Quick Answer
Horses do not automatically have to be euthanized if they break a leg, but a broken leg often leads to euthanasia for several reasons:
- A broken leg is extremely painful for a horse and difficult to stabilize to allow healing.
- Horses need to put weight on all four limbs to avoid developing fatal conditions like laminitis.
- Treatment is expensive, takes months, and has a low success rate.
- Even with successful treatment, the horse may never regain full athletic function.
So while euthanasia is not absolutely required, it is often the most humane option recommended by vets for horses with severe leg fractures. Some owners opt for treatment or creative solutions like prosthetics, but the degree of injury, cost of care, and intended use of the horse play a role in determining if attempted repair is worthwhile.
What Happens When a Horse Breaks a Leg
Horses’ legs are incredibly vulnerable to fractures and other orthopedic injuries. Their slender lower leg bones are under tremendous stress from the force of galloping and jumping. When one of these bones breaks, it can be life-threatening.
Here’s an overview of what happens physically when a horse fractures a leg:
- Sudden, severe pain caused by broken bone ends grinding together
- Swelling, bruising, and disruption of blood flow to the area
- Potential for severed blood vessels, nerves, ligaments, and dislocated joints
- Instability in the leg that prevents weight bearing
- Risk ofbone piercing through the skin compound fracture
This type of injury would be extraordinarily painful for any animal. For horses, who need to stand and bear weight evenly on all four legs, a broken leg also puts them at risk of foundering and developing deadly conditions like laminitis.
Prognosis for Equine Leg Fractures
The prognosis for a horse with a broken leg depends on:
- Location, type, and severity of the fracture
- Amount of soft tissue damage in addition to the broken bone
- How much contamination occurs if the bone pierces the skin
- The horse’s temperament and ability to follow medical instructions during recovery
Certain fractures, like clean breaks of cannon bones with little displacement, have better prognoses than shattered bones with complicating factors like necrotic tissue. But any leg fracture is life-threatening for a horse.
Here is a table summarizing the prognosis for different types of fractures:
| Fracture Type | Prognosis |
|---|---|
| Cannon bone fracture with little displacement | Fair to good prognosis if quickly and properly stabilized |
| Fracture of major bones like the humerus/femur | Guarded prognosis even with extensive surgery |
| Shatters/complicated fractures with severe soft tissue damage | Grave prognosis, high risk of complications |
| Any fracture with bone pierced through skin | Poor prognosis due to risk of infection |
As this table shows, the more damage beyond a simple cleanly broken bone, the lower the chance of recovery without major complications.
Why Euthanasia is Often Chosen
Given the severe pain, long recovery, high cost, and poor prognosis associated with most equine leg fractures, many vets and owners make the difficult decision to euthanize the horse rather than attempt treatment.
Here are some of the top reasons euthanasia is frequently chosen:
Pain and Stress of Treatment
Supporting the weight of a horse immobilized in a sling or cast for months causes tremendous stress. Even with pain medication, fractures are uncomfortable. Not all horses have a calm enough temperament to tolerate the restrictions.
Low Success Rate
Treatment is still developing, so success rates for repaired leg fractures are fairly low compared to other veterinary surgeries. One study showed only 59% of horses with repaired cannon bone fractures were successful athletically. Other fractures have even lower success rates.
High Cost
The surgical repair, hospitalization, medication, and aftercare for a horse with a broken leg often costs tens of thousands of dollars, beyond what many owners can afford. Even with financial assistance from insurance, the bills can be prohibitive.
Prolonged Recovery
It takes 6-12 months of stall rest and restricted activity for fractures to heal. Owners must commit ample time and management during recovery. The horse may also lose muscle, stamina, and conditioning.
Loss of Function
Even after successful treatment, the leg may not regain full strength and range of motion. This could prevent an athletic or working horse from returning to its prior activity level. The leg is also prone to developing arthritis.
Difficulty Bearing Weight
As a prey animal, horses feel strong instinct to immediately stand up after lying down. They can develop deadly complications if unable to bear full weight on all four legs. This makes recovery very tricky.
