07/07/2026
Just a quick read for those who wonder what I nip at down there 🐎
Ergots - what are they?
Those small, hard, pointed lump found at the back of your horse's leg, under the fetlock.
a small callosity on the underside of the fetlock
🦴 Leftover from evolution.
thought to be a vestige of part of the ancestral foot a remnant from millions of years ago, when horses had multiple toes rather than the single hoof we know today.
✋ It's made of the same stuff as the hoof.
The ergot is keratin — the same fibrous protein as your horse's hoof, mane and tail (and your own fingernails).
💧 It may still do a small job.
Ergots are thought to help guide water away from the heel of the hoof - excess moisture can cause instability of the hoof or create ideal airless conditions for thrush to thrive.
🫧 Underneath the ergot sits
Attached by ligaments that attach to the connective tissue of the pastern
Could it offer some incidental protection to the soft tissue behind the fetlock, given it's a hardened keratin
the deep and superficial digital flexor tendons run down the back of the cannon and over the fetlock; the distal sesamoidean ligaments and the proximal sesamoid bones sit at the back of the joint; and the digital flexor tendon sheath, plus a network of nerves and vessels, all converge here
📏 They vary hugely. Coming in all shapes and sizes.
Do they need anything doing to them? For the most part, no. If they become overgrown, your farrier can trim them as part of routine care.
