Hind medial suspensory branch strain

Fused hocks doesn't mean they are just fine and hunky dory though.

I'd suggest that this injury is a slight sprain as the vet suggests but I do think you (and the vet) need to take this horse as a whole and would be considering whether the hock fusions may make him more susceptible to hind suspensory issues etc. The coffin joint arthritis is also managed not cured as it arthritis by its very nature is progressive.
 
ester said:
Fused hocks doesn't mean they are just fine and hunky dory though.

I'd suggest that this injury is a slight sprain as the vet suggests but I do think you (and the vet) need to take this horse as a whole and would be considering whether the hock fusions may make him more susceptible to hind suspensory issues etc. The coffin joint arthritis is also managed not cured as it arthritis by its very nature is progressive.
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Yes you are right about the spavin - I know that with the fusion using ethanol the nerves in the hocks can regrow, but my understanding is that its a fairly recent procedure and I don't think there have been any long term studies to see if horses have had their nerves regrow, but I may be wrong. Certainly it has a high success rate, and there are a number of horses from this practice which have had this procedure quite successfully from what I can work out.

I didn't know that the hock fusion would mean that he was more susceptible to hind suspensory injuries, certainly this wasn't mentioned at the time, but we were more concerned with getting that weight shift from the off hind onto the damaged near fore at the time, so you may well be right, maybe this is a question for the vet at his next check up? I think he had the fusion about January 2012 but to be honest I am losing track of dates myself. I only found out a while after the procedure that had it failed that nothing more could have been done as there's no room in the joint space for any top ups of steroid/HA. I know a horse that only one of his hocks worked.

The coffin joint arthritis was considered upon xray to be moderate to severe but given the fact the horse has only had three injections (the gap between the first and the second was around four/five years) makes me wonder if it was even pain originating from the coffin joint - surely there is no way that a simple steroid injection can ward of pain for four or five years? He did have a slightly active splint at the time. The last x-ray of the coffin joint I think (again confused with dates) was around Oct 2013 (may be wrong on this) and no significant changes were seen, in fact there was hardly any differences at all.

I need to try to get as much weight off him as I can, he is around the weight of the photo of him clipped and I would like to get him around the weight of the 'stood with cross ties' photo if I can. And of course I am needing desperately to lose weight too in order to help him as much as possible. Certainly the battle to his weight loss will be much easier than mine will be!
 
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AandK said:
Yep, same here. Andy is my only ridden horse (I have another who at 25yo is retired) and I did not just throw him out in the field because he was broken, I turned him out to heal and be a horse after being stuck in a stable for 5months. I care about this horse deeply, he is my horse of a lifetime and a one in a million. I would of never forgiven myself if I'd pushed him too fast too soon and the injury had reoccurred, hence me taking plenty of time to bring him back.
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Sorry Aand K I wasn't suggesting that people that 'threw their horses into a field' didn't care about them, but its so much easier if you have other horses to fall back on. And sometimes as I have explained previously, with some horses it can be more detrimental to turn them away for an extended period than to keep them working on bute or as part of a rehab programme. Unfortunately my patience got the better of me and I was being rather glib about 'flinging horses out in the field' but my inpatience is borne from frustration, upset and anger from months and months of battering on this website from certain people (same old people) that stalk, taunt and bully their way through my FB page and H&H page. I can see them 'stalking' me on H&H on my home page (in the last ten people to look at your site) and then the next day they will suddenly (as if by magic) come across one of my posts and start their campaign of nastiness all over again. Its the same old people, and its personal. And when I retaliate and try and explain they say "you always say we are bullying you, woe is me, we are meant to feel sorry for you" etc, etc as if that is an excuse to continue in the same vein with their unkindness. There is really, really no excuse or need for it its just plain nastiness and unkindness, no matter how you dress it up. Someone said 'your hrose has never been right from day one'. That's really not true. He's been diagnosed with things for one reason, and one reason only; because I've bothered to spend hundreds/thousands getting things diagnosed, that other people probably wouldn't even bother to do. I could have stuck my head in the sand and pretended nothing was wrong but every time I've got the vet out its because I wanted to know what was wrong. I've had the vet out when others wouldn't because I worry I might miss things but I have the sense to know when I don't need to also. There's been periods of months and years when he has been sound, more time sound than not.

I come on here to help people and do not start of every post with 'my horse has been diagnosed with' or anything of the sort like someone recently suggested. Mostly I help people with problems that have happened or I've come across myself. I talk about everything from hacking with fluorescent, to bad dressage judges, to what I'm buying my horse for Xmas.

I'm not having a go at you Aandk just trying to explain things.
 
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I'm not sure there is a connection so def check with vets though IMO they are too closely linke for one not to have the poss of not helping each other. If I were you going forwards I would want to make sure he was 100% happy hacking before considering any school work and that would stay very light for a time. I've been doing more in hand work with frank a a lesson recently was really interesting as part schooling/part physical therapy from the ground.
 
ester said:
I've been doing more in hand work with frank a a lesson recently was really interesting as part schooling/part physical therapy from the ground.
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Yes I might explore that a little more, although I am always stuck for ideas. I have a dually which makes life a little easier. Not sure I would be able to ask much in hand lateral work/rein back, nor raised trot poles, will have to ask. thanks for your help.
 
My lesson was with a classical trainer, in a cavesson and concentrating on varying the degrees of bend, getting his shoulders to take a step outwards and gradually into some shoulder in. - I discovered that he is a bit too straight and even! It was definitely a less is more sort of thing.
 
Sorry OP but you keep saying your horse is fit & well but clearly he's not is he ? And he has had a catalogue of injuries over the years that surely must make you think he is not up to the work load you are giving him.
I'm not suggesting you don't care about him but just because you have spent thousands of pounds doesn't mean you are continually doing the right thing.
I only have one horse and I understand the misery of a serious injury. Not many of us can afford to run more than one horse so I get the desire to help our equine friends get well. I just think your own desire to jump and do fun rides etc is clouding your judgment of what is best for your horse !!!
 
KautoStar1 said:
Sorry OP but you keep saying your horse is fit & well but clearly he's not is he ? And he has had a catalogue of injuries over the years that surely must make you think he is not up to the work load you are giving him.
I'm not suggesting you don't care about him but just because you have spent thousands of pounds doesn't mean you are continually doing the right thing.
I only have one horse and I understand the misery of a serious injury. Not many of us can afford to run more than one horse so I get the desire to help our equine friends get well.
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This is exactly the point I have been trying (unsuccessfully it seems) to make . . . which apparently makes me a bully . . . or a stalker . . . or less than genuine.

OP, it's unfortunate, but you invite criticism with the things you post about your management of your lovely boy (and he is lovely - and, like most on here, I don't doubt that love him very much), but if you insist on posting vids and stories of how he is out competing, jumping bounces at home, doing fun rides, etc. alongside the catalogue of injuries and issues you have also described (and within the timescales you also describe), you should expect the good folks at HHO to express their concern. Is it any of our business at the end of the day? Probably not. But you make it people's business when you are so very vocal and open on what is (at the end of the day) a very vocal and passionate forum.

P
 
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