EFFECTS OF CARPAL SYNOVECTOMY ON STRIDE KINEMATICS OF TROTTING HORSES

A group of eight horses was used to study the effects of synovectomy o f one antebrachiocarpal joint on stride kinematics of the trot. Two mo nths after the operation, four of the horses started a progressive exe rcise program lasting two months. A standardised lameness evaluation a nd videographic gait analysis were performed on three occasions: two d ays before the operation, two days after the operation and four months after the operation when the exercise programme had been completed. T here were no significant differences in clinical lameness score, ampli tude of poll motion, maximal metacarpophalangeal angle, maximal carpal angle, or minimal carpal angle between the synovectomized limb and th e unoperated limb on any of the three evaluation days. It is concluded that carpal synovectomy did not cause lameness in the immediate post- operative period, and that strenuous exercise can safely be commenced after a two month recovery period, unless underlying cartilaginous les ions dictate otherwise.