Hock Injuries in Horses: What is it and what do you need to know?
The hock is one of the most complicated and hardest working structures in the horse. The primary motion of the hock is flexion and extension to create powerful propulsion forward. It is what allows a horse to run, jump,
The hock in the horse is anatomically equivalent to the ankle in the human, made up of six small bones called tarsals and sitting between the tibia (the bone in the gaskin) and the canon bone (the bone in the lower leg).
The tibiotarsal joint is the highest joint in the hock. It is a ball and socket joint responsible for about 90% of all range of motion in the hock. Despite all of the mobility, it is the least common cause of lameness in the hock.
The two lowest joints in the hock are the distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal. These joints are the two most common sites of hock lameness, injections, and fusion. Fusion is when the body creates a bony bridge between two bones to create one solid structure where there previously were two. A horse that is actively fusing is often very painful, but once the bones have fused, the pain often significantly improves. There are pharmaceutical options to speed up fusion as well that can be done by a veterinarian.
Specific hock angles tend to lead to soundness issues eventually, so improving your eye before buying may be helpful in your long term care plan. Very open angles (greater than 150 degree) are consistent with suspensory and SI issues. Very small angles (less than 130 degrees) are consistent with stifle and back issues.
Hock injuries can go unnoticed at times, so it is important to be able to recognize the subtle signs of hock pain.
Horses may:
Seem stiff at first, but them warm up and “come out of it”
Seem resistant to tight turns
Resistance to hock flexion - this can present at a “pogo stick” look in the hind leg as they choose a gait to avoid flexing the hock
Be resistant to work - refusing jumps, gate issues, etc.
Work with your vet regularly to catch any issues that might come up early. A vet that is familiar with your horse’s healthy movement and gait will be able to better see a lameness while it is early and subtle.
Hoof care professionals can make or break healthy hocks as well. Negative plantar (hind hoof) angles can put a lot of extra strain on the hocks. Yearly radiographs can confirm your hoof balance is correct and give your hoof care provider objective information to trim to.
Unfortunately, despite the best care, hock arthritis is extremely common in all performance horses. If you have performance horses in your life for long, you may eventually need a pain and inflammation treatment plan.
The best plan considers and manages the entire body. Teaching the horse correct self carriage and correct body mechanics is the best way to decrease long term wear and tear on the hocks.
Kinesiology tape can be a great option for hock injury prevention or injury management:
🟣 Provide support
🟣 Improve proprioception
🟣 Promote circulation to move stagnant fluid out and bring fresh blood in
🟣 Increase joint motion
Tape supports other wellness modalities for the hocks as well such as laser, blading, pemf, and injections.
To learn more about taping applications, check out my foundational taping course. This foundational taping course is step one to becoming certified in equine kinesology taping and will help you treat horses as a provider or horse owner.
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