advice on lameness

[scarysarah]

hi, i have a 13 year old NF pony.
history: she had her annular ligaments cut 2 years ago! and recovered really well, she then went through on an off lameness!
last summer the vet diagnosed injury to her deep flexer tendon- she was really lame at this point and I nearly put her down. but I decided to just leave her to get on with things and she was just left in the field. she had been sound for about 3-5 mths (hard to know exact time) and had been bombing about the field ok and managed about on the icy ground!!
so i started to ride her- taking it slow to begin with, and going out about once a week for a mth. She was getting very lively and wanting to charge about everywhere. and last weekend she went lame, so i think we overdid it a bit! she has slight swelling and heat above her fetlock. she has been on bute since and her lameness is still the same. she is walking sound.

do you think she will get over this? and should i just forget about her for a bit! she is still very happy
its so hard to know what to do!!

any advice would be really appreciated!

thanks sarah x

 

[PennyJ]

Well perhaps you could turn her away for a year? This is effectively what we have done with our Mare who damaged her superficial tendons in both front legs last March. She has had (thanks to her insurance with NFU) Stem Cell therapy and has come sound, but we have taken things very easy with her when it comes to ridden work. We also as a back up plan (in case the medical treatments didn't work) put her in foal, which is due in April. She has done some very gentle ridden work (walk and a tiny bit of trot) since September, but no more than once a week, not really what I would describe as bringing back into work. However, she regularly hoons about the field with her best mate which if I'm honest frightens us to death... She's happy though...

What has your vet said?