bringing him back into work/ 1 month off/ steroid injections, WWYD

[Horsekaren]

The boy is now back out as of yesterday after having his hocks injected, before then he has had a month of ridden work with the odd in hand walk for up to 40 mins.

My vet said stick to walk for the first week and introduce trot in the second week, i asked about avoiding the school surface she said not to, i said long straight lines and she suggested not to do that for too long :/ which is different to what i am reading online.

I am going to walk him in hand tonight, how long would you recommend i do this?
i plan on doing the same tomorrow and Wednesday but with his saddle on.
I then planned to get on board on Thursday and Friday staying in walk only.

I thought about maybe introducing his bungee and roller (very lose) in a few days to see if that encourages him but not sure if that is a big no no

How long should i have him walking for?
I have the chiro vet coming on Saturday, would it be wise i get on board before this so i can explain how he is and show up any pain, or should i wait until after.

As for trot how long should i be looking to trot for?

I dont want to rush him but i need to know sooner rather than later if the hocks are a secondary issue to something else.

How would you tackle this?

 

[flying_high]

For me it would depend if the horse has secondary muscle soreness / back soreness from compensating for hock pain. If does I would invest in soft tissue bodywork as soon possible before asking much of the horse.

Generally vets will inject hocks quite close to horses racing / eventing etc. so rest isn’t always indicated. But no point working him if he is in pain.

 

[LaurenBay]

I wouldn't be getting on board until the chiro comes out.

For the time being I would be walking in hand for up to an hour, as he lives out and it is only walking. He will be plenty fit enough for 45 mins- hour.

 

[Horsekaren]

But no point working him if he is in pain.

I wouldn't be getting on board until the chiro comes out.

For the time being I would be walking in hand for up to an hour, as he lives out and it is only walking. He will be plenty fit enough for 45 mins- hour.

Great thanks!
i wont get on until the chiro has been, i was in two minds but i'll wait for her to see him.
As for walk work, if i walk him 30 mins in the morning and 30 mins at night will this be ok, i dont want to over do it but at the same time i need to get him going so i can access our next move.

As for the bungee would this be a wise move?

I want him try and walk and relax over his back, this is the only thing i can think to get this without holding him in place :/

 

[ihatework]

I would ask your Chiro vet if they would prefer to see the horse in hand or under saddle. Then walk for an hour each day between now and then either in hand or under saddle depending on their preference.

 

[Horsekaren]

I would ask your Chiro vet if they would prefer to see the horse in hand or under saddle. Then walk for an hour each day between now and then either in hand or under saddle depending on their preference.

i'm embarrassed i didn't think of that! Thank you

 

[Leo Walker]

Yup, what IHW says. Given he was sore across his back last time I'd want that looking at before I did any ridden work. If hes out in a herd on a biggish he should be walking about a lot anyway so I'm not sure I would bother walking in hand. It wont hurt him to do it though and it will probably be good for the pair of you to get out together. I bet he long reins like a pro if you wanted to do that.

 

[Horsekaren]

.

 

[TotalMadgeness]

What I initially did with mine was:

monthly physio
equilibrium massager on back
carrot stretches, backward nudges & tail pulls as directed by a physio
Long line - in school and up & down my sloping driveway.
Walk in hand over a single pole (flat)
Walk sideways along the school
Walk backwards across the school
In hand hacking


Now what I do is includes:

monthly physio
equilibrium massager on back
carrot stretches, backward nudges & tail pulls as directed by a physio
walking in hand over a set of walking distance poles
walk in hand over a pole raised at one end (forward)
reverse over a single pole (flat)
freeschool wearing an equicore followed by walking sideways up driveway (and reversing up driveway)
hacking out under saddle 3 times a week, minimum 2 hours - mainly in walk and no fast work over hard ground or roads.
I also do normal flatwork schooling but maximum twice a week with lots of warm up in walk first including shoulder in and leg yield.

No lungeing
No roller/side reins etc
No jumping
No polework other than the work I do in hand

My horse is still stiff in his hocks but this eases up very quickly with the stretches & warming up in walk.
He's a lot more forward going, comfortable in his work and progressing nicely.
His back no longer gets sore, he is physically more supple and he has changed shape.

He is supported with 2 x danilon a day and Equimins Flexi Joint. He also wears magnetic hock boots when standing in the stable. Because conformationally he is 'top heavy' and this can affect his joints his weight is kept down too. He is shod by a specialist farrier but he doesn't wear specialist shoes to support the hocks (farrier manages it by keeping his hind toes short).

I hope this helps!