Collateral ligament injury of coffin joint recovery?

[sammiero]

After 4 months the vets finally seem to have a diagnosis of my lame mare! They think she has a collateral injury in the coffin joint. Debating of wether to get a MRI or not. After the diagnosis I have searched around the web and read plenty of recovery stories. I have read that these injuries require everything from 2 to 6 months box rest before the horse can be turned out in a small paddock for many more months. But I have also read some success stories where the horse got turned out for a long time and came back sound. My horse has been on and off work for 4 months trying to figure this out, and I really do not want to put her on box rest. I feel like box rest for a minimum of 2 months may heel the injury but may also cause other injuries, since standing still in a 4x4m box for so long can't be good for her body? So I am wondering if I just should take her shoes off leave her out and put her in foal in the spring. Then she will have at least 2 years off work out in a field with other horses. But I am worried that this will prevent the injury from healing since I can't control what she is doing or if she is running or doing other stupid things...

Anyone who has experience with this injury and the recovery that follows? Maybe someone who has experience with box rest or field rest?

 

[Birker2020]

A So I am wondering if I just should take her shoes off leave her out and put her in foal in the spring. Then she will have at least 2 years off work out in a field with other horses. But I am worried that this will prevent the injury from healing since I can't control what she is doing or if she is running or doing other stupid things...

Why do you feel the need to put her in foal? Does she have particuarly good bloodlines or a good temperament? Can you afford all the costs involved in getting the mare in foal and then having the foal for 4 years before you can ride? There is a huge potential for it to go wrong and this could end up costing you thousands as well as the life of your mare and/or its foal.

 

[sammiero]

Why do you feel the need to put her in foal? Does she have particuarly good bloodlines or a good temperament? Can you afford all the costs involved in getting the mare in foal and then having the foal for 4 years before you can ride? There is a huge potential for it to go wrong and this could end up costing you thousands as well as the life of your mare and/or its foal.

I have always planned to put her in foal when she got a little older. She is an excellent jumper and has excellent bloodlines with mother and father jumping 1.60, perfect temperament and confirmation. Of course I can afford the cost. It would be a shame to not breed this mare so if I do it now or later doesn't really matter. The risks are the same either way

 

[Birker2020]

I have always planned to put her in foal when she got a little older. She is an excellent jumper and has excellent bloodlines with mother and father jumping 1.60, perfect temperament and confirmation. Of course I can afford the cost. It would be a shame to not breed this mare so if I do it now or later doesn't really matter. The risks are the same either way

Sorry but there are so many people who have a lame mare and think they will just put her in foal and don't look at the long term implications of costs. Yours sounds an ideal candidate so good luck to you if that is the way you decide to go.

 

[Zuzzie]

My horse had collateral ligament damage and was box rested for 3 months. Fortunately, he coped with it quite well. He lives at home with us so I was able to keep him occupied and always ensured that he had another horse in the next stable for company (the other horses were on a timed schedule for their turnout). He had stable toys and hay to keep him from going nuts. However, when the day came to release him from his prison he came out worse than when he went in! He was as stiff as a board. Our vet was present - he turned to me and my friend in disbelief as he couldn't believe it. I can't say whether his confinement did him any more good than perhaps turning him away for some months. When he finished the box rest he had to be partially sedated every day to put him in a tiny paddock about the size of his stable so that he wouldn't undo all the previous work. Personally, I would not do that again as I think it was quite cruel. However, its your choice and you need to speak with your vet. An honest discussion is needed.

The only thing at the back of my mind is: a friend, whose family had a string of racehorses in training, told me that the trainers would rather turn a horse out to grass to let nature do its best - none of these fancy treatments just good old common sense.
My horse is now 27 and is hacking out 4 times a week. He is not 100% sound as he has arthritis in his coffin joint - we just keep him moving as this is best for arthritis.

I would not put your mare in foal as you have enough things to think about!
I wish you luck though!

 

[sammiero]

My horse had collateral ligament damage and was box rested for 3 months. Fortunately, he coped with it quite well. He lives at home with us so I was able to keep him occupied and always ensured that he had another horse in the next stable for company (the other horses were on a timed schedule for their turnout). He had stable toys and hay to keep him from going nuts. However, when the day came to release him from his prison he came out worse than when he went in! He was as stiff as a board. Our vet was present - he turned to me and my friend in disbelief as he couldn't believe it. I can't say whether his confinement did him any more good than perhaps turning him away for some months. When he finished the box rest he had to be partially sedated every day to put him in a tiny paddock about the size of his stable so that he wouldn't undo all the previous work. Personally, I would not do that again as I think it was quite cruel. However, its your choice and you need to speak with your vet. An honest discussion is needed.

