Experiences of suspensory injuries please

[mavandkaz]

Sorry, this is going to be a long one, but I have no previous experience of this and it's all been a bit of a shock.

So background:
I have owned Shambles for 3yrs. He is a 10yr old TB, and although bred from racing stock never raced or went into training (as far as I know). I bought from a private seller who had had him about 18months but just didn't have time for him.
I bought him as a safe hack (which he is) but quickly discovered we both enjoyed flat work, and so with the help of a fab instructor started moving up through the levels with BD, and were about to make our debut at medium.

Over the last couple of months I noticed that our scores weren't quite as good as last year (averaging 62%, with the odd 67/68%. Compared to averaging 66-69% at the end of last year.) We also had a few refusals out jumping, despite jumping really well at home.
So sent him off to the vets for a loss of performance work up.

He trotted up sound, and also 'passed' flexions, but was a bit short when lunged on the hard. So started with the nerve blocks, which kept just moving the problem around.
So to cut a long story short, full neck and back x-rays were taken which showed remodeling to the articular facet C6-7 and again to joints TH 15-17 (under the back of the saddle)
Ultrasounds also showed damage to all 4 suspensories. Fronts aren't so bad, but hinds were bad news. There is damage to the ligaments where it attaches to the bone, both top and bottom, and both branches.

So my question is, if you have made it this far, has anybody had similar? What was the prognosis? Did your horse return to work? What rehab did you do? Any treatment plans?

Vet is at a bit of a loss. She said that it is the type of injury she would see in horse that had been raced or show jumped long and hard, and that if she had just seen the scans she would advise retirement. But the scans do not match the horse in front of her, and just few days before we were perfecting our half passes.
She is putting together a rehab plan but is being quite guarded in her expectations.

Any help/experience would be much appreciated

 

[fabbydo]

My pony had her hind suspensories operated on. (First vet missed it and advised pts as couldn't work out why she was lame, second opinion vet spotted it straight away on first vet's scan!!). I gave her about 10 months off after the op but could have ridden her sooner. We never jumped her after that but she went on to excel at dressage. There are rules about competing afffilated after this op but they seem to change regularly so do check. She was retired about 8 years later for an unrelated reason. I'm very lucky to still have her. She is my world.

 

[Carrottom]

Sorry to read about your problems. The only thing that struck me reading your post is that 3 years is very fast to go from nothing to medium with a tb who hadn't done much.
Maybe take things back to hacking and turn out for 6 months.
I have one with a hind leg ligament injury and 6 months of gentle rehab has seen him sound since, 10 year old then, now 18.

 

[mavandkaz]

My pony had her hind suspensories operated on. (First vet missed it and advised pts as couldn't work out why she was lame, second opinion vet spotted it straight away on first vet's scan!!). I gave her about 10 months off after the op but could have ridden her sooner. We never jumped her after that but she went on to excel at dressage. There are rules about competing afffilated after this op but they seem to change regularly so do check. She was retired about 8 years later for an unrelated reason. I'm very lucky to still have her. She is my world.

Thanks for the reply. Vet has said he isn't a candidate for surgery unfortunately

 

[mavandkaz]

Sorry to read about your problems. The only thing that struck me reading your post is that 3 years is very fast to go from nothing to medium with a tb who hadn't done much.
Maybe take things back to hacking and turn out for 6 months.
I have one with a hind leg ligament injury and 6 months of gentle rehab has seen him sound since, 10 year old then, now 18.

He has a really active brain and seems to enjoy the flatwork. Previous owner, although they didn't do a huge amount did things properly. He has found flying changes easy right from day one, and again has taken to lateral work well. I don't school more then 3 days a week.
But yes, it has been fairly quick. Vet commented that she thinks it is chronic, and that he may have always had issues and is currently going through an acute flair up.
Just can't believe they can be so bad without any lameness, heat or swelling

 

[SEL]

I'm no help as mine is now 6 months out of work with a "guarded" vet opinion about her ridden prospects (basically they are being polite and she's f'k'd I think)

Anyway we had no heat or swelling either in the hind suspensories. I knew she felt different though and actually had an argument with the vets to do the scans - & it took 2 attempts to find the problem.

I think chronic problems in that area are often secondary to something else. Spotting through a drop off in performance seems pretty typical from posts in the PSD FB page.

Are you getting injections into the problem joints?

 

[Pinkvboots]

One of mine had a hole in the upper part of the suspensory he had prp treatment and 5 months box rest, the hole had gone and he was sound that was 4 years ago his 15 now, I am very careful with him we don't jump I don't school on a surface more than 3 times a week and for no longer than half an hour, no fast work on deep wet ground and I am just very aware of it, I think you need to discuss with the vet if there is any treatment that can help but I think you will just have to cut right back with what you do, and just see it you can manage it without him totally breaking down.

