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The injury suffered by the animal may be caused by a myriad
of everyday events, such as kicking in enclosed areas or
simply the act of lying down.
For example, if you are transporting your animal in an
enclosed trailer and the horse kicks against the wall of the
trailer, the chance of capping a hock is high. If this is a
rather frequent situation, the animal may actually
experience a problem with swollen hocks more often than not.
Conversely, when the horse lies down and its leg is located
underneath the rump, the animal’s |
These contusions are nowadays referred to as hygromas.
Behind this veterinary term is the frequently observed
damage of the synovial bursa which is located underneath the
skin of the hock and elbow and which serves to prevent undue
pressure to the tendons caused repetitive movement. Injury
to the bursa results in an increase in fluid within this
sac, and swelling is observable. While the simple swelling
will eventually go down, a puncture wound to the bursa will
frequently result in serious infection which decreases the
odds of a speedy recovery and instead will present several
difficulties to recovery. 
