Ooooh, a new bit!

[spotti]

This is fancy!

Right, so that this isn't a wasted post, something I wanted to know is what is that odd thing on the inside of a horses leg? (think someone has told me before, but I've forgotton...its a bit like an ergot, but on the inside of the knee instead of on the fetlock)

[Blonde Donkey]

a chestnut, dunno what they're for lol

[brigadier]

Its the left over bit from when horse had toes, same as the ergot.
brig

[spotti]

Knew it was something like that, just couldn't quite remember what (plus I had to post something in this new bit! lol)

[haffyfan]

Murph dosen't have any ergots at all, not even diddy ones, is he normal?

(okay I knows he's not but does this confirm he is the devil in a horsey disguise?)

[Blonde Donkey]

dunno sunbshine hasn't got very big ones but savvys are huge i'm always worried about pulling them off

[aimee]

OMG they make me retch! Ferns are big. Farriers can trim both ergots and chesnuts if they need it.

[Maes Seren]

Farrier does Bertha and Eddies chestnuts as i hate them. Gems never really grows and none get ergots... which i hate!!!

[brigadier]

Dogs love em!
Haffy- Murph is an angel in disguise!!!!

[haffyfan]

May 6, 2008 21:31:04 GMT brigadier said:

Dogs love em!
Haffy- Murph is an angel in disguise!!!!

Shhhh! Don't tell everyone or you will ruin his street cred

[racaille]

I always rub/pull Paco's chestnuts off with my fingers (gently).
I can hear you all throwing up in the background ;D lol

[spotti]

Icky!

Faith had horrid ergots, got the farrier to chop 'em off last week though (don't think they'd ever had any attention so were all overgrown and spider-like....urgh)

Also has quite big chesnuts, but not too big that they're in the way (anyone's got chesnuts on their hind legs?)

[haffyfan]

May 7, 2008 12:21:20 GMT spotti said:

(anyone's got chesnuts on their hind legs?)

Don't they all?

[Blonde Donkey]

bracken doesn't have chesnuts on her back legs she kicked them off, why so i own all the walking disaster areas?

[haffyfan]

Harry pulled one off once too but it grew back just as big and horny! Vet laughed when i rang in a flap on a Sunday morning, when I discovered it, and said he could come but it was quite normal and no need to fuss

[martine]

As a matter of fact, some breeds don't have very big ones, or sometimes don't even have them. Dems, as a tb, only has small ones at the front; none on the hind legs

[jack]

jack has ergots which the farrier chops of. and his front chestnuts jack bits them of like someone bitting there nails

[abi]

we have two on each leg, one near the knee and one lower down above the hoof! x

[kateflashy]

flashy's grow enormous really quickly on her front legs but her back ones stay flat

i hate having the ergots cut cos years ago when i was teeny someone told me if you cut them your horse bleeds to death

[fleabitten]

i thought chestnuts were to hold their legs together inside their mum?? ......

[joandlad]

There's a few theories as to what Chestnuts are for. The two most popular have been mentioned ie holding their legs together inside their mum and remains of toe.

Not sure about the holding the foal's legs together theory but I think we can pretty much disregard the remains fo the toe theory. If it is the remains of a toe it would surely sit below the knee on the front legs. Being as bones of the foot and leg are the same as in our hand and arm this would mean that if mother nature decided to receed one of our fingers in a similar fashion the remains would somehow move to above our wrist?? Not saying it's not possible just not probably.

[ceej]

I think the toe thing is quite unlikely too....I thought that is what ergots were - the toe theory, when horses had cleft feet?!

*ducks ready for assualt along the lines of 'cleft feet' what the hell*

I have always been used to the finer breed who dont really seem to have very big ergots or chestnuts...Jo you will know, Murf has iccle subtle ones from what I can remember) Harry on the other hand - urgh my god...they make me urge. (i have a bit of a thing about it, and last time I asked the farrier to cut his chestnuts he threw one at me so I am not asking him to do ergots......._{retch retch})

[joandlad]

Funnily enough I was thinking about ergots the other day and what possible uses they have. I did come up with one, slightly mad, idea that they might be intended to stop the fetlock joint descending too far. Or perhaps a little bit of a buffer for protecting the bottom of the joint when it does descend a lot eg when jumping. You'd think I'd have better things to think about really! :-)

[Maes Seren]

The cannon bone is the 3nd metatarsal
Spint bones being 2nd and 4th metatarsals
Chestnut is the 4th toe/metatarsal.

Ergot is also a descendant of a toe.

If you think of it like the horse is stood on their middle fingers, it kind of becomes clearer, and even more so if you read Darwins theory.

[joandlad]

But if chestnut is the 4th toe/metarsal why is it above the knee? Not in any way intending to start an argument, just a good old brain storm. I could understand the theory (just about) if it sat below the knee. <starts to doubt self and runs off to google location of chestnut - yep definitely still sits above knee :-) >