It’s no secret that the proximal sesamoid bones, which form the back part of the pastern, are a big vulnerability for racehorses. Fractures of the sesamoid bones or failures of the suspensory ligament apparatus that holds them in place are associated with 30 to 50 percent of fatal injuries in Thoroughbred racehorses. So, while we wait for better methods to detect impending injury to those structures, how do we better protect those bones?

(Read more about research on sesamoid bones and their role in a horse’s movement in this Paulick Report feature from January 2021.)

Farrier Steve Stanley, who has worked on racing Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds for some four decades, offered a few suggestions at a recent virtual edition of the Tex Cauthen Memorial Seminar focusing on racing safety.

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