The horse leg part between the fetlock and the stifle. The
hock and fetlock The horse hock
The hock is the complex joint between the fetlock and the
stifle on the hind leg (see diagram). It joins together the cannon bone to all
the parts of the leg directly below the stifle. It is an obvious joint because
of the point of the hock which is the part that sticks out obviously at the
back. In a person the hock joint is the equivalent of the ankle. However
because horses walk by standing on ‘tiptoes’ the hock joint is found quite high
up on the leg.
So the hock joint is composed of the long bone that
connects it to the stifle (tibia) A, the big bone that makes the point of the
hock B (tibiotarsal bone) and the cannon bone C and many smaller bones that fill
in the gaps between these three bones.
The hock is important because it quite often goes wrong.
Much lameness of the hindlegs is caused by the hock when it gets a bit worn and
stiff. Disease or arthritis of the hock jointis called Bone Spavin. Bone
spavin happens when all the many small joint parts of the hock get weak and
start to disintegrate. New bone may be laid down causing spurs which rub on
other parts of the hock. Hock arthritis (Bone Spavin) either starts because too
much pressure is being put on the joint (maybe because of natural confirmation
abnormalities like cow hocks) or because the bones are not strong enough because
of mineral imbalance. The whole problem is easily treatable by your vet if
approached in the right way.
A hock becomes ‘capped’ when the point of the hock (the
bit that sticks out) is damaged and the sack of fluid that exists at this point
becomes distended and sore.
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