RC: Question about possible concussion injury to cannon bone

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Barb Peck bpeck@together.net
Barb Peck
bpeck@together.net

Can old splints become active again under the right stresses?

Last season, my friends 10 yr. old mare popped what we thought
were 2 big splints 1/2 way up each front cannon.
I'm sure she over-rode her on a long fast dirt road ride.
I think both happened at the same time, but I'm not sure
as when I saw them,  one was active, the other started to harden.
Both legs were wrapped with "Animal Lintex", then polo wraps
and a month later, one was gone an the other looked hardened
off, but ending up pretty big (like a shooter marble.)

Yesterday my friend called and said the old splint was
alot bigger.
I saw it today,  it looks like theres actually another coming
above the old one, and the old one is bigger.. the whole
mess is the size of a golf ball, and appears to be more on
the cannon, than between the splint bone & cannon bone.

No detectable heat and the horse is not lame. 
 I told her if it was my horse, 
I'd have the Vet Xray it and see exactly what she's dealing with.

So, Vet's coming tomorrow.

This horse is ridden up & down some big (dirt road) hills, 
although my friend says she's been taking it easy, I know
the mare wasn't slowly conditioned this year (wasn't ridden
for 6 months, prioir to May).

My question is..
Can splints be re-activated, and what could this be if
it's NOT a splint (being on the inside and completely
on the cannon bone)..
I've never seen anything quite this big if it's a splint.

Tom.. you've probably seen it all,   on race horses..

Barb