Stone bruises are very painful for horses

I suppose it’s inevitable that one of the horses should have a stone bruise at this time of year when the fields are so wet, although they can also get them from hard ground. Some horses seem more prone to them than others and it’s my 17.3 hh Irish Draught X who suffers most. In fact, he’s the only horse I’ve ever had to get a stone bruise in an indoor arena. If there’s one stone in there, he’ll find it and step on it! He lost a hind shoe and, sure enough, he’s now lame, lifting his leg high in the air as he walks and heading towards the grass verge of the lane to the paddock which provides a bit of relief. Imagine yourself standing heavily on a sharp stone in bare feet and you’ll sympathise with this poor fellow.

My farrier taught me how to treat stone bruises, which often build up into abcesses in the foot. The horse becomes progessively more lame until the abcess bursts, usually out through the sole of the foot although the smelly puss can also come out by the cornonary band. I need to ‘tub’ the horse’s foot in a bucket of warm, salty water every morning and then poultice with epsom salts and glyserine. If you would like more information about this, go to our ‘Horse and Pony Care’ page.