Strike action

Sharp contact between a hind hoof and a foreleg can cause significant injury, as Dr David Stack MRCVS explains

- Dr David Stack

OVERREACH and strike wounds – known as interference injuries – are often self-inflicted. An overreach typically occurs when a horse steps on the heels of a forelimb with a hind foot, while a strike wound can result from the edge of the hoof or shoe making sharp contact with the fetlock or pastern region.

Similar incidents can occur when there is contact between the limbs of two horses moving in close proximity. Injuries can range from minor grazes and bruises that can be managed with routine first aid, to issues requiring veterinary attention. Some can be severe, leading to referral, hospitalisation and even surgery.

Injury can happen at any time in any horse moving actively – often at moments when the gait becomes uncoordinated, due to a lapse of concentration or a loss of fine motor control due to fatigue. Fatigue-related interference injuries can also occur in heavy ground, where horses tire quickly.

We often see interference issues with wobbler syndrome, where a horse loses the ability to know where his limbs are in space (a sense known as proprioception). This can cause an irregular and uncoordinated stride, leading to frequent overreach injuries.

Strikes or sharp, glancing blows from any other limb tend to result in lacerations, often in a horizontal plane, on the sides or back of the pastern or fetlock. Overreach injuries typically cause irregular skin tears that can penetrate other tissues of the heel, even ripping the coronary band.