applecart14
Well-Known Member
For info sharing purposes I just wanted to share with you my recent experience with my horses new injury!
I referred my rising 18 year old WB gelding Bailey to my veterinary clinic for a lameness workup after he went lame following a jumping class at my usual venue. He has been diagnosed with a mild medial suspensory branch strain and luckily it was caught early before too much damage was done. Although he has very wingally back legs anyway I knew that the type of swelling he developed two days following the injury was different to normal and because he was on/off unsound at in hand trot up, was pretty sure he'd done something sinister, I thought maybe it was the tendon sheath he'd done some seven or eight years ago. He was diagnosed following a trot up and flexion with palpation of the area. The vet said it was up to me if I wanted to have a scan but as I am no longer insured with anything to do with tendons/ligaments other than injury from a visible wound there didn't seem much point as he'd most likely still need the same amount /type of rehab.
The vet said he could have done it anywhere, in the field, stable or whilst riding and was more likely to be a repetive type of injury. This got me thinking about something I'd read recently in one of the equine publications that new research has shown that a lot of tendon injuries are caused by repetetive work, i.e schooling/lunging. Luckily where I am the surface is very good and is often harrowed but I know that's not always the case at some yards.
So Bailey is being ice cupped once a day, also ice booted, and was initialy cold hosed following the injury. He is having support bandages on at night and is back on anti inflammatories -, 2 per day for a fortnight then one a day for a fortnight, then half a sachet a day. Its a good prognosis for a full recovery if all goes well, but obviously with the chance of reoccurence which is the same as it was with the fore leg, when he did his lateral suspensory branch. Apparently the suspensory branch is one of the most common type of tendon/ligament strain.
With all his other problems the worse thing for him would be to shut him in the stable on box rest as he would just seize up so the vet has said hacking up to an hour a day walk only for the next month/staight lines in the school with a view to reassessment in a months time where, if all goes well, he can start trot work. After the third month if all is well he can start jumping again. He can go out in the sandpit where ours go in the winter, so luckily to trudging through deep boggy mud for him!
I am so pleased that the prognosis is good and I am fully prepared to give him the time he needs to heal. I am also very lucky that I have a good vet, who knows my horse and his problems inside out and is prepared to give him the time and effort and for good facilities at my yard which means that he can be turned out without the typical deep mud that just makes this type of inury ten times worse.
I referred my rising 18 year old WB gelding Bailey to my veterinary clinic for a lameness workup after he went lame following a jumping class at my usual venue. He has been diagnosed with a mild medial suspensory branch strain and luckily it was caught early before too much damage was done. Although he has very wingally back legs anyway I knew that the type of swelling he developed two days following the injury was different to normal and because he was on/off unsound at in hand trot up, was pretty sure he'd done something sinister, I thought maybe it was the tendon sheath he'd done some seven or eight years ago. He was diagnosed following a trot up and flexion with palpation of the area. The vet said it was up to me if I wanted to have a scan but as I am no longer insured with anything to do with tendons/ligaments other than injury from a visible wound there didn't seem much point as he'd most likely still need the same amount /type of rehab.
The vet said he could have done it anywhere, in the field, stable or whilst riding and was more likely to be a repetive type of injury. This got me thinking about something I'd read recently in one of the equine publications that new research has shown that a lot of tendon injuries are caused by repetetive work, i.e schooling/lunging. Luckily where I am the surface is very good and is often harrowed but I know that's not always the case at some yards.
So Bailey is being ice cupped once a day, also ice booted, and was initialy cold hosed following the injury. He is having support bandages on at night and is back on anti inflammatories -, 2 per day for a fortnight then one a day for a fortnight, then half a sachet a day. Its a good prognosis for a full recovery if all goes well, but obviously with the chance of reoccurence which is the same as it was with the fore leg, when he did his lateral suspensory branch. Apparently the suspensory branch is one of the most common type of tendon/ligament strain.
With all his other problems the worse thing for him would be to shut him in the stable on box rest as he would just seize up so the vet has said hacking up to an hour a day walk only for the next month/staight lines in the school with a view to reassessment in a months time where, if all goes well, he can start trot work. After the third month if all is well he can start jumping again. He can go out in the sandpit where ours go in the winter, so luckily to trudging through deep boggy mud for him!
I am so pleased that the prognosis is good and I am fully prepared to give him the time he needs to heal. I am also very lucky that I have a good vet, who knows my horse and his problems inside out and is prepared to give him the time and effort and for good facilities at my yard which means that he can be turned out without the typical deep mud that just makes this type of inury ten times worse.
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