Horses who are a light hack or in light work only due to old injury

[Aragon56]

My horse injured her deep digital flexor tendon last year, and although the results of the MRI scan weren't good she has now had over a year off so I'm starting to slowly bring her back into work. The vet says she might be sound as a light hack only, but theres no guarantees and of course she could could easily go lame again.

Anyway she has been sound ever since her scan, despite looning around the field. I've only ridden 3 or 4 times so far but she has felt really well and very keen, touch wood. I don't want to push my luck though in case I overdo it-it was quite a severe tear and the scan showed that it was actually in both front feet, so I'm surprised that she seems fine at the moment.

I don't know anyone else really with a horse that can only do light hacking, so what do you do with yours? How often do you ride, and how long for? Have you been able to canter on a hack or do any light schooling? My mare is 14, and I'm happy with just being able to hack but it would be good to hear what other horses in a similar position have been able to do.

Thanks

 

[hellspells]

Sounds exactly like my old girlie. In the end she was probably going out 3-4 times a weeks (sometimes more sometimes alot less). I didn't canter her out on hacks but purely as I didn't have anywhere too. She was never 100% but she was hacking sound and more than comfortable. She loved being out and about.

You just need to see how she copes with the work and how much you would realistically like her to do, if she can't cope than you back off her.

Good luck x

 

[welshied]

My 13 year old is only a light hack we ride him bout 30 mins at a time just in walk

 

[badgerdog]

When my old boy was still used as a light hack due to his arthritis I just used to listen to him. I was in tune with him so I knew how much he could do each time we went out. Sometimes we would go for a half hour walk but then other times we would go out for an hour with a trot and the occasional canter if the ground was good and it was uphill.
Due to his arthritis the vet recommended I should ride at least 3 times a week so I used to ride him around 4.
I occasionally did a little light schooling with him but just in big circles and on very rare occasions I even popped over a log as he loved it so much!
I know arthritis is different from a tendon injury but just take it really easy to start with and listen to your horse.

On another note, which I've just remembered, the horse I'm talking about had an injury with the previous owner where his tendons came off his hocks. The vet said that there was the possibility of him never being ridden again. Two years later, after making a full recovery he had a double clear at Burgie Horse Trials! It wasn't until around 8 years later that he got his arthritis. He was ridden until 3 months before he was pts due to Cushings.

Anyway, see how she goes. You might end up being able to do more than you think but to start with take each day as it comes.

Good luck!

 

[RachelB]

My horse tore her DDFT Feb '07. She had 18 months off, then did fou months of walk work (five mins in-hand to start, building to 20 mins in-hand over two months, then two months walking under saddle from 20 mins to 90 mins - all only on very good, usually flat ground). She then did two months of very very short trots on hacks up to an hour, when she slipped in the field and tweaked her tendon. My vet came out to see her and said she was very impressed with how far we'd got, but not to even consider cantering until she had been sound for about a year. That was Feb this year, and we are now hacking for 30 mins plus (pretty much unlimited time, the further we go though the less trotting we do) and we are trotting for up to half the time, depending on how long our hack is. The trotting is only on very very good ground (never rough or uneven, never downhill). I find I have to be exceptionally picky about how and where I ride her, and she has developed a tripping problem due to her soundness issues, but if I am very careful to be over-cautious then she usually *touch wood* stays sound. I won't canter her until after my vet has seen her again next Feb.
It's difficult having to be so careful, never being able to say "sod it I'm going to trot/canter here", but it's worth it to be able to keep my horse happy in work

Oh, and I ride her anywhere between once and six times a week! I treat her normally in workload and frequency, but not in how I ride her. And I would never let her set foot in a school again, but mainly because she had a bad tendon tear coupled with extensive degeneration of the cartilage in the same foot. Vet has told me it's not worth risking her hacking soundness, and I agree.

 

[Aragon56]

Thanks for all the replies. Sunnymane thats really encouraging to hear, thats great that you can pop over a jump if he's feeling well too.

Silmarillion-did your horse ever have treatment for the DDFT tear or just time off? Angels was too advanced to treat unfortunately, otherwise I'd have gone down that route. Did you claim loss of use at all? I'm currently going through the claiming process and hopefully she'll be freezemarked with an L by the end of the month. I must admit after her scan I was totally devastated about it, but I'm learning to look on the positive side now.

I completely see what you mean about treating her differently in how you ride her. Hopefully I can find some hacking partners who don't mind taking it easy! I think like the others say I will see how she goes and what she can easily do. The one thing I will really miss is jumping her, but theres not much I can do about that.

Best of luck with your mare.

 

[spotty_pony]

Our old boy (who is now happily retired) continued in light work (mostly hacking and some flatwork) until he was 28. He was ridden 3-4 times a week and for no more than an hour at a time when hacking and for about half an hour in the school on the flat as he could no longer jump. He really loved hacking steadily down the lanes and across the fields.

We spent most of the hack in walk with a few steady trots and occasionally a short, steady canter if the ground was good. He has damaged his check ligaments when he was younger due to general wear and tear and because he did a lot of Cross Country. He spent 5 happy years in light work before he was retired. I think if the horse stays sound and you are happy to continue working her lightly, then go for it! Good luck!

 

[LittleBluebell]

My boy has synovitus in his DFT sheath, due to scar tissue, so he's a happy hacker now. I normally ride him 3-6 days a week, depending on weather and time. He's not allowed to trot or canter on hard ground, but he does let me know what he is and isn't happy with doing.

 

[RachelB]

[ QUOTE ]
Silmarillion-did your horse ever have treatment for the DDFT tear or just time