How would crutches and walkers for centaurs work?

Question

In the world I'm constructing, I have equine centaurs. I was going over my research and my notes for centaurs, and I realized that most horses are put down when they break a leg. Now, these centaurs live in a society on par to ours, and they wouldn't let someone die for such a simple injury, especially not when the humanoids are barely bothered by it.

I was thinking that maybe the centaurs could use canes, crutches, or walkers, due to the fact that they have a humanoid torso. However, I need some help with the design. Whatever you design, it needs to let the centaur walk without putting pressure on that last and it needs to let them heal properly. Please remember that they have difficulty reaching their back and back legs, but others could most certainly help them.

Their technology is at the same level as ours, save the fact that it's a touch more advanced in recycling and clean energy. There's also a ton of plastic, so you can definitely use that as a material if you want to.

Answer 1

Depending on the location of the injury (which leg and where on the leg), a knee walker or knee scooter might do the trick. Obviously it would be built to hold a LOT more weight and to work with the centaur's physique.

For injuries where something like this won't work, you may have to treat it the way a spinal injury is treated. With a traction device in a hospital with staff to help out. Only instead of an actual traction device, it's a sling system that allows the centaur to be in a standing position without putting any weight on the healing limb. These exist now for horses but are simple and made for barns. They wouldn't have all the bells and whistles you'd expect for a human-like creature. And they'd have to be built for a centaur shape and needs.

It may not be possible for the centaur to be mobile during recovery. Though another possibility is a sling system that works in a van or electric cart, much like some are adapted for the use of drivers in power wheelchairs. A regular wheelchair wouldn't hold a centaur, so it would have to be at least as big as a golf cart.

Answer 2

Crutches are probably out except for very short term. The torso muscles just aren't strong enough to hold up the front of a horse (horses are heavy).

We currently have two wheeled carts that can be positioned under either the front of the back of a 4 legged animal. So those should work. The wheels for the front will be difficult to design since all that weight supported by the (horse) chest will interfere with breathing. The back end carts will be much easier.

Take a look at handicappedpets.com for designs that are made for dogs.

Equus Magazine has an article on slings for horses. Note that due to the horses great weight, everything has to be much more robust than the equipment for dogs. Also, the devices for horses are more about immobilizing the horse while the bones heal than allowing movement.

Given the horse's non-sapient nature any horse that is valuable enough to not be put down for the broken leg is simply kept still. With centaurs, they would likely put the effort into being mobile. So a beefed up set of dog wheels will likely result.

Answer 3

Real horses are prey and did not evolve to be treated by humans and will re-injure themselves even when treated, however Centaurs being intelligent beings with a heavy-muscled torso will be able to use simple axillary crutches when injured at the forelegs during the day to shuffle around:

But they will have to use slings to cure their hind legs or when resting at night for both fore and hind legs:

(example from a donkey taken as donkeys are much smarter than horses and are more likely to survive this process)