The only thing at the back of my mind is: a friend, whose family had a string of racehorses in training, told me that the trainers would rather turn a horse out to grass to let nature do its best - none of these fancy treatments just good old common sense.
My horse is now 27 and is hacking out 4 times a week. He is not 100% sound as he has arthritis in his coffin joint - we just keep him moving as this is best for arthritis.

I would not put your mare in foal as you have enough things to think about!
I wish you luck though!

Thank you for your reply! That is what I fear. Let her go through box rest only for her to come out worse is not fair. Not to mention how she is going to explode the day she is released. She is perfectly field sound, only lame when I work. But I am worried the injury never will heal if I put her out on field rest. Definitely need to discuss this with my vets if field rest is an option. Feels like they think the only solution is box rest.

 

[BronsonNutter]

I'd get an MRI to confirm to be honest - and rule out there's anything else wrong that may benefit from other treatments, if it's an option?
Mine had desmitis in the lateral (outer) collateral ligaments of his coffin joints in both hind feet, caused by foot imbalance. So not an acute injury - your mare's may be different. We worked on correcting the foot balance with shoeing (he's not a barefoot candidate) and he did 3 months of straight line walk hacking, 2 months of trotting out hacking, 2 months cantering out hacking then recommenced jumping and schooling. No box rest, as it wasn't an acute injury, but he is generally sensible in the field.
Some benefit from medicating the coffin joint once the initial 'injury' phase is over, to help with any residual inflammation, but he did so well that I didn't bother. He evented for a further two years but I did then end up retiring him from competing due to forelimb issues and he is now my happy hack/occasional hunter.

 

[ycbm]

Many of these horses have collateral ligament strain. None are box rested.


http://rockleyfarm.blogspot.com/

 

[misst]

If you can do barefoot rehab then go for it. Years and years ago had a horse with collateral ligament tear. Confirmed by MRI in the days before standing MRI so he had to have a long journey to the AHT and then a GA. He had had 6 months box rest. The wonderful Sue Dyson confirmed the diagnosis and did not hold out much hope. He was PTS aged 9 a month later. He suffer 6 months box rest - I would never, ever do that again but I was less informed in those days. I did not know about Rockley then. Definitely worth a look at their website.

 

[ycbm]

If you can do barefoot rehab then go for it. Years and years ago had a horse with collateral ligament tear. Confirmed by MRI in the days before standing MRI so he had to have a long journey to the AHT and then a GA. He had had 6 months box rest. The wonderful Sue Dyson confirmed the diagnosis and did not hold out much hope. He was PTS aged 9 a month later. He suffer 6 months box rest - I would never, ever do that again but I was less informed in those days. I did not know about Rockley then. Definitely worth a look at their website.

My heart goes out to everyone who ever found out after they have taken the vets advice to put a horse to sleep that there is now a better method of treatment. Modern medicine is marvellous but that one is a horrible downside. I've lost the use of two horses who would almost certainly have been sorted by a barefoot rehab.
.

 

[TooScaredToJump]

I am coming to the end of 3 months box rest for collateral and impar ligs among other findings diagnosed by MRI. Horse was already barefoot and had been turned away for nearly a year so went down medicating and box rest route. This is my last ditch attempt, if he is still lame then I will PTS as he refused to retire happily on previous attempts and has arthritic changes that have significantly deteriorated in the last 5 years.

I think if I were doing this all over again, horse had the right temperament and you could manage the ground they were on (two things I have have against me) then I'd medicate and turn away for a couple of years and let nature do its thing.

 

[Lovely jubbly]

My horse was diagnosed after MRI with exactly the same problem as yours. She was fitted with remidial shoes with gel padding..box rest for 2 months with 10 mins walking in hand for nibble of grass. Then she had 3 months turnout in small paddock,further 3 months out with her mare friends. It’s now been 10 months and has trotted up sound so I’m starting ridden work in the new year she’s healed very well vets are thrilled,but she had lots of help along the way with special shoeing and extra supplements for tissue repair. She has also had plenty of physio and acupuncture sessions. I was told by the hospital she would never come sound and to breed from her…she’s already had 4 foals with previous owner so I wasn’t going to put her through that again. Horses do heal if given enough time.