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Don’t know anything about horses.
If a horse suffered from sore shins at some time when he was a 2yo, would this make it unlikely connections would run it at Epsom as a 3yo?
ie, what is sore shins?
Could it be a bit like writer’s cramp or tennis elbow? I would imagine it’s only a temporary condition, easily treatable (rest? poultice? anti-inflammatory drugs?) though possibly some horses are more prone to it than others. I would think that the type and condition of the surface a horse runs on has some bearing on matters and perhaps it’s more prevalent on a firm surface. I’m sure some equine experts on here have a greater knowledge. I understand Sizing thingybob had sore shins the night before he raced a few days ago and I was surprised the trainer still allowed it to run.
Sizing Europe had a bruised foot, not sore shins.
Sore shins is an inflammation of the periosteum (covering) of the cannon bones mainly in the forelimbs most commonly in immature horses. It is seen mostly in 2 year-olds on the Flat. Treatment options range from rest to application of substances to cause inflammation to pinfiring, though this is becoming frowned upon lately. Firm ground does considerably increase the incidence. If a horse has completely recovered I don’t see why it should prevent it from running at Epsom.
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Hasn’t anyone heard of Google?
1995 Australian gelding, by Rubiton, out of Cachelle (Marscay).
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I should have realised there’d be a horse called Google somewhere
Which sore-shinned juvenile have you been put off, Gerald?
Not been put off, just being cautious for once.
Arazan, Oxx, Aga Khan
As its Oxx (& Khan), its not likely to run at Epsom in the first place, but if it did, it would be because they expect to win.
The last twice he’s run has been on Heavy ground, so I thought he might be even better than he has shown.
(Sore shins were earlier, bruised foot later.)
If a horse has completely recovered from sore shins as a 2yo and not been subjected to wrok whilst they were sore, there is no reason why he could not run at Epsom. A large majority of young horses get sore shins early in their training careers while a few can get reoccurences. The usual treatment is to ease off on the horse (i.e. stop cantering) until the heat/pain goes from the front of the shin/canon bone. To do this you can apply ice packs and or cooling poultices. Some trainers do blister youngsters regardless whether they get sore shins in the theory it will "toughen them up" – I myself do not use this method – nor would I advocate firing them. Neither do I keep them going "work them through it" – would you appreciate having to go for a run when the front of your shin bones were very painful? Some horses can develop temperament problems if you continue to work them while things hurt and who can blame them.
Sore shins will given a little time, settle down quite quickly as the inflammation subsides and the bone densifies. Occasionally you can get "saucer fractures" which are small flakes of bone that detach from the main bone. This is more common in the US.
I used to look after a colt called Cauvery who suffered from fairly bad sore shins but he managed to handle Epsom well when running second in the Diomed Stakes.
i see one persons been looking at the dictionary????
if horse has sore shins mainly young horss or ones in first few weeks training etc, ideal treatmeants is cold packs or zemar ice machine to eleviate the heat etc, and ideally months rest ie box n handwalk, think u a bit confused carver as you dont pinfire sore shins…. in extream cases u could put blister embrocation on but usually cold n rest do the trick and providing it is dealt with correctly, no reason horse will be fine to goon, hope this helps 
xI hope the reference to looking in a dictionary does not refer to me as I certainly have no need of one.
I have seen plenty of horses (mainly NH horses) with their shins pin-fired although as I stated it is not something I would advocate.
In the end, it wasn’t the sore shins as a 2yo that put me off, rather that I’d prefer to back it in May when its 10-12/1 and I’m fairly sure its running at Epsom, rather than take a speculative 50/1 now (which by the way has mostly gone now. Ah, the power of the Racing Forum).
I’m rather surprised that horses are still fired, I thought they got rid of that a few years ago – or was that just for tendons?
Beckster,
Some vets will still pinfire sore shins.
Gerald,
Tendons are commonly pin or bar fired, as are splints.Pin firing is a waste of time and money for shins or splints, as is blister, as time will heal both. Plenty of horses have been trained, raced and won with sore shins, but they will go elsewhere at some point.
We’ve always given 3 months in the field for sore shins, and they never return.
The only time they ever re-occur in an older horse is when they return from tendon injury.no jinny not you, hadent even read ya post til now, i just always think time is best for this problem x
Beckster,
Some vets will still pinfire sore shins.
Gerald,
Tendons are commonly pin or bar fired, as are splints.Pin firing is a waste of time and money for shins or splints, as is blister, as time will heal both. Plenty of horses have been trained, raced and won with sore shins, but they will go elsewhere at some point.
We’ve always given 3 months in the field for sore shins, and they never return.
The only time they ever re-occur in an older horse is when they return from tendon injury.You are of course correct about some verts still pinfiring horses and you know more about it than I do.
I have only ever witnessed it once and that was many years ago and it did the job really well.
My question is: we have Beckie mistakenly saying you don’t pinfire sore shins probably because the orses around her are never treated in that way.
Then we have you saying it’s a waste of time.
Then you got the vets who recommend it and those that are against it.
In the USA hey certainly still do it as I read lately about some horse who was suffering from sore shins who was pinfired and blistered and went on to win some big prize.
Suely your experience is telling you one thing and Beckie’s is tellng her something else and the vets that are still doing it are doing so because it works for them.
Seems to me no one is right and no one is wrong on this one
Yes you’re right, although I didn;t say that pin firing them didn’t work, just that it was a waste of time. Its the time that does the ehaling, and pin firing has always seemed a drastic action where shins are concerned, to me.
The one good thing about pin firing shins is that it forces people to give the horse time off, which is preferable to the trainers who think that because you can’t feel them after they have been iced for 20 mins, they are not there.
if horse has sore shins mainly young horss or ones in first few weeks training etc, ideal treatmeants is cold packs or zemar ice machine to eleviate the heat etc, and ideally months rest ie box n handwalk, think u a bit confused carver as you dont pinfire sore shins…. in extream cases u could put blister embrocation on but usually cold n rest do the trick and providing it is dealt with correctly, no reason horse will be fine to goon, hope this helps 
x
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