Collateral ligament damage - how to avoid a recurrence

[Zuzzie]

My boy is currently on 3 months box rest with 3 shock wave therapy treatments included. I am worried that if he comes sound he will do the same thing again. Does anyone know if a repaired ligament is weaker as a result of the old injury??

I think my boy's injury was as a result of looning around in the field so when the time comes I shall restrict the amount of grazing with electric fencing but can't decide whether to have small boxes or strip grazing. Any tips?

 

[[42010]]

Hi, don't worry, my mare had to have 6 months box rest and 3 shock wave treatments with collateral ligament injury same as yours and we have never looked back. She did it just the same way yours did - looning around in the field! In the day I made up a tiny paddock the size of 2 big stables and let her eat her head off in here and then she came into her stable at night. The eating was a big help and distraction; I also sedated her with acp. We are back to doing everything we did before and she feels great. Take it real slow when you bring your horse back into work - lots of slow walking and i am sure all will be fine. I don't do anything now to prevent her doing it again. She doesn't seem to go so loony in the field now anyway, which is a relief. She is turned out 24/7 which I think helps. The most difficult part was when she had healed and getting her back into work slowly as she was an explosion of energy, but we soon got into a routine again. Good luck.

 

[Zuzzie]

Thanks Lucinda - you've really cheered me up as I was getting really anxious. Its nice to know that there are happy endings.

 

[Uniique]

Hi,
In March it will be a year since my TB came in hopping lame from the field. Again, the only explanation is a loon around the field and a lip. He is a tad neurotic so we made the descion to turn him out during the day and in at night during his treatment. He also had shockwave and Performance Leverage Reduction shoes which he till wears now. We tried keeping him in a very small field but he jumped two fences to get out!!! So the best thing to do was turn him out in his normal field and just be careful of situations which might make him charge round. He has been back in work about 5 months. Sounds as a pound *touch wood* ever since. He competes reguarlly and is very happy. When he went lame my vet basically told me the chances of him coming sound or showing an improvement was very minimal and I would be waiting at least a year!!! They didnt believe he would come back to competive work. I was devestated and when you reearch the condition its like a can of worms. But *touch wood* he is sound, happy and totally back to normal in every way We also brought him magnetic therapy overreach boots (improve/ speed up bloodflow and healing) and fed him NAF msm supplement (for repair) Good luck xxx