Causes
Repeated concussion of the foot is probably the cause in many cases. Such concussion could be produced when a horse is always worked on a hard surface. There also appears to be a hereditary component to sidebone but this may be because bad conformation is hereditary and bad conformation appears to predispose to sidebone. Bad conformation would include
- those with narrow, upright feet
- those with unbalanced feet, especially if they have toe-in or toe-out conformation
- draft horses, or horses with a heavy build, are more likely to develop sidebone than light horses or ponies
Read more about this topic: Sidebone