his growth to be a little straighter. He was 1 year on May 16 and last week was his first trim...we're working on that! 

Conformationally he's pretty well put together in my opinion, minor faults so far and we'll see if we can somewhat correct his legs with the farrier...but here are the best confo shots I have so far:

http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz134/Picture*****z/Cherokee/July009.jpg

http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz134/Picture*****z/Cherokee/Cherokee034.jpg

http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz134/Picture*****z/Cherokee/July010.jpg

Not the best, but that's what I have...only bought him last week! Anyway, here are a couple pictures of the leg I'm concerned about...it's warm to touch but not hot, no swelling and it's squishy - he's ok to let me poke and smoosh it, doesn't seem painful to touch, but when he moves he favors it. Can an abcess pop up like that over night?

http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz134/Picture*****z/Cherokee/Cherokee010.jpg

http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz134/Picture*****z/Cherokee/Cherokee035.jpg

From the back
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz134/Picture*****z/Cherokee/Cherokee028.jpg

From the front
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz134/Picture*****z/Cherokee/Cherokee018.jpg

http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz134/Picture*****z/Cherokee/Cherokee031.jpg

Let me know what you think! MM said she has an idea of what it might be, but has to peek in her vet book and compare pictures tonight after work. We'll brainstorm something I'm sure! Thanks!


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## EveningShadows (May 18, 2009)

eventnwithwinston said:


> There are lots of unsoundness and blemishes prone to hind end conformation faults or strain in the hind legs.
> Do you have any conformation pictures? Or do you have any pictures of the swelling you could upload.?
> 
> By your really specific description (thankyou!! haha) of the location.. I would think that it was thoroughpin. But pictures are always nice to back up your guesses



I'm googling the heck out of it and you're right...looks EXACTLY like a thoroughpin. The interwebz is saying it's mostly just a blemish but I can give him a long acting corticosteroid or get it drained to treat it...going to call the vet and ask for his opinion on what to do for it.

I'm actually looking at the older pictures I just posted above this, with the green shed in them, and he had it before, I just never noticed. It wasn't making him lame before so I guess it never concerned me.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

He could have aggravated it running around during the thunderstorm or possibly slipped in the muddy paddock; maybe even bumped it on something. From what I understand, it may clear up with time or it may be a recurring problem. I'm sure the extent of his sickle hocks probably don't help. I found this site with some information about thoroughpins and the identification and treatment of spavins and swellings.
Horse Health - Vet On Call | Features | Horse Deals

But you never know, the lameness could be completely unrelated to the swelling.


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## EveningShadows (May 18, 2009)

I think the lamness was unrelated - he's no longer lame, but the bump is still there. I don't want to call it swelling because it's not the entire joint, it's just a squishy lump. 

I don't have a computer anymore, using a cell phone to check and reply here, so research is limited for the moment. If this is a thoroughpin, how will it affect him later? Is there anything I should be doing now? It's my understanding that it's pretty much just a blemish...one cause that would match - he was kept in a stall til he was roughly 11 months old with limited and periodic paddock time. He was in a small paddock with 1 other stud colt for a couple months this spring, alone for the last month - other colt was gelded and is now in a paddock with my retired mare. Stall bound with no farrier trim until last week...but he's ok now and as long as this is just a blemish, seems no worse for wear.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## eventnwithwinston (Feb 15, 2009)

To my knowledge.. thoroughpin becomes a blemish. 
I'm not sure about the liklihood of it coming back, I think once healed it stays a blemish. Unsightly, but sound


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## MicKey73 (Dec 26, 2010)

Hi, I know this is an older post,but I was hoping you could give an update? My horse has something VERY similar on both back legs... I'm worried it could progress to lameness. He doesn't seem to have any discomfort now. Thanks!


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## EveningShadows (May 18, 2009)

Update - I had the vet do a lameness exam when she gelded him last fall and she confirmed that to the best of her knowledge without ultrasounds or xrays that it appeared to be thoroughpins. She assured me that they would most likely just be a blemish, told me it was nothing to worry about. Good luck with your horse, but have a vet take a look if anything concerns you, even just to confirm that's what's going on with your horse.


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## MicKey73 (Dec 26, 2010)

Thanks ES, I really appreciate it! Good to hear your Appy has stayed sound


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## Hanover (Apr 2, 2010)

Is a thoroughpin the same as a bog spavin?
My horse had what looks exactly like yours. I had no idea what it was......first time horse owner 
I thought at one time that it might have been the exit point of larvae from a bot worm and I bathed it daily with warm water and teatree oil. At any rate, it didn't bother the horse and I since have come to the conclusion it was a bog spavin. 
There was no lameness nor heat just a squishy feeling lump on the outside of both hocks.


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## EveningShadows (May 18, 2009)

I'm shocked I've never seen or dealt with thoroughpins before as they seem easier to get than I thought...but they rarely do harm as far as I understand. A bog spavin is different than a thoroughpin - a bog spavin is swelling on the front of the hock joint and should be treated as an urgent matter in calling a vet out, whereas a thoroughpin is usually a unilateral swelling, varying in size, located behind and above the hock and is seen as a blemish instead of harmful.

I'd get the vet out for a lameness exam for an opinion - the horse doesn't have to be lame for there to be a problem and the earlier to catch it, the easier to treat!


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## Adareous (Jan 27, 2011)

A throughpin is a swelling on the inside of the hock. A curb or a bog spavin is on the outside of the hock. It's where the snovial fluid drains out of the joint and leaks into the capsule of the hock. It comes from an injury, a twisting of the hock. It can be drained but that's not recommended. You can sweat the outside of the hock and it will shrink down but never go all the way away. It's considered a blemish, not an unsoundness. Many horses get them. I'm surprised your Vet didn't know it was a curb. Check online for curb. It will describe it for you.


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## EveningShadows (May 18, 2009)

Are you refering to Ransom? His is most definitely a thoroughpin...both my vet and farrier confirmed, although nothing is final without ultrasounds. Site I found - he had a thoroughpin.

Common Leg Ailments of Horses. Unsoundnesses & Blemishes Definitions


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## Adareous (Jan 27, 2011)

Sorry, in the old days we referred to a swelling on the outside as a curb, and on the inside a throughpin. Guess they changed it. Anyhow it won't hurt him, it's just a blemish. Good Luck with him, he's very handsome


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## loveyourhorse (Jun 17, 2011)

okay i know this thread is really old... i did a search on here for thoroughpins and this is the only thread that showed up.

anyways.. today i went out to give my horses their lunch and give them each a quick rubdown/once-over just to check for any injuries or anything weird. 

i noticed my one mare's left hock looked a tiny bit swollen (so tiny that if you didn't know every inch of my mare like i do, you wouldn't notice). when i went to feel it, it did not seem to bother her at all, it was not warm, it just felt squishy like their is liquid in it. its right on the back "point" (for lack of a better word) of her hock.

she is completely sound on it, she came trotting up to get her hay and looked just fine. i did do some research and i'm pretty sure its a thoroughpin and not a bog spavin based on where it is. 

so what i'm really wondering is what makes thoroughpins just randomly appear?


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