 

[pastit]

I had one with 'ruffled suspensories' according to the vet. A bit like ulcers, this was a secondary condition to the primary cause of arthritic hocks. It may be that when the other joints are pain free the suspensories will settle down and start repairing, but I dont know about your description of the suspensories - sounds bad. I'd stop all collection work and go hacking. You can always do some loosening work on a hack. Worst thing for susps is a soft sand surface - maybe you don't have one of these, but they do cause a lot of problems. My horse didn't go lame either because the damage was present in both hocks, the only way we knew something was amiss was that he suddenly got grumpy. We are also 4 years on, his hocks have fused, he doesn't jump any more, he is schooled once a week and competes at Advanced Medium tho not too often. Fingers crossed for you.

 

[SpringArising]

Sorry to read about your problems. The only thing that struck me reading your post is that 3 years is very fast to go from nothing to medium with a tb who hadn't done much.

It's really not...

 

[mavandkaz]

Thanks all for the comments so far.
We are starting with 6 weeks in hand work (no box rest) then will start to introduce walk hacking.
I think best case scenario long term is that we ease right up on the schooling, and do as much work out hacking as possible. Vet did come and inspect the sand school, and although it is not awful she did mention that I should avoid soft surfaces as much as possible. And no more jumping.
Interesting about them being secondary to other things. I'm still not sure if there is much that can be done about his back. Vet didn't sound to hopeful about injections being useful.

In terms of suspensories, has anyone had any good results with laser therapy? What about arc equine?

 

[timbobs]

Unfortunately mine isn't a happy ending, but it sounds as if you boy is much more comfortable than mine was.

He had kissing spines T16-L1 which we injected but made no difference and he wasn't a surgical candidate. He also had arthritis in both hocks and issues with both hind suspensories which sound similar to your gelding's. He had injuries at both ends of the suspensories as well as scar tissue in the right and a hole in the left. We also suspected sacro-iliac issues but by this time there wasn't any point in investigating further.

My boy didn't go lame as the issues were in both hinds, but he stopped wanting to go forward and got quite spooky and grumpy which wasn't like him. I initially thought his ulcers were back but then found all the problems (typically his ulcers were actually fine!)

With the combination of the injuries the vet wasn't confident we could get him field comfortable and he wasn't himself so I had to let him go.

 

[SpringArising]

I know a few people who've had horses with suspensory issues. One was off for a year, is just about right again doing light work in the school a few times a week. One was fully retired after years of being out of work/trying to come back into it and not coping, and one is on/off lame constantly after box rest of six weeks and slow rehab. Sorry you're facing this. Suspensories are sort of my worst nightmare.

 

[SEL]

I'm pretty sure it was her having a loopy moment on the lunge in a deep school that did the suspensory injury. I was trying to keep to the better bit but she had a rodeo moment and I saw her hit the deep stuff. Saying that Tom Beech is convinced her SI is the primary problem so perhaps the suspensory just pushed her over the edge in terms of what she could manage under saddle. I'll probably have the SI injected but no one is hopeful - too many issues.

Luckily she's happy in the field so she'll probably be an expensive pet for a while.

It is try and see and if you're on FB then the PSD group has everything from returning to competitive jumping to never rideable again.

 

[mavandkaz]

Well this is what is vet report actually says. If any one can translate it into normal speak, feel free.
He has since also had his fronts scans, and they have the same issues just less severe.

On the plus side his hocks and fetlocks x-rayed clean

 

[pastit]

I had a pony with arthritic changes in C5/C6 as a 5yr old plus pedal osteitis in both front feet. (we seem to collect animals with problems!). Following diagnosis he was never jumped again but went on to have a distinguished dressage career to a high level. The key was keeping him really fit so that the strong muscles would support the joints and hold them in place. Lots of long reining long and low, poles, marching up and down hills, reversing up hill (v gd for the SI). At his peak each schooling session had to have a matching hack, turnout was 12hr winter, 24hrs summer. I bought a TENS machine so that my physio didn't have to live on site! It seemed to work. At sixteen he told me he'd had enough so he's been fully retired ever since. As the muscle disappeared, he went slightly lame but this may have been coincidence. If you go this route, then check your feed - you'll need to feed enough for repair and then to maintain the muscle otherwise something else will break.

 

[leflynn]

My TB was only 1.5/10 lame when he did his suspenspory, initially thought to be an abscess but wasn't in the end! We did 2 months box rest and I did ultrasound every day for 20mins which wasn't a delight as he hates standing still and got very bored on box rest. Then I started walking in hand, again a disaster as he would rear, managed 10 days and the vet said to chuck him out in the field and hope for the best as he was such a tw*t. 2 weeks later and he started slowly hacking to build up. 6 weeks in he hooned about in the field and did a tendon in diff leg. Anyway many years later *touch wood* he is still sound, novice/elem dressage (as I'm a bit rubbish), we hunt, we jump. I also fed MSM while on box rest and have always fed a joint supp ever since (he raced 2-4yrs old)