What.
Is this normal for horses?
As awful as it may sound, it's been standard practice since pretty much forever.
Yep. Horses are screwed if they break a leg because there usually isn't any feasable way to keep them on 3 legs long enough for it to heal without fucking them up everywhere else.
Horses can't just lay in bed and wait for their legs to heal. Their organs can't support their body's weight so if they lay down too long they will die. Depending on the type of break, there is a way to treat it but it can be stupid expensive and it might not work. The animal may be forever lame, leading to a lesser quality of life. It is often better and more humane to put them down
>>2119074
What, they can't just lay in a bed for the duration?
>>2119076
What about a sling?
Oh wow, if thats true then i feel incredibly sad for them, its tragic that theres still no (afordable) way to heal them
>>2119084
Sometimes they are able to do this, yes.
>>2119076
Wow. Good job evolution.
>>2119084
Sometimes it works, but they're so heavy it can cause sores and being stationary for so long is bad for horses so can lead to secondary health problems. Putting weight on three legs can also quickly cause a sound leg to become lame. Barbaro is an interesting recent-ish example, his smashed leg actually healed despite it being a very bad break, but you can read on Wikipedia about he had recurring lameness with his other, uninjured hind leg.. and then after the break had healed, he suddenly went lame in both front feet and had to be put down.
>>2119069
As the other anon described, they can't lie down too long or they will die. Also, if they don't bear weight on their feet, the circulation to their feet is corrupted. There is a sort of secondary circulation mechanism in the feet that's kind of like a manual pump for their blood. When the horse puts weight on one foot, it creates pressure in the blood vessels that helps drive the blood upward. When they take the weight off, it allows the blood to return. Simplified explanation, but the upshot is that the horse needs to walk to get proper circulation in his feet and legs. Otherwise damage occurs inside the hooves that can result, horribly, in the bone poking out the bottom of the horse's sole. Truly, the most humane choice for a horse with a broken leg is to euthanize him. All the damage that cascades after the initial break makes it morally questionable to even try to heal the horse.
>>2119085
It's really not that tragic.
It's just a horse.
>>2119089
All animals in the wild are pretty much dead as soon as they break anything or have any other bad injury.
>>2119089
My sister has horses and they are some of the stupidest animals I have ever met. Every day they make some half-hearted attempt on their own lives and panic at the mildest of stimuli.
Once one of her horses was out riding with her along the road and was startled by a small dog barking. The horse backed up and took out a mailbox with its ass. Its ass! Can you imagine that bumbling fuckery? Some old lady has no mailbox because of a horse's ass!
>>2119089
*artificial selection
FTFY
this doesn't happen with wild horses and less inbred breeds
>>2119115
This isn't bad breeding, this is physiology. Because of the horse's weight and body makeup, they'll die if they lay down too long. It really isn't an evolutionary screw up, since laying down too long out in the wild would be courting predation anyway.
Bad breeding, and modern show breeding is almost all bad because skinny legs are 'in' now, does result in poor bone width. That makes a horse much more susceptible to a break or other lameness-inducing issues.
>>2119115
>this doesn't happen with wild horses and less inbred breeds
I assume by "this," you don't mean the legs breaking; I'm no equinologist, but I'm almost certain wild horses don't have completely indestructible bones. You're probably referring to the health issues brought on by trying to heal a broken leg, which I suppose is technically true, if only because the horse won't be around long enough for that to be an issue, on account of it being too busy being food.
>>2119115
Wild horses can still break or injure a leg, in fact they're probably more vulnerable to lameness and hoof disease because at least we can provide a lame horse with vet care. Its just that in the wild those that do suffer from some sort of problem won't last long.
There is a sort of grain of truth there, halter horses atm being an example. The fashion is for massive beefy bodies, and thin little toothpick, ramrod straight legs with tiny, tiny hooves. Basic laws of physics state that if you prop up a melon on matchsticks, they're probably going to snap under the slightest strain.
