Check Ligament Surgery experiences

[CARRIECOLEMAN]

HI all
This is my first post here in the hope that i can get some help please?
i have a beautiful new horse - she is 16 and has been a brood mare most of her life - a lovely cob. I have had her just under a year and she has turned out to be a great horse. But she has damaged her check ligament - we have been rehabbing for the last 6 months but have not had any luck in getting it to heal. My vets have scanned on a regular basis and have now said she should have surgery - Inferior Check Ligament Desmotomy.
Has anyone on here had this for their horse please? I am worried sick about letting her have it in case it makes her leg worse?
Any experiences?

 

[CARRIECOLEMAN]

bumping this up - surely someone has some info?? LOL

 

[Birker2020]

I'm afraid I have no experience of surgery but my mare had a check ligament injury on 22nd December 2019 and I was told it would take at least 10 months as she was 23 at the time and its a much longer recovery with older horses. but with box rest, bandaging overnight, constant icing using Ice Vibe boots and using Long Wave ultrasound with a machine lent to me by my vet physio these were the amazing before and after scans 3 months apart 30th December 2019 and 16th March 2020.

I started riding her a couple of days after her last scan on vets advice, although it was literally 10 mins twice a week building up to an hour over a couple of months. Even at the point she was put down on 1st June 2021 (with an urelated issue) after much running and playing with the other horses on both sides of the paddock as she loved to do, the check ligament stood up to all her shenanigans.

My vet put the healing down to the ultrasound treatment and the initial and very aggressive icing she had literally minutes after becoming lame and during her box rest. As we went into lockdown it was difficult to continue with the treatment as we could only attend the yard once a day for an hour for each horse we owned so I had to try and get the ultrasound (which took 10 mins) and the icing done as well as mucking out, nets, water, feeds, grooming, rug changing in the space of an hour.

It was challenging and there were a lot of tears of frustration and a couple of mini mental breakdowns, but we made it.

I would ask your vet whether the use of long wave ultrasound after your mare has had the operation will have any benefit and I would also advise everyone, if you only buy one expensive thing this year, buy an ice vibe as the really are worth the weight in gold. This wasn't the first time I was told by a vet that my Ice Vibe boot had done well!

 

[CARRIECOLEMAN]

I'm afraid I have no experience of surgery but my mare had a check ligament injury on 22nd December 2019 and I was told it would take at least 10 months as she was 23 at the time and its a much longer recovery with older horses. but with box rest, bandaging overnight, constant icing using Ice Vibe boots and using Long Wave ultrasound with a machine lent to me by my vet physio these were the amazing before and after scans 3 months apart 30th December 2019 and 16th March 2020.

I started riding her a couple of days after her last scan on vets advice, although it was literally 10 mins twice a week building up to an hour over a couple of months. Even at the point she was put down on 1st June 2021 (with an urelated issue) after much running and playing with the other horses on both sides of the paddock as she loved to do, the check ligament stood up to all her shenanigans.

My vet put the healing down to the ultrasound treatment and the initial and very aggressive icing she had literally minutes after becoming lame and during her box rest. As we went into lockdown it was difficult to continue with the treatment as we could only attend the yard once a day for an hour for each horse we owned so I had to try and get the ultrasound (which took 10 mins) and the icing done as well as mucking out, nets, water, feeds, grooming, rug changing.

It was challenging and there were a lot of tears of frustration but we made it.

I would ask your vet whether the use of long wave ultrasound after your mare has had the operation will have any benefit and I would also advise everyone, if you only buy one expensive thing this year, buy an ice vibe as the really are worth the weight in gold. This wasn't the first time I was told by a vet that my Ice Vibe boot had done well!


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thank you Birker 20
i will ask about the vibe boots - she will definitely be having ultrasound and laser treatment once home.

 

[Birker2020]

thank you Birker 20
i will ask about the vibe boots - she will definitely be having ultrasound and laser treatment once home.

Great stuff and if you are in the central region I can recommend you a brilliant ACPAT physio should you need one.
You can sometimes get second hand Ice Vibe boots off ebay.

 

[ycbm]

I've never known one have surgery on a check ligament, but I do know that they can sever that ligament completely and be sound. So if the operation is to cut it to prevent it giving future pain, then I would imagine that the prognosis will be pretty good and I would have it done to a horse of mine if necessary. I'll cross my fingers for you both.
.

 

[Birker2020]

but I do know that they can sever that ligament completely and be sound. S
.

I never knew that. You learn something new everyday.

 

[ycbm]

I never knew that. You learn something new everyday.

There was a thread about it a few weeks back. I love this forum for learning stuff like that. Rowreach's horse did it, so did another. I think as long as you aren't careering round corners all the time they can manage perfectly well without it.
.

 

[Birker2020]

There was a thread about it a few weeks back. I love this forum for learning stuff like that. Rowreach's horse did it, so did another. I think as long as you aren't careering round corners all the time they can manage perfectly well without it.
.

Still trying to work out all these years later which two tendons/ligaments my horse severed back in 1997 when he sustained a horrendouse injury to his hind fetlock joint and sliced it from one side to the other. Was told by the vet it wasn't needed and the horse could do without then too!

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

Still trying to work out all these years later which two tendons/ligaments my horse severed back in 1997 when he sustained a horrendouse injury to his hind fetlock joint and sliced it from one side to the other. Was told by the vet it wasn't needed and the horse could do without then too!

Dexter had his annular ligament cut and a damaged Manica flexoria removed a couple of years ago from his off hind- perhaps it was that?
He came back to full work and hunting despite being 20

 

[Birker2020]

Dexter had his annular ligament cut and a damaged Manica flexoria removed a couple of years ago from his off hind- perhaps it was that?
He came back to full work and hunting despite being 20

possibly, was told you can cut extensor but not flexor or other way round?