Given all these reasons, it’s understandable why the kindest option is often to humanely euthanize the horse shortly after the injury occurs. Attempting repair may simply prolong suffering.
When Treatment May Be Attempted
While the odds are stacked against horses with broken legs, there are some cases where owners and vets may decide to try surgical repair or other creative solutions, such as:
- Foals or other young horses who are expected to heal well
- Valuable breeding stock or elite athletes worth the investment
- Fractures that have an better-than-average prognosis
- Owners who can fund the treatment and provide excellent aftercare
With advancements in veterinary medicine, the success rate for some types of fractures is slowly improving. But there is no guarantee of an excellent outcome, and costs remain high. It’s a complex, emotional decision for owners to make.
Emergency Field Care for Suspected Fractures
If a broken leg is suspected after an accident, it’s important to call a veterinarian right away rather than trying to move or transport the horse yourself. In the meantime:
- Don’t try to force the horse to stand or bear weight.
- Immobilize the leg with a splint if possible to limit further damage.
- Apply a pressure wrap if bleeding is present.
- Keep the horse as still and calm as possible until the vet arrives.
With prompt, proper care, some “rarely curable” injuries do successfully heal, so it’s always worth getting an evaluation. Never rule out hope until your veterinarian has assessed the situation.
Alternatives to Euthanasia
While euthanasia is the traditional outcome for horses with severe leg fractures, some owners pursue alternative options to attempt salvaging their horse’s life. These include:
High-Tech Surgical Repair
Advanced techniques like locking compression plates, bone grafts, and arthroscopic surgery may be able to mend fractures that were once a death sentence. The technology is rapidly evolving.
Prosthetics or Bracing
Custom prosthetics and supportive limb bracing can allow horses to bear some weight even if bones or joints are severely damaged. This reduces risks from long-term sling rest.
Alternative Therapies
Some holistic veterinarians report success using alternative treatments like acupuncture, herbal medicine, laser therapy, and possibly stem cell therapy along with traditional methods.
Humane Euthanasia
If a positive outcome still seems highly unlikely, owners may elect to have the horse humanely euthanized by a veterinarian shortly after the traumatic injury or diagnosis rather than days/weeks later when complications set in. This can be the kindest choice if the prognosis is very grave.
Not all horses need to be immediately euthanized when a broken leg occurs. But owners should think carefully and seek professional guidance before pursuing difficult, extensive treatment with a low probability of success if the horse’s best interests are top priority.
Key Takeaways on Broken Legs in Horses
Here are some of the key points to remember about horses suffering leg fractures:
- Broken legs are excruciatingly painful and life-threatening injuries in horses due to the forces their slender leg bones withstand.
- The prognosis depends greatly on the specific type and severity of fracture, plus additional factors like contamination.
- Euthanasia has historically been the standard recommendation, but some cases may be treated surgically today.
- Owners must weigh the costs, quality of life during recovery, likelihood of complications, and anticipated athletic outcome when deciding on treatment.
- Horses unable to bear full weight on all four limbs are at risk of foundering, laminitis, and other deadly secondary conditions.
- Even after successful repair, the injured leg may have permanent limitations in strength and range of motion.
- Prevention through proper training, conditioning, nutrition, and shoeing is extremely important to lower fracture risk.
Sadly, broken legs often cut short the lives of horses in their prime. But the euthanasia outcome is slowly improving thanks to advances in equine medicine, as long as owners have the resources and commitment to attempt repair.
Conclusion
Horses do not absolutely have to be euthanized if they fracture a leg. But severe leg fractures have historically carried a grave prognosis. Euthanasia is often the most humane option to prevent extended suffering from a painful injury with a difficult, lengthy recovery and uncertain outcome. However, some owners opt to have their vets attempt repair of certain fractures today, especially in valuable breeding or competitive horses. The costs are high and require months of intensive aftercare without guarantee of success. Advanced veterinary techniques are improving the prognosis for some fractures. But there is still risk of complications like infection and arthritis even after successful surgical stabilization. When possible, prevention of leg fractures through proper training, nutrition, conditioning, and shoeing is key to helping horses lead longer, healthier lives.