Any help greatfull :) tendon advice???

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jojane

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Hi i dont really know were to start!!:/ i have owned my boy ( 16.2 tb x 14yr old) for almost 3 years now!Hes an ex event horse life hasent been fair to us hes had abit of time off with different things all easy to fix ie sore back from badly fitted saddle before i got him,brused sole etc.he does have old injurys bire wire injury to front hoof but fine n managed wel,back hind fetlock area always been bit bigger from old injury has wingalls also on that leg..he dosent have great comfimation either:/

So in may he went lame he went to the vets for 3days they said he has old injurys etc,that hes lived with most his life and will carry on to do so as i already know. So the verdick was his DDFT i saw the scan it had tiny little tears and a small v shape tear to be honest didnt really know what i was looking for. Hes had 14weeks off,been rescanned twice tendon has never gone down in size its always been that big dont ever think it wil change,tears have gone. Hes been in a small paddock not doing alot for al this time hes had off.
So vet came today and said he needs to start doing something again now walkin in lines for 6weeks then to give her a ring..I have had a very good back lady twice in this time hes had off she cant belive how tight he was and how much he has improved now. She thinks hes pulled himself in the field witch made him go lame etc!

Snice doing his tendon nothing has changed hes alwasy rested both hind legs,its always been that size,hes always a little stiff in a morning after been in for the night!
So what am trying to say is am thinking did he ever do his tendon???i have never heard of them been rode after 14weeks with a tendon injury??
But then vets know best right? She said hes a grade one????i think she means lameness wise??because he drops a tiny tiny bit in the left hind she said its prob him n its the best hes going to get??and most horses are a grade one or two n there owner dnt know it!
Back lady said hes not lame at all an dose not use his hamstrings correctly witch make him drop a tiny bit in the hind!!!
I feel i have lost my faith in the vets and am getting more with the physio!!
Hes alwasy been perfect to ride never feels funny,drops etc or rests i must add!!
Its been driving me crazy for months and then i get told i can ride him:) and am now feeling fobbed of like i have wasted time n lost al faith in vets!!!!!!!any help please.........:)) sorry for long post x
 
One of mine had simmilar tendon issue, I was recomended by vet to use good support boots/bandages to begin with, the workload was slowly increased and the vet recomended Devils Relife to keep her comfortable. She has an occasional unlevel stride (especialy when on smaller circles) but moves very well when in the field. There is still a small lump/swelling where the injury was but at 18yo I guess thats par for the course.
 
He probably did show some minor damage to his tendon in the first scan,this has had time to heal,gentle work will help it to strengthen.
Your physio sounds like mine,really good,and her work will be invaluable in helping him to use himself properly.
 
i agree too. the vet is right imho. your horse needed rest (which he's had) and now needs controlled slow exercise to get him fit again.
he may have hurt his back while rolling, playing in the field, etc, nothing to do with being rested as such.
if the tears (lesions) in the tendon that were visible on the earlier scans have now gone, then the rest was worth it, that's what you wanted to happen, and the vet was correct. if they were old injuries from years ago they wouldn't have changed in 14 wks.
 
I got told by vet when my mare tore her ddft it takes up to 12 mths to heal don't go rushing it my mare was also 1 /10th lame that sort of damage doesn't show up much lameness till the tear is getting really bad be careful good luck
 
most tendon injuries are not lame after the first 48 hours. but the damage is still there. only scanning will show the full extent of the damage, and the best cure is time out. ie resting time. box rest initially then paddock rest, then controlled exercise to strengthen the tendon. once back in controlled exercise 6 to 8 weeks walking on hard ground (ie pavement pounding) then another 4 weeks introducing and increasing trot work then free to do whatever gradually.
 
