What does the digital cushion do?
The digital cushion (DC) plays a role in absorbing and dampening forces applied to the foot and therefore supports internal structures such as navicular bone; yet, its architecture is not well-known.
What does digital cushion consist of?
fibrocartilage
The digital cushion (pulvinus digitalis) is a highly modified subcutis consisting of a meshwork of collagenous and elastic fibers, adipose tissue, and small bundles of fibrocartilage. The digital cushion lies just proximal to the frog and is fixed to the adjacent structures by ligaments and thick fiber bundles.
What is the digital cushion of a horse?
The digital cushion is a wedged-shaped structure with a fibro-fatty composition in the foal and in the colt, and it hardens into a fibrocartilagineous tissue in the adult horse. It is very elastic and has very few blood vessels and nerves.
Why do horses get Sidebone?
What causes sidebone? Sidebone has a number of causes. It is thought to be a normal ageing process and is therefore often seen in older horses; it is also related to concussion of the foot which is caused by regular work on hard ground; poor foot conformation (inherited and due to incorrect trimming and/or shoeing).
Where is the digital cushion?
The Digital Cushion (DC) lies above the frog of the hoof, inside the foot. A healthy DC is comprised primarily of Fibrocartilagenous tissue – that is tissue that is meant to stand a pounding.
Why do wild horses not need shoes?
Wild horses don’t need horseshoes, unlike domestic horses. It is a form of protection where the downward pressure on each step goes into that metal plate and not the surface of the hoove. It gives greater protection and prevents damage. But, this extra layer means that there isn’t the same wear on the hoof.
Would you buy a horse with sidebone?
Sidebone is often closely linked with navicular disease, I would not purposely buy a horse with such problems or any kind of ossification of bone/cartilage, you be on a roller coaster of vets bills and the occassional lame horse.
Can sidebone cause lameness?
Lameness, primarily associated with sidebones, is rarely seen and if lameness occurs it is usually caused by complicating features, e.g., when the ossification becomes advanced and the growing sidebones press on adjacent sensitive hoof structures and deform the foot.
Can underrun heels cause lameness?
Quite simply, an underrun heel occurs when the fibres of the hoof wall at the heel are not parallel to the wall fibres at the toe. As a result, the internal structures of the hoof can be pinched or even displaced, and this can lead to soft tissue damage as well as lameness.