Breaking a leg...and living to 'tell the tale'

[MizElz]

Just wondering how many of us on here have owned/known horses who have broken a leg and survived? And whether or not the horse continued to work as before once the break had healed?
I know of two...one was a yearling belonging to my trainer, by Voltaire. He slipped on ice and went down, and fractured his pedal bone. It wasnt a displacement fracture, and so they managed to destabilize him with the use of straw bales, for about 6 months I think. The fracture healed, leaving only a white ring just above the coronet. He went on to jump in the 4 yr old champs and the BN/Discovery second rounds, but didnt show enough scope to be taken further, so was sold on to a girl who wanted to event him.
The other was my mother's pony, whom she bought secretly, aged 14, from Stow fair. One day she found him (when he was 6, I think) crippled in the field; they thought he had tripped over a stone - a real freak accident! The break was more severe in his case, and the vet wanted to put him down, but Mum sought a 2nd opinion and he was put into a cast. He recovered enough to be able to hack and do flatwork, but he never jumped nor hunted again, for fear of putting stress on the bone. We believe he is still alive now - at 31 years of age!

 

[Taboo1968]

Thank god I've never had to deal with that, but remember as a child a fellow livery whose horse broke its leg.... now this was back in the day when breaks were deemed "bad" but she demanded that it be sorted and Satin was in a cast for ages.... It was successful and he continued with his normal career!

 

[TinselRider]

one of my old beasties broke his leg severly and surviveed ....unfortunately sue to being in a RJ bandage for so long his tendons were weakened and literally snaped so had to be PTS soon after

 

[AandK]

my horse got kicked in the field and fractrured his elbow, to start with he couldn't even put any weight on that leg.. the leg was 3 times the size of the other one due to him also having a cut near the fracture site..

he was cross tied for 4 weeks, box rest for another 2 weeks then started walking out in hand, after walking for a week or so started to be turned out in a stable sized area and we gradually made it larger.. all the while i was then able to start walking him out under saddle.. that was in Nov 2005 and he went on to event again in March 2006 coming 2nd in his first event back from injury, i nearly cried i was so happy, not only for him to still be alive and sound but also that i could still go out and have fun on him.!

*edited due to my bad spelling and proof reading*

 

[polyphonic]

A friends horse was kicked in the field- fractured her leg-she was also cross tied for about 6 weeks, box rest for 2 weeks and then sedated and walked out in hand. She then went to the owners field (she was on my livery yard) where she was kicked out for the summer- she was bought back into work in sept time and has picked up from where she left off- I will say she was a DR horse and the chances of Danni jumping her before the accident were nil

 

[Tinkerbee]

yes, we had two new horses, both attacked in the field by the other horse

both had a broken leg, one, badly broken, numerous cuts and huge heamatoma, had to be pts

the other, less serious break, was bandaged up cross ties (she was a psycho tho :S ) then box rest...

she was then sold and i believe she is driven, just for fun

(she was 16)

 

[dieseldog]

We had a horse kicked in the field, she was only slightly lame, came sound. Rode her, halfway around a HT she went lame and it turned out she had a factured cannon bone. She had been ridden for about 2 months complelty sound. She was put on box rest and she totally healed.

 

[Hemirjtm]

A mare i used to ride broke her leg when she was 15, A woman in a car crashed into the back of her and she flipped over and got her leg trapped in the car, the vet said she wouldn't last 24 and if she did they would opperate, she survived the 24 hours so they operated! The vets said that it was unlikely that she would survive the next 48hrs, but she did! Her owner stayed with her, and Elsa carried on getting stronger and stronger!! She never jumped as high as she used to but at 22 she made the move over to France, and when she was 23 i started riding her, once/twice a week at first just gentil hacking, but her owner could see that she was getting fitter and really enjoying herself, so i started doing the odd bit in the school and then i started jumping her again (mare was supposed to be retired!), and in the end we entered a competition where the jumps where 3'6, apparently she hadn't jumped that big since before her accident!! She really was a superstar and although she's 'retired' now she still gets ridden occasionally when she becomes too much to handle

here she is! She will always have a special place in my heart

 

[MizElz]

What a lovely mare, NN!!!

 

[Hemirjtm]

[ QUOTE ]
What a lovely mare, NN!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

she really is a special girly!! tought me how to sit whatever she through at me, and scared the pants of me most days!! But she would do anything you asked, and loved jumping, she's one of those horses that isn't happy unless they are being worked!! I haven't seen her in 2 years, but we still see her owner, and i'm hopfully going to go and see her soon

and hopefully take her out for a walk

 

[Mithras]

Mine had what turned out to be a cracked bone in her hind leg just below the hock when I went to try her. If you consider the trial involved jumping BN height with a strange rider, and she jumped 2 double clears, I thought it was actallly a sign of a very special, genuine horse. My vetting flagged up a problem and her owner/breeders got her x rayed as suspected it might be a spavin, but we were all astonished when it was a cracked bone, probably from a kick in the field.

