Pin firing
Encyclopedia
Pin firing is the treatment of an injury to a horse
's leg, by burning, freezing, or dousing it with acid or caustic
chemicals. This is supposed to induce a counter-irritation and speed and/or improve healing. This treatment is used more often on racehorses than on other performance horses. It is sometimes used in the treatment of bucked shins or splint, curb, or chronic bowed tendon
s. There was also the theory that it would "toughen" the leg of the horse. This treatment is prevalent in equine veterinary books published in the early 20th century; however many present-day veterinarians and horse owners consider it barbaric and a cruel form of treatment. It is not generally taught in veterinary schools today.
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
's leg, by burning, freezing, or dousing it with acid or caustic
Caustic
Caustic may refer to:* Causticity, the property of a substance that causes corrosion** Sodium hydroxide, sometimes called caustic soda** Potassium hydroxide, sometimes called caustic potash** Calcium oxide, sometimes called caustic lime...
chemicals. This is supposed to induce a counter-irritation and speed and/or improve healing. This treatment is used more often on racehorses than on other performance horses. It is sometimes used in the treatment of bucked shins or splint, curb, or chronic bowed tendon
Bowed tendon
Tendinitis/tendonitis is inflammation of a tendon. Many times, the tendon tissue is torn. A bowed tendon is a horseman's term for a tendon after a horse has sustained an injury that caused the tendon fibers to be torn, and then healed with "bowed" appearance.-Description of a Tendinitis in...
s. There was also the theory that it would "toughen" the leg of the horse. This treatment is prevalent in equine veterinary books published in the early 20th century; however many present-day veterinarians and horse owners consider it barbaric and a cruel form of treatment. It is not generally taught in veterinary schools today.