Horses doing tendons etc - what causes this?

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mystiandsunny

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I've never really competed enough to have this happen, but with my own transport now and some youngsters finally ready to go out and have some fun, am beginning to worry. So - what do I need to avoid? Obviously hard ground, but what else? How does this happen?
 
IMHO most tendon injuries are the result of trauma to the tendon. So a strike from the hind, hitting a jump or being kicked.

The way to avoid is to always use boots, but you cannot keep them on 24/7!
 
Hard ground unless badly rutted or very uneven will not cause tendon problems .Wet slippery and unstable footing causes tendon strains.
 
popsdosh said:
Hard ground unless badly rutted or very uneven will not cause tendon problems .Wet slippery and unstable footing causes tendon strains.
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Ditto this, hard ground is more likely to cause concussion related injuries.

Best thing is to be vigilant to these things but try not to worry too much, and deal with it if and when it happens!
 
My ex did a lot of research on tendons and the conclusions were that the main risk factors of tendonitis or tendon damage in sports horses are:

1) deep, uneven going (bad school surfaces, mud).

2) overheating of the tendons.

And usually a combination of the two. Mechanical damage (striking in) came a very distant third, amazingly.
 
If you're using boots, do so carefully. I know a horse that did a tendon BECAUSE of the boots he was wearing - they were over-tightened and he was injured right where a strap crossed his tendon. Possibly due to localised (2) above.
 
i disagree that it's usually down to a strike or bang to the tendon.
hard uneven ground, deep holding ground, a sudden slip, horse not being fit enough, horse tiring and losing co-ordination a little, tendons overheating, can all contribute imho.
getting horse properly fit (lots of slow work on roads etc) over a long enough period of time, being v vigilant about any heat or swelling (in my experience 10pm at night is the best time to check them and find any slight problems), cooling down properly after a hard run etc, all help.
 
can't remember what the exact temp is but read somewhere that at a certain temp the tendon fibres start to become very vulnerable to damage, I think it is a temp v close to that of the tendons when they are at galloping pace. add a covering of boots to that and they are hotter again, and add a sunny day and they are hotter still.

Try to look for air cooled boots or thin but tough so you are not layering up the legs and making then unnecessarily hot. After fast work removed boots asap and cool the legs as fast as poss, I use ice after xc and after 20mins with ice packs on the legs are cool as cucumbers and the ice packs are melting.

Also (and this is a pet hate of mine) people often overlook the damage done by turning out in boots, they do it to protect the leg but really in most cases it is keeping the leg hotter than ideal all day and so increasing the risk of a tendon issue, I have seen liveries turn out in full neoprene brushing boots in 29 degrees, that imho cannot be good for the tendons :(
 
i have seen a friends (no longer friend because of this) horse break down on both front tendons very baddly

it happened on hard uneven ground and the horse was not fit enough to do it
the secretary of the comp told everyone the fastest around the xc would win :eek:

so he set off like a raving lunitic on a horse that had been lame up untill the day before and had been ridden very little the couple of month running up to this event :( :(
the horse also tied up very baddly behind and was in a right mess
he eventually had to be pts

i think all you can really do is make sure your horse is fit enough, don't take short cuts when doing the road work.
be paranoid about there legs and if any doubts about soundness or the ground don't run

(the result of exfriends horse ? he won a nice big red rosette and trophy :eek: but lost his horse :()
 
Halfstep said:
My ex did a lot of research on tendons and the conclusions were that the main risk factors of tendonitis or tendon damage in sports horses are:

1) deep, uneven going (bad school surfaces, mud).

2) overheating of the tendons.

And usually a combination of the two. Mechanical damage (striking in) came a very distant third, amazingly.
Click to expand...

Very interesting - how would I tell how deep a school surface is too deep, say at a SJ or D comp? Our school at the yard is deepish (deeper than rubber surface as is just sand, but I can run in it) and the horses have been ok in that for the last few years, but we do get them used to it fairly gradually. Is that alright?

Regarding overheating, are bandages better than boots? Are the leather/sheepskin boots better than others? Anyone recommend a good make?
 
Chloe_GHE said:
can't remember what the exact temp is but read somewhere that at a certain temp the tendon fibres start to become very vulnerable to damage, I think it is a temp v close to that of the tendons when they are at galloping pace. add a covering of boots to that and they are hotter again, and add a sunny day and they are hotter still.

Try to look for air cooled boots or thin but tough so you are not layering up the legs and making then unnecessarily hot. After fast work removed boots asap and cool the legs as fast as poss, I use ice after xc and after 20mins with ice packs on the legs are cool as cucumbers and the ice packs are melting.

Also (and this is a pet hate of mine) people often overlook the damage done by turning out in boots, they do it to protect the leg but really in most cases it is keeping the leg hotter than ideal all day and so increasing the risk of a tendon issue, I have seen liveries turn out in full neoprene brushing boots in 29 degrees, that imho cannot be good for the tendons :(
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Yes the tendon fibres start to become plastic,but not until 56 degrees C. Which is a relatively high temperature.
 
ditto the 'turning out with boots to protect the legs' - i actually dont like supporting the legs, as odd as it sounds i believe it does the opposite. i stay away from boots when not needed, ie.. if horses dont have conformation problems and im hacking out they dont get worn. I use them for jumping and tendon boots when on the gallops.
I dont ever turn out in boots, my horses all look after themselves better outside when they learn its not nice when they kick themselvs!!! of course this isnt always the case, they do occasionally have the odd bump. I have seen some awful rub marks on other horses when owners insist on turning out in boots.

dont skimp on the road work. check your horses legs all the time. it sound silly but you wil get to know you horses legs like the back of your hands and will see any of the most tiny swelling and know to take it easy until it settles.
I use cool ice gel after hard work - works well for me. of course, each to their own but this works for me. have fun competing this season xxx
 
"Do" a tendon is when it is overstretched or damaged. A tendon is not designed to stretch, but an awkward step, tired muscles that cannot support the weight of the horse correctly, etc. etc. will rip or tear the tendon. Obvously most tendon damage is done when horses are doing fast work, jumping, galloping, etc. (but they can damage them in the field). Dressage horses get injured too, so in that case I would imagine it is from slightly straining which gradually gets worse until it leads to a breakdown.