Since I hadnt sold my current horse and the seller was pregnant, (and the mare only 7) we were all happy to give her what turned out to be 6 months to recover. She was on box rest for a few weeks and then turn out and made a full recovery and passed the second vetting. She was very unfit when I got her but has won her last 2 BNs, carried me safely round the WH at the RHS this year and has just done 2 full days hunting. Even if she went unsound now (and I dont think she will), she will more than have justified my buying her as I had no experience jumping at the level I am now with her before I got her.

 

[Bananarama]

I know two horses who have broken there legs. The first was a huge horse called Harley, who loved to race, he fractured his leg and got operated on. Now he lives his life in a big box with an hour turn-out daily.
The other was a TB called Gem. Gem was found in the field in the dark in extreme pain. The vet came and thought it was a fracture and said he would come back in the morning when it was light. Turned out it was a broken leg and a shattered shoulder, he was PTS there and then. The poor guy had jumped a wall and fallen.

 

[Louby]

I found my boy on 3 legs in the field, his knee looked like it had been knocked sidewards. I called the vet expecting him to be pts but xrays on the spot shown a fracture to his radius. My marvellous vet strapped his leg up supported by a drainpipe and off we went to Leahurst as there was a large hick wound in his carpal sheath area and my vet thought it may need flushing. That was November 2007, he spent 2 weeks at Leahurst cross tied in a RJ, it wasnt infected thankfully, then about 10 more weeks cross tied at home, then box rest for about another 4 weeks, walking out in hand which was an experience! then turnout in a small paddock, then free in the field with sedalin. The sod galloped up and down the fence and I was mortified. He had to have a bone chip removed about 4 months after but then we started riding again and was told to treat him like a normal horse. He can jump, gallop, do dressage, anything.
Needless to say he is turned out alone but next to his partner in crime as his field antics were getting worse and worse and this was an accident waiting to happen.
It was thanks to a great vet and also everyones support on here that got me through it. Awww I feel all nostalgic

 

[PapaFrita]

Does a broken pelvis count? PF's trainer told her she broke hers as a yearling or 2-year old... I forget which. She's wonky to this day, but sound as a bell. I don't think pelvises are as serious as legs though and have a much better prognosis.
Mariah's Storm (Dam of Giant's Causeway) recovered from a broken leg to win several graded races in the US... and then they made a film about it

 

[CateMMH]

My horse fractured his knee nearly 2 years ago aged 17. He was a 2 star horse who although retired was still in full work just no competition (although I have to say he'd still go to this day as he lived and breathed his xc ). Anyway, we were out on the gallops and he tripped and hit his knee but was straight up again and fine. He pulled up lame (literally 30 secs later as we were right at the end). Walked home (in hand) as he wasn't too bad and had the vet and he thought it just a knock so box rest for a few days. A week in box and we came out to walk in hand and ridden and no probs but trot was lame so back in box for two more weeks (vets advice of course as always). Then out and again lame just in trot so the xray time and I nearly died when they said it was fractured (the knee that is). Anyway no surgery, back in box and then tiny hospital paddock for 6 months or more. Then walking gently for months, (weekly vets visits at this point). It was a year before we got to trot again. Now 2 years on his is fitter and stronger Ihave to say than ever. He was so good during the whole time. It was never ever life threatening as it was only the smallest fracture but nevertheless I cried and cried in that vet room when they told me. After the shock we talked prognosis and it was all good.

ps This is the chestnut on my website when you login and land on the homepage (this was 8 months into his 'year' rest! and not looking too bad to be fair, ok so maybe i'm biased

). He is my angel! Petplan were fabulous from start to finish.

 

[Parkranger]

I don't know what others think but I think a horse breaking it's leg 15/20 years ago was deemed 'the end'. My old boy broke his leg and the vet PTS but I can't help thinking, after what some other horses have gone through, that he may have pulled through - guess alot depends on the demeanour of the horse and whether it will be strapped into a stable for months or not!

 

[CateMMH]

I'd say demeanor is right and I never thought in a million years my boy would stand still, but given enough haylage and his best friend (one of my others) he was bribed well enough to do the job. He coped far better than I thought he ever would it may have been a very different story if he didn't stand well and take to being stabled 24/7. He is ususally out from dawn until dusk all year round. All day seemed a bit much but he was fine and almost as if he knew he had to. Getting him out into the hospital paddock about 15 x 15 made all the different as he thought he was outside.

If you horse doens't take to the rehab I think you're in trouble.

 

[suef1]

My mare had a fractured pedal bone in 2001. She had 6 months box rest and was brouht slowly back into work (2 months walking etc etc) and was back eventing the next year (she came off box rest in the August). Also, in the autumn of 2006, she got kicked in the field and had a hairline fracture to her stifle joint. Again, she was back eventing the next year. I dont like box rest as a rule but sometimes its very necessary. Having horses with injuries is horrible isnt it, but well worth the hard work you put in to heal them as quickly as possible!

 

[MurphysMinder]

Our pony had a star fracture of the tibia about 4 years ago. 6 weeks cross tied in a RJ and then another 2 months box rest. She is back competing again, but only low courses, around 2ft 3, (she is 13 hh), we don't want to push her as she is 20 this year. Having said that she clears the jumps by at least another foot, has always done that.

A broken leg certainly isn't the death warrant it was 20 or so years ago, but I think it depends very much on how severe the break is.