The influence of different age, breed, use and gender on the palmar ligament width in non-lame horses

The present study was carried out to investigate whether age, breed, use and gender have any influence on palmar ligament width in non-lame horses. Pathology of the metacarpophalangeal joint are frequently associated with lameness in horses. Although osteoarticular lesions are the most common, soft tissue lesions of the proximal scutum, are not rare. Diagnosis of injuries to the palmar ligament and its associated structures is mainly based on abnormal imaging features, such as increased width of the ligament above 0.6 cm. The palmar ligament width was measured in 58 non-lame horses. The horses were divided into groups according to age, breed, use and gender. None of the examined horses had disruption of the palmar ligament from the proximal sesamoid bones, or alterations of echogenicity within the ligament. Fourteen horses (24%) had at least one palmar ligament wider than 0.6 cm. The statistically significant influence of age, breed, use and gender on the mean palmar ligament width was recorded. These findings suggest that a palmar ligament width above 0.6 cm is not always a certain sign of proximal scutum pathology, but could also be influenced by the age, breed, useand gender of horses.