It doesnt matter what the cause is if the answer is the same. gentle bring back to light work over a year. My instinct is to believe the vet ,but trust my own instinct that time is the thing that will heal this horse. I must differ with "ofcourseyoucan",s opinion . It takes at LEAST a year.Rush it and you can blow it for good.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys :)
yea hes been scanned 3 times n she wants me to ring her in 6weeks (the vet)
I rode him tonite for 15mins in straight lines i plan on doing this for a while but how often the vet never said??what are peoples views everyday??every other??
He seemd fine very hapy altho some advice would be good he was perfect on the way out,happy looking around As soon as i turn for home he startd swishing his tail n twiching his withers????like he had flys??am goin to get his saddle checkd again as he has lost his top line..
i remerber him doing this just after he had his last clipp and the stupid girl clipped him fully n didnt leave a saddle patch we had the back lady she said he was sore and he didnt really do it much after that then he did his tendon month or so later!!
any advice on that would be great i know its his first time with tack on in 15weeks but i worry :)) x
 
As you said he would have lost some of his topline during his break.I would get his saddle checked but it would help if you use a sheepskin 1/2 pad or something similar,to start with while he builds up again.
I should think 15 mins daily gradually increasing the time over the 6 weeks.If you can do 5 or 6 days a week you should see him build up muscle well in that time.
I would also get the physio out after a week or two so that they can check all is going well.
 
be positive said:
As you said he would have lost some of his topline during his break.I would get his saddle checked but it would help if you use a sheepskin 1/2 pad or something similar,to start with while he builds up again.
I should think 15 mins daily gradually increasing the time over the 6 weeks.If you can do 5 or 6 days a week you should see him build up muscle well in that time.
I would also get the physio out after a week or two so that they can check all is going well.
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hi thanks for your relpy:)
yes hes really lost his top-line :/ i did think it was strange that he was fine on the way out n then started on the way back..just with him doing it before i hit panic mode!! He seems fine i ran my hands over his back after the ride and he was fine..But yeah i have a gel pad so il use that 2moz.. I was thinkin most days if i can n the back lady came wednesday and is coming back in 4 weeks she said thats when she wil need to see us again. :)
 
dizzydoo said:
I got told by vet when my mare tore her ddft it takes up to 12 mths to heal don't go rushing it my mare was also 1 /10th lame that sort of damage doesn't show up much lameness till the tear is getting really bad be careful good luck
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Couldnt agree more. My boy did his tendon end of last Nov and we are still walking lol. Consultant orthopaedic surgeon said aim for a year and despite my own vet saying up his work, about 3-4 months ago, I have resisted and stuck to my guns feeling that time is the biggest healer were soft tissue is concerned. He walked almost immediately (48hrs initial box rest and cold therapy) . Then in hand walking starting at 5 mins twice a day, increasing by 5 mins a week, until I was walking about 30 mins twice a day (I was mega fit then lol) . I also sent him swimming around this time as he was still on box rest and was getting a bit fit with the walking and becoming a handful, swimming just took the edge off him and worked him without the extra strain on the leg. He was then allowed turn out, tiny square on his own, sedated!!!and I could walk him under saddle. This is when my vet said he could start some staight line trot, however I felt I would sooner get him stronger with lots of walking before pushing him. Like I said, this was way back in March/April and I am still walking now. He is out in his bigger field and has a jog around at times and fingers crossed her appears sound although he has been for some time now anyway. We do the occasional few strides of trot out hacking, usually only to catch a friend up! My aim is to hack as long as the light nights will allow me to, then when I have no choice but to come into the arena after work, then I will look at increasing the amount of trot, in straight lines only. I can't see me cantering until the new year at least!! Some may think this is overkill but I feel my little horse has given me 6 years of fabulous dressage, achieving things I never dreamt of, so this is the least I can do for him in return. I love him dearly and would love to be able to compete him again. He has also had the pleasure of regular equissage treatments, whole body and direct to the injury, he wears bioflow magnetic boots overnight, still swims, hopefully a few days a month and is about to have some laser therapy to try and keep the scar tissue at bay! Is he spoiled or what?!! :D
 
