Collateral Ligamet Damage

[Rubymay03]

Hi, I would like some advice on my pony...
She has got collateral ligament damage in her front right and an infection in the bone on her front left what has now cleared up and she's no longer lame on,she also has navicular. Me and my vet have tried nearly enough every thing.
When she first went lame she went to her vets and had nerve blocks and cortisone injections and she was walked in hand for a couple weeks but she didn't respond to the treatment. She then got referred to the RVC (Royal Veterinary College), they diagnosed her with lateral collateral ligament damage and navicular syndrome.(she had an MRI, and many more tests) They said she had to have a year off of work and to be put in a small paddock on a daily basis which I did until further problems appeared. She went down hill and couldn't even walk out her box so she got put on multiple medications for the pain. She got rim casts on both fronts for 5 weeks then had x rays once they got taken off. And that's when we found out she had an infection on the bone on her left front, which she got treated for. I forgot to mention she has also had remedy shoeing, she had straight bar shoes with gel pads then shoes what was in a heart shape with gel pads - I cant remember the name of the shoe.
She has now had a year off and had multiple treatments on the way. She has now got normal shoes on and is slowly getting use to them. My vet came down and assessed her and he said I could start walking her in hand. So cut a long story short I could get on her and walk her. Months have passed and I can do a couple strides of trot to build up her muscle but the other day she didn't feel right it just for happened she had her examination / trot up he next day. On her trot up she looked fine but when he asked me to lunge her in trot (what I thought was a bit early to do that) she was lame on her front right. I just don't no what to do my insurance wont cover her legs anymore and she's 17 and is just as fed up as I am if not more. I just want to do what's best for her do I put her through it all or just retire her ?

 

[ester]

I'd strongly consider a barefoot rehab on her.

 

[Birker2020]

A friends horse has done bilateral collateral ligaments where they join the coffin joint (I think she said this) on both front feet. Been told she can show jump horse again, but no eventing. Was really suprised as I thought this was a really serious injury, but I am not that clued up on it to be honest. She is doing short bursts of trot and canter in the school.

What did your vet say regarding your horse being lame on the off fore on the lunge? Were you on the left rein or the right rein at the time? Sometimes a horse can have a particular injury which means that lameness looks like it is on the opposite leg from the one it is actually on when on a circle. This is particuarly true of ligament injuries.

 

[Rubymay03]

My vet said just push her through it and keep walking her and doing burst of trot and then he said he will come back in 3 weeks ... But it's catch 22 as do I carry on and build up her muscle or potentially damage her more, I mean she's looked lamer before but it just seem ludicrous to keep riding her when she's lame .. When I lunged her she looked lame on the right reign it was every other stride she looked lame on.

 

[Rubymay03]

(Re barefoot rehab )A few people have said that to me but I no a lot of people that it hasent worked with but I suppose every horse is different X

 

[ester]

(Re barefoot rehab )A few people have said that to me but I no a lot of people that it hasent worked with but I suppose every horse is different X

You never know until you try, it won't do any damage and you can always put shoes back on again. I think most failures are to do with owners stuck in liveries that mean it is very difficult to provide what some specific horses need.