DDFT Tear - Anyone turned away with success?

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SnowandSunshine

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My gelding was recently diagnosed with tendonitis of the DDFT. MRI scan showed damage in two areas. My vet has given me the usual recommendations for tendon recovery - months of box rest/restricted turnout with gradually increasing controlled exercise. She can't tell me how likely he is to return to work after this. MRI report said 'prognosis guarded'.

I am not in a position to do the rehab but he is on loan and his loaner is considering whether she is prepared to put all the work in.

I am worried that she will go through months and months of hard slog only for him to be unrideable at the end of it. If it was me I would just chuck him out and accept I might not be able to ride him again as I don't have the time to do the job properly.

Has anyone with a similar injury just turned away and successfully brought their horse back into work?
 
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Kizzy tore her DDFT last October, she had surgery & a text book rehab, the prognosis for a full return to work eventing & show jumping was good. We began ridden walking at Christmas last year, began well & then she periodically went very lame, but came sound within a week. My vet rescanned the 3rd time it happened & referred me back to Liphook who operated, she had developed a big adhesion despite our best efforts. More surgery to remove it was offered, but the outcome was not guaranteed & I decided it was time to stop. She has been turned away since March, some days she looks quite good, some days she is lame in walk. Her new job is to keep my new mare company & I will keep her all the time she is happy in herself, but have decided that I am just going to retire her completely, I would doubt she will come sound now.
 
My mare did her deep digital tendon and was turned away. I had got to the point of thinking that she would never come sound, but after two years she was being ridden again and has gone from strength to strength.
 
Take shoes off, make sure their feet are kept well balanced, and turn away. I know a horse who had a HORRENDOUS prognosis from this, it was inoperable. They turned him away for a year, making sure feet were kept perfectly balanced and barefoot, and he is sound and back eventing now, after 6 months of very careful reintroduction of work. If you have a hydrotherapy place near you, use it as early as possibel too, as it can help with healing, and preventing further damage :)
 
My mum's horse had 18 months off after a very bad tear of the DDFT below the navocular bone. It was about five months of box rest and then the rest she was out in the field doing nothing. I then rode her in walk for six months, walk and trot for another six, and turned her away again for another five. She is now (when we can get the farrier to come out regularly enough to keep her feet perfectly balanced) sound enough to start a little cantering, after having spent since January this year walking and then trotting. She feels more sound now than she has since she did herself in, and is only lame / sore at the moment because her feet have grown very quickly on her new grass and my mum is only learning, so didn't realise that the farrier would have to be co-erced into coming out every five weeks!

The old horsemen apparently used to cut a horse's tail off at the bottom of the dock, chuck it in a field, and not touch it again until the tail was on the floor. A good method of persuading yourself not to touch them! Lots of rest is often better for them than an early return to light work, I think.
 
My mare tore her DDFT last sept and we followed the vet prescribed rehab programme. Im happy to say shes doing really well and so far so good. We did lots of roadwork in just walk and after a time did trot work uphill. We have not long since started her back in the school and started some canter work.. In August she went to her first Walk Trot dressage comp and got 2 x 3rd places. She was turned out 24/7 in May when our summer turnout started and so far we havent looked back. Izzy is shod in egg bars to support her heel and will be until the end of the year. Hopefully she will stay sound as the Insurance has run out now, I really hope so.
 
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