DDFT lesson in hind hoof. Any experiences? (Also in Vet)

Topaz Tiger

Topaz Tiger

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Hi my horse has just been diagnosed with this. It's a significant lesion on a scale of 1-10 its a 7-8.
My vets have never seen this injury in a hind foot, so aren't able to give me much of a prognosis, only to say if it was a front leg it would be only a 20% chance of full recovery, but would hope it would be better in a hind leg.
They have said he's not a candidate for surgery, so have suggested raising his heels and field rest.
I'm worried about wedges, although they say they're less problematic in hind feet.
Anyone had any experiences of this type of injury partic in the hind foot and have your horses returned to full competitive jumping work. He is a novice/1* Eventer that I only brought 7 months ago. :(
 
I would also be worried about the wedge suggestion. Surely that would just cause more trauma to the ddft due to the effect wedges have on biomechanics?

Was it an acute injury, or something more chronic?
 
Hi there, i have a mare who had a ddft injury but in the front hoof. As you said the prognosis was very poor and upon speaking to numerous people on here i learned that most people either never jumped their horses or never even rode them again with this injury. I gave my mare loads of time - 6 months full box rest (with shoes off as per vet advice) followed by another 6 months of firstly in hand walking and then hacking and then flatwork. I always thought if she could return to do dressage i'd be happy but that i'd take one day at a time. She came back to dressage brilliantly and i decided (with vet agreement) that there was no reason not to try jumping. Anyway we are now back eventing! Also i did use the arc equine but only in the latter stages of rehab as that's when i discovered it. I must say i got a lot of very helpful advice from people on here so i hope you get the same too. Best of luck.
 
I think if its serious, I'd probably just assume the worst and that the horse will be a field ornament, therefore anything more than that is a bonus. That's how I've been with my grey who injured himself with a core DDFT lesion last year (just above his hock on a hind) and they also had low hopes for. They did tell me it was career ending though (he was eventing CIC* and 1.20m BSJA). He did have surgery though and we did a lot of rehab which should have involved 6 months box rest and walking out in hand for increasing amounts of time, but we only managed 3 months box rest as he was too dangerous to then take out in hand! I put mine in a stable size paddock intead which chilled him out no end ;) He's been out 24/7 for a few months now as basically he reinjured it a bit messing round on the lead so the vet said basically give up and chuck him in the field. He's still stiff looking but not hopping lame by any means. He gallops flat out round the field frequently but unfortunately this then seems to agitate the injury a bit as he's sore the next day. Its not a bad lameness, a non-horsey person probably wouldn't even notice, but it is there. `On his not so sore days I do get on him and literally walk about for 5 mins purely so he's been sat on because he absolutely hates not working and even this little amount keeps him slightly saner. I had dreams that I'd be over the moon if I could get him sound enough to manage a basic dressage test but I don't think that'll ever happen. He'll definately never jump again, even if he did ever become sound - I'd never risk jumping as the rates for reinjuring a tendon is scarily high once its been weakened :(

Good luck OP, its so awful when this happens. x
 
Hi guys, think I will be calling Arcequine Monday morning!
My vet has said the slight wedges will raise the heel and therefore rest the tendon. I expressed my concerns and he said that the heel can eventually be slowly lowered again...
I'm not sure if its chronic or acute. He's had some on and off vague lameness in the leg for a couple of months, which we attributed to a weakness in his back, then he went hoping lame after a jumping lesson, with a hot hoof and increased digital pulse about a month ago, which in hindsight is when he prob did it.
 
Different injury, SDFT strain in front plus other things that are not relevant so I won't go into ;) but mine had graduated shoes on for the other things but my vet said it would help the tendon and would only need to be short term, he had them on for 4months, did not seem to cause a prob. I have also used them behind for a horse with locking stifles, longer term without ill effect. Good luck!
 
My WB was written off in 2010 with Impar damage & Adhesions to the DDFT, this was a foreleg. His chances of being field sound where slim.

He was initially shod with bar shoes, but after 4 weeks he was going from very bad to much worse. I decided at this point to go Barefoot nothing much to loose. It took 2 years in total to have him properly back, loads of in hand walking, restricted penned Turn out & then god knows how much walking under saddle but he came fully sound around March 2011. But i didnt even start schooling again until the December 2011.

He's been sound & Barefoot ever since, i was told his foot would shrink by the vets, this really filled me with dread as something shrinking is obviously in a bad way. But this has not happened he actually moves better now than prior to his accident.
I would never go down the wedge route, it's just my opinion but how would you like to be stuck in a healed shoe 24/7 i can not see for the life of me how it makes a tendon heal or help. Imo i believe it's a very backward way of treating these kind of injurys.

He's competing Adv Med.
 
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Where in the foot is the lesion? It might be worth speaking to Nic at rockley farm about it - for foot issues she really knows her stuff.
 
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