Splint,

Splint, or SPLENT, is a bony enlargement on the horse's leg, between the knee and fetlock, usually appearing on the inside of one or both fore-legs, frequently situated between the large and small canon bones, depending upon concussion, and most common in young horses that have been rattled rapidly along hard roads before their bones are consolidated. When of recent and rapid growth, the splint is hot and tender and causes lameness, especially noticeable when the horse is trotted along a hard road. A piece of spongio-piline saturated with cold water should be applied to the splint, kept in position with a light linen bandage, and wetted with cold water or a refrigerant mixture every hour. Perfect rest must be enjoined for ten days or a fortnight. When the limb is cool and free from tenderness, the swelling, which will still remain, may be greatly reduced by some stimulating applications, such as the ointment of the red iodide of mercury, the common fly-blistre, or the firing-iron. For the splint-bones, see HORSE, Vol. V. p. 790.