Broken Legs Aren’t Death

Looking at a horse’s delicate limbs, it’s a wonder that those bones can put up with any sort of pressure at all. Equine bones are very tough, but fractures still happen. When they do, even the most stoic of horse owners can feel desperate. But a

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Looking at a horse’s delicate limbs, it’s a wonder that those bones can put up with any sort of pressure at all. Equine bones are very tough, but fractures still happen. When they do, even the most stoic of horse owners can feel desperate. But a fracture doesn’t necessarily mean the death of a loyal companion or promising athlete. Orthopedic techniques have advanced greatly in the human world in the last three decades, and the equine world has moved in step. Technology has progressed so far that many times even the worst of injuries can be repaired.


David Nunamaker, VMD, is the Jacques Jenny Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center and a leading researcher in the field of equine orthopedics. He says that whether a horse with a fractured limb lives is based more on economic reality then repair feasibility.


“It can be an expensive decision for people, and they often decide to cut their losses and move on to a new horse,” says Nunamaker. “Even if it’s a severe injury, we can often save the horse’s life, but we may not be able to get him back to that same competitive level. And the owners may decide to have the horse put down.”


Simple fractures can set an owner back a few thousand dollars, but complicated fractures can be extremely costly depending on length of surgery, techniques used, and hospitalization. There can be further complications after the fracture is repaired, such as infection. Antibiotics are expensive and dosage is the same as with people–by body weight. Since horses weigh 10 times as much as people, the antibiotic will cost 10 times as much

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Sharon Biggs Waller is a freelance writer for equine ­science and human interest publications. Her work has appeared in several publications and on several websites, and she is a classical dressage instructor.

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