Advice needed - horse recovered from potential tendon injury

Meandtheboys

Meandtheboys

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Need some common sense advice please.....vets say its up to me!!

Lunged Axle today and he seemed totally sound, even on slight uneven field - both reins

Farrier is coming on Friday and I just wondered whether I should put some front shoes on him and start some walking 10/ 15 mins over the coming weeks or leave him til after Easter as originally planned and just leave shoes off?

Just for clarity Axle fell in the field last August and was very lame on his off fore leg / shoulder, had physio etc and although no swelling around the tendon area the vet advised to treat as per tendon injury as small pulse at the back of the knee.

He has been very lame up until December and then he has progressively improved, just to add he initially had 6 weeks box rest then out 24/7 field rest mainly due to him being a large patient @ 17:3hh!!

If i start his walking should this be on roads or field ( no mud and virtually flat )?

Thanks in advance...............
 
My mare did have a tendon injury, re-hab was no lunging, walking out in hand then ridden on the roads only. No school work until fully strengthened and even then, avoid deep surfaces. The more roadwork and walking out the better. Brought trot work into the picture after several weeks and only did this uphill, in the bridle and not for long periods. Tendon injuries take a long time to heal properly, take your time if your vet thinks that your horses problem was just that. My mare is still sound and hers was a bad tear within the hoof.
 
Forgot to say, my horse had egg bar shoes on for support, yours may not need this if the injury wasnt a definite tendon one. Ask your Farrier for advice on that one.
 
The longer, slower and gentler you can do it, the better I would have thought. Personally, I would lunge as little as possible, but that is just me.
 
Thank-you...........after thinking whilst dog walking, best answer will probably come from my farrier.

I always had Easter as the 'hopeful' turning point so I will be very angry with myself if I rush things and he ends up being lame again.
 
PennyJ said:
The longer, slower and gentler you can do it, the better I would have thought. Personally, I would lunge as little as possible, but that is just me.
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Cheers - I don't normally lunge very much but I just wanted to see if he was still lame.

Just so many differing opinions from initial injury to recovery!!
 
Your very wise not to rush. I dont ride Izzy in the school atall, they are either too deep in the summer or frozen and too wet in the winter. We do mainly hacking out now which she loves, I also feed her NAF Msm for healthy tendons and joints, dont know whether it works but I like their products and the Oestress works for her. Physio and vet both advised me not to lunge her, she tore her DDFT and the lunging would put too much weight on her leg. Be guided by your vet on that one and dont put time limits on recovery, the slower and steadier the better. Good luck!
 
Mine had 18 months off after ripping a 2cm hole in her DDFT. She still wasn't sound by the end, but then shoeing her and gradual walking (as in, literally five minutes up the road for about two weeks, then ten ... took me six months to start trotting) actually made her sound.

I read a lot of research at the time that suggested 18 months is how long it takes to properly heal a tendon, if it's going to heal at all - so I wanted to give her the best chance, and then took it VERY slowly with the walking (and NO turning unless it was unavoidable, eg to come home again!) to give her the best chance. She took a long time to be able to cope with uneven ground and is best on a flat road slightly uphill - so that's how I tried to start her off, walking in the middle of the road to avoid the camber and avoiding going downhill.

If I were in your position again, I'd leave it a little bit longer if I could. My vet got to the point of being insistant that I started walking her - six months earlier she had said I "could".

Good luck, I hope he stays sound :)

Edited to add - I lunged mine once to see if she was sound - I regretted it as it put her back a bit :( I stuck to making as best a guess as possible on the straight, after that!
 
I'm currently rehabbing my boy. He had a suspected branch injury, though was only minor, the worst bit was when we got froze in and i couldnt walk him in hand he kicked off in his box and created a 2mm bone chip. so moved yards so i could get him out everyday. the original injury was in october, the chip was november and I've just started to ride him at trot, he's done 2 weeks walk previously though he'd been turned out daily for 10 mins and has been fine. Sadly i cant hack him out, he naps so badly he's dangerous and would injure himself further so it has had to be in the school, I was told he could start walk work over 6 weeks ago but wanted to take it slow so gave him an extra month. Touch wood, so far he's been fine.
 
Navalgem said:
I'm currently rehabbing my boy. He had a suspected branch injury, though was only minor, the worst bit was when we got froze in and i couldnt walk him in hand he kicked off in his box and created a 2mm bone chip. so moved yards so i could get him out everyday. the original injury was in october, the chip was november and I've just started to ride him at trot, he's done 2 weeks walk previously though he'd been turned out daily for 10 mins and has been fine. Sadly i cant hack him out, he naps so badly he's dangerous and would injure himself further so it has had to be in the school, I was told he could start walk work over 6 weeks ago but wanted to take it slow so gave him an extra month. Touch wood, so far he's been fine.
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Apart from his size my boy is a good patient, so when the time comes hacking out it should not be a problem....................reading other 'live' experiences - time is obviously the best healer for longterm recovery.
 
mine did her tendon ddft in august . i plan to leave her a couple more months then very slowly start walking in hand then ridden work in walk .i have been advised it can be a year or more and will be very cautious .she is still on restricted turnout.
 
debsflo said:
mine did her tendon ddft in august . i plan to leave her a couple more months then very slowly start walking in hand then ridden work in walk .i have been advised it can be a year or more and will be very cautious .she is still on restricted turnout.
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Today is 12 month anniversary of my mare doing her DDFT. She has had stem cell therapy and our "plan B" was to put her in foal (due late april). We took her for a final scan under the insurance last Wednesday, it looks very good indeed, but is not 100% there. Vet is really pleased with her progress, but is also very glad it is going to be another 6 months at least before she is ridden again, and said that if we could stretch it out to a full 2 years before we rode her properly again, it would only be a good thing. We did very gently re-start her in September, just walk and a tiny bit of trot (her jogging actually), but it was all very low key and no pressure - once a week maximum, then December and the snow came and we pretty much gave up.... She is sound and hoons around the field like a 2 year old rather than the heavily pregnant mare she now is! I of course watch this when I am there with my heart in my mouth...
 
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