>>2119161
>they're probably more vulnerable to lameness and hoof disease
They're less likely to have issues in the first place as wild/feral horses tend to have healthy hooves that aren't prone to splitting, they aren't stalled or fed grain/high sugar hay, and they spend the vast majority of the day grazing or moving at a very slow walking pace rather than doing high risk activities. But I'm certainly not disagreeing with the fact that a broken leg is pretty catastrophic for a wild horse, no horse can hop along on three legs for weeks on end while a bone heals.
>>2119165
This is true, wild animals are generally much hardier then their domestic counterparts, because life is less forgiving for them. Also like you said we ask horses to live and work in often very unnatural ways, which leads to problems.
Just pointing out that animals do get sick or injured in the wild, and when they do there's no care to help them recover. Wild horses may generally be hardier and live healthier, but if they do suffer some sort of sickness or injury, it usually spells the end for them.
>bonus documentary on Namib Desert horses, because somewhat related
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wncyRSDVkUA
Despite their harsh conditions, they're mostly in very good health. The weak, sick or injured don't last long, and as a result they're incredibly tough and hardy.
>>2119149
It kind of is true. If you're a prey animal and you break a leg, predators will notice and target you over other animals. If you're a predator and you break a leg, it'll be near impossible for you to get food unless you're a pack animal.
My mom worked at a horse racing track/casino when I was younger and she almost died inside when she saw how many horses get put down right there on the track. It was like once a week a horse would fall and they'd put the tent up and after a while load it into an "ambulance" to dump it. Sad shit.
Why can't they just amputate? Surely 3 legs would be better than death. They do make prosthetic legs for animals too.
>>2119522
After the amputation, the stump has to heal before a prosthetic can be applied. Same issue as with the broken leg. Maybe a prosthetic could work on a mini, with lots and lots of care. But a full-sized horse, it isn't really viable. Also, who wants a three-legged horse? Can't do anything with it.
>>2119559
>Can't do anything with it
But it still has 4 legs, if you smell what I'm stepping in. ;^)
>>2119522
As other people mentioned - it is a long time for a horse to heal from such an injury. Even slinging them, they can't really do anything for weeks, if not months. That is not only a lot of money, but who the fuck would want to stay practically still for so long? It seems cruel. I've seen wild deer missing a leg who got around fine, but horses are much heavier. The heavier you are, the less you can sacrifice when it comes to your legs. You know the saying 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall'? It's true.
why can't we race these guys instead
>>2119522
Even if the amputation was a success, being on 3 legs would fuck a horse up and you'd have to euthanize it anyway. Dogs do fine with 3 legs, horses do not.
>>2119561
A critter walking around on a prosthetic is one thing. A horse carrying weight or working in harness with a prosthetic would never work.
>>2119679
On the other hand, you suck.
>>2119614
maybe someday... *sniff* maybe someday
>>2119522
There has actually been a couple of success stories, but I've only heard of two and both cases were small ponies that were described as being very calm in nature. Most horses are too big - stumps are prone to sores and rawness even in humans wearing prosthetics - and too prone to injuring themselves again. The prosthetic leg would need to stay attached and be suitable for bearing 1200+ pounds of weight while moving in at least four different gaits, and be capable of bending, flexing and absorbing shock in the same way as a horse's real leg, a simple prop to take its weight would be no good as you'd end up with secondary issues in the back, hip, shoulder or opposing legs. And even if you managed to build a suitable prosthetic leg and attach it to a broken racehorse, it's probably going to smash either the peg leg or another real leg when it freaks out because there's something dead and senseless dangling from its knee.
>>2119720
I dont think that he was talking about that.
>>2119820
Only if asked nicely
>>2119099
>There is a sort of secondary circulation mechanism in the feet that's kind of like a manual pump for their blood. When the horse puts weight on one foot, it creates pressure in the blood vessels that helps drive the blood upward.
I'm pretty sure all mammalians, including humans have this mechanism. It's called skeletal muscle pump. Skeletal muscles compress the veins which have valves that only open in one direction. So skeletal muscle activity is helping to push blood back to the heart. That is one reason why sitting 16 hours on your ass is bad for you.
>>2120020
That is all quite true. I was thinking specifically of the frog. Bearing weight on the frog, in particular, is crucial to proper circulation in the horse's leg.
