A fetlock with both sesamoid bones shattered. | Photo: Courtesy Dr. Dean Richardson

“We’re always going to have broken horses,” said Dean Richardson, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, at the start of his presentation about orthopedic first aid during the 2016 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 3-7 in Orlando, Florida. Fortunately, not all broken horses are also hopeless.

Richardson is the chief of large animal surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center, in Kennett Square. He described for veterinarians how to best handle orthopedic emergencies such as extremely unstable limb fractures.

“With proper sedation and simple emergency bandaging, a large proportion of catastrophes can be humanely managed until a thoughtful decision can be made,” as to whether the injury can be repaired surgically or the horse requires euthanasia, he said