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FROM THE HOOFCARE & LAMENESS ARCHIVES P-3 (coffin bone) fractures in young horses Note: this article was originally published in Hoofcare & Lameness in 1994. Dr. Andy Kaneps of the University of California at Davis presented an eye-opening lecture at the 1994 Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium when he presented data from his radiographic studies of the coffin bones of 149 foals. Of them, 119 had some evidence of separation of the palmar process ("wing") of P-3. While some of these may be considered "osseous bodies" rather than distinct fractures, Dr. Kaneps assured his listeners that the radiographic appearance of foals' feet is similar among all the breeds. Causes included trauma, secondary ossification (bone formation), osteochondrosis dissecans, or other problems. Ric Redden concurred with Dr. Kaneps; he said that he had experimentally radiographed a large number of young Thoroughbreds in Kentucky and found a high incidence of P-3 fractures. "The highest number were found on farms that had run-in sheds with hard peat floors," he mentioned. Signs to watch for in foals include a little jump or stumble as the horse turns, or a sudden rise in the pastern joint angle. He said that he did not see any correlation between club feet and coffin bone fractures, but that they were sometimes both found in the same horse. To prevent these minor wing fractures in young horses, Redden advises farriers to preserve as much foot mass as possible, by trimming little, if anything, off the bottom of the feet. "That's God's country," he admonished. "It's okay to rasp the toe, and to round it. But do not trim the frog and then lower the heels to it. Leave the bottom alone. You're not really trimming these horses, you're just there for maintenance." He suggested using a "baby rasp", a rasp cut in two to use on foals. At the same conference, Dr. Richard DeBowes of Kansas State University also discussed wing fractures, known as Type I P-3 fractures, as part of his discussion of the pathology of the distal interphalangeal (coffin) joint. While wing fractures are a common injury in horses of all ages, they may cause minor chronic lameness and need to be identified on radiographs so that shoeing can take into account the support or surgical needs of the horse. This article originally appeared in Hoofcare & Lameness: The Journal of Equine Foot Science and is available for your personal use only. Re-publication is prohibited without the express written permission of Hoofcare & Lameness. Detailed information on this and many other hoofcare topics can be found in Hoofcare & Lameness publisher Fran Jurga's award-winning guide to hoofcare, "Understanding the Equine Foot". For more information, or to order, click here Back to the articles table of contents Write to H&L: PO Box 6600, Gloucester, MA 01930. Tel 978 281 3222; fax 978 283 8775. Email webinquiry@hoofcare.com. Internet http://www.hoofcare.com. © 1998
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