check ligament?

anj789

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something not quite right with my mare - any thoughts? I jumped her on Weds night, indoors and had to get in a few sharp turns. I always check the back of tendons when I put boots on but Thurs after lunging (sound) I noticed a swelling on the outside below her knee, in the groove between tendons, about 1-2 inches long max. Should have done more probably but gave it a prod, she didn't care so put arnica gel on and left her. Fri YO had a look couldn't spot anything unusual and rode her - sound. Today, I would say nothing pronounced - went for a slow hack but if anything that whole groove is a bit pudgy, less so after the hack. So... now I've started looking things up and panicking a bit. Maybe not going jumping tomorrow after all?
 
One of my endurance horses has done both her front check ligaments. She was never lame with either of them. With the first one she was in full training working for about 2 hrs. The forest tracks are hard and she was trotting along these fast.

I would get them checked by your vet
 
vet coming Weds with scanner. Leg looks back to normal today though. Dare I ask what treatment yours needed & outcome?
 
Sounds like check ligament, my boy had a lump in exactly the same place. He wasn't lame, I was riding him lightly, until I went on holiday, and the girl I'd left with strict instructions about his exercise decided to take him out for almost 2 hours :mad:

6 weeks box rest, another 6 weeks paddock rest/walking in hand before he got ridden again (although I was very VERY cautious!), and I haven't had any problems with it since, that was almost 2 years ago :) the lump is still there, but he's perfectly sound and doing "proper" work.
 
mine did his 6 weeks ago hunting - sounds exactly the same as yours except he has been left with a tiny hard lump (smaller than half a pea) that vet said will probably not go down now. He wasn't lame and was left unconvinced by scans.. vet reccomended box rest with walking out in hand for a couple of weeks increasing in distance, then he's been on the walker for a couple of weeks (in the snowyness couldn't get out for walks anyway). I rode him at the weekend just walking and my mum has been leading him out off her horse today, think it's important to get them out and about every day and really gradually bring them back up to full work - vet said for mine he thought about 4 months.

HOWEVER!! Think the vet was wanting me to keep him in right up until he was in full work but he was getting pretty miserable and gets colic when stabled so I have started turning him out after 6 weeks box rest. He went a bit mental on the first day but nothing too major.. his leg didn't come up again *phew!!* so I'm feeling a bit more confident now.

If yours has nothing to show now it could have just been a knock or something? Fingers crossed it's nothing but doesn't sound like it will be too terrible if it is a check ligament.. you'll just have to have a little break.. not such a bad time for one at least! Good luck! xx
 
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