The best preventative is the have the horse fit for the work it is being required to do and to build up fitness gradually over several weeks and ride it judiciously. Don't continue on a tired horse. Also to warm up and cool down muscles before and after work. Boots and bandages offer protection to the legs, but my vet maintains that they cannot "support" the horse as they are really only bits of material and the weight of the horse and the forces involved can't be contained by a bandage - however lots of people disagree to some extent and we nearly all put on boots, bandages, etc., the exception being hunting people whose horses do an awful lot of work in really unsuitable ground conditions but many seem to go on for years with no injuries at all! My vet ad vised me to put on boots for cross country rather than bandages as more harm can be done by an incorrectly applied bandage than nothing at all.
 
All of the above mentioned is valid and important to remember, but you can't prevent all tendon injuries ...

I've had 2 horses damage a front flexor (I think) tendon

1) Remmington, an arab I rode in Endurances easily fit enough to do 60km (which was the dist. I was competing at). At the end of the first 20km loop, when in theory he should have been well warmed up and in full stride but not tiered, there was a rough section of wet gravel and river stones. I slowed to a walk thinkig ooh potential to go lame here if he slips or something. The other 6 riders I was with kept trotting. Remmington slipped on a stone and did his tendon in (lame instantly) the 6 riders who trotted over the rough ground were fine - Sxd's Law!

2) Beau - there was a roughly 1m^3 stack of bricks (a nice neat cube) stored in the corner of his field. After having lived with them for about 2 yrs he got bored one day and decided to demolish the stack with his front legs. We presume that at some point he got his leg stuck and twisted/pulled it out at an odd angle, because when I arrived he was standing next to the remians of the stack of bricks on 3 legs looking pathetic...
 
mystiandsunny said:
Very interesting - how would I tell how deep a school surface is too deep, say at a SJ or D comp? Our school at the yard is deepish (deeper than rubber surface as is just sand, but I can run in it) and the horses have been ok in that for the last few years, but we do get them used to it fairly gradually. Is that alright?

Regarding overheating, are bandages better than boots? Are the leather/sheepskin boots better than others? Anyone recommend a good make?
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deep and holding is the problem really. my first arena wasn't great, used wrong sand + pvc, so it was deepish and loose, and i never had a horse have a leg problem with it.
deep holding mud has a similar effect.
getting them used to it slowly is a good idea.
levelling it a lot, and possibly watering it with a bowser maybe (is it better when the sand's wet? they usually are) also help.
tbh i'd avoid bandaging - as said elsewhere, bandages can do a LOT of damage. they cannot support the tendons either, at most they warm them up nicely, which is great at the beginning of the workout...
i'd avoid anything with sheepskin lining, or neoprene lining - if you've ever worn a wetsuit you'll know that neoprene was designed as a great insulator for divers - the last thing we want is for the legs to be insulated, they're supposed to be naked and therefore air-cooled!
i really like the NEW aircooled boots, have used them for years every day, they never rub, and they're still going strong.
 
I never boot up if horse is going hacking, only for jumping really and flat work if the horse strikes itself. Hunting I would try and avoid boots if at all possible! The thing is one the going on the hunt field they are better off with naked legs as mud and debris tend to get stuck down the boot causing no end of rubs. The only horses I ever boot up for hunting are those who aren't very careful when jumping and normally only behind (for some reason I seem to see more cuts and damage behind than in front). Tendon's are a difficult thing to prevent, we had a 14hh pony do her tendon in the field. I can only presume this was because the ground wasn't great and she was charging round and wasn't in hard condition (was only worked at weekends so not used to any conditioning work). I have seen horses with no ends of injuries from badly fitting boots. We also have a horse on the yard with scars on his front legs from a pair of tendon boots left on over night in the box by accident.
 
Love my Tri-Zone Cross country boots. They're the only type I have found to keep legs cool which is great. Offer great protection, I don't cross-country much, but I won't SJ without them :D
 
I only use boots when jumping which the vet saved his tendon last year, when jumping he struck his tendon with his hind foot, he ended up with lots of swelling and 3 moths out of work, the vet said though if he hadnt his boots on hed have sheared his tendon

damn sunday call out fees though
 
I wondered whether having travel boots on for long journeys might not be such a great idea then.
The only time I've had a tendon prob with a horse was following a 4 hour journey, booted up to the eyeballs, then a short time to warm up.
 
The big transporters who do long runs to Europe or Ireland never use travel boots or anything else, horses go naked or a thermatex if it is cold. Nothing on their legs except rubber over reach boots if the owner insists. On a solid, well driven lorry with air suspension, boots really are not necessary.
 
Mine's done his DDFT & the only thing I can put it down to is an episode in the field during Feb/March when it was really wet & muddy. I'm hoping he'll get through it, but box rest for 5months isn't great & nor is 20mins walking in hand twice a day!

I am picky about the ground I run & jump mine on. At the moment I wont do anything fast as it's too hard from lack of rain & cancelled a lot of hunting last winter as too wet.
 
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