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Spudlins momma said:
Couldnt agree more. My boy did his tendon end of last Nov and we are still walking lol. Consultant orthopaedic surgeon said aim for a year and despite my own vet saying up his work, about 3-4 months ago, I have resisted and stuck to my guns feeling that time is the biggest healer were soft tissue is concerned. He walked almost immediately (48hrs initial box rest and cold therapy) . Then in hand walking starting at 5 mins twice a day, increasing by 5 mins a week, until I was walking about 30 mins twice a day (I was mega fit then lol) . I also sent him swimming around this time as he was still on box rest and was getting a bit fit with the walking and becoming a handful, swimming just took the edge off him and worked him without the extra strain on the leg. He was then allowed turn out, tiny square on his own, sedated!!!and I could walk him under saddle. This is when my vet said he could start some staight line trot, however I felt I would sooner get him stronger with lots of walking before pushing him. Like I said, this was way back in March/April and I am still walking now. He is out in his bigger field and has a jog around at times and fingers crossed her appears sound although he has been for some time now anyway. We do the occasional few strides of trot out hacking, usually only to catch a friend up! My aim is to hack as long as the light nights will allow me to, then when I have no choice but to come into the arena after work, then I will look at increasing the amount of trot, in straight lines only. I can't see me cantering until the new year at least!! Some may think this is overkill but I feel my little horse has given me 6 years of fabulous dressage, achieving things I never dreamt of, so this is the least I can do for him in return. I love him dearly and would love to be able to compete him again. He has also had the pleasure of regular equissage treatments, whole body and direct to the injury, he wears bioflow magnetic boots overnight, still swims, hopefully a few days a month and is about to have some laser therapy to try and keep the scar tissue at bay! Is he spoiled or what?!! :D
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Hi thanks for your reply :) yes am def goin to take it nice n slow wouldent dream of doing any other i want him to enjoy the rest of his life n be pain free :) are jumping days are over but i have every faith he wil love showin,hackin just as much in time:)
the vet said to walk for 6weeks then up it but am think more 12+..
do you think the bio boots help???am lookin at gettin some i cold hose and cold gel after every ride..do u ride yoursd in boots??some people say to but i thought then tendon ahd to be kept cool???? god i would love my boy to go swimming were do you take yours??dont think there is any around here :( his tendon had tiny tears in it that seem to have healed but am been honest both scans ookd totaly different to me!!but the vet knows best am sure!
i was just worried that he startd twiching his withers last nite and swishing his tail as if to say get of my back hurts BUT he only did it on the way home......
And its nice to spiol them :) my boys had a few wrong owners to find the right one:) i belive he found me :)
 
jojane said:
Hi thanks for your reply :) yes am def goin to take it nice n slow wouldent dream of doing any other i want him to enjoy the rest of his life n be pain free :) are jumping days are over but i have every faith he wil love showin,hackin just as much in time:)
the vet said to walk for 6weeks then up it but am think more 12+..
do you think the bio boots help???am lookin at gettin some i cold hose and cold gel after every ride..do u ride yoursd in boots??some people say to but i thought then tendon ahd to be kept cool???? god i would love my boy to go swimming were do you take yours??dont think there is any around here :( his tendon had tiny tears in it that seem to have healed but am been honest both scans ookd totaly different to me!!but the vet knows best am sure!
i was just worried that he startd twiching his withers last nite and swishing his tail as if to say get of my back hurts BUT he only did it on the way home......
And its nice to spiol them :) my boys had a few wrong owners to find the right one:) i belive he found me :)
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Hi, I don't know whether the bio boots work, again like most things relating to mending ponies, very mixed opinions. My vet kind of feels all the things I've done won't do any harm so why not give em a bash. I am in the north west and there are a couple of places in the area to swim.
As far as boot/bandages go, if you had asked me last year I would say I would never ride without them and in preparation for my boy coming back into work I bought him a full set of prof choice elite, breathable boots. However the more I have read the more against boots I am. All my hacking I have done without any boots or banadages on and will probably keep him like this while just doing my straight line trotting. If and when I manage to up to canter work I may think about the boots, although that will only be for suspensory support and to prevent strike injury as all the research I found stated that due to the way a tendon works, no boot will prevent an injury caused by hyperextension, only from a strike injury. What I did read was that bandages would need to be extremely tight to actually support a tendon, however they would then be too tight and affect circulation. It is a minefield out there, believe me I have spent the last 9 months reading and stressing. My latest thing is laser therapy. I'm waiting to start that in the hope that it will help to break down some of the scar tissue and tighten things up (I believe this is what itis meant to do) :confused::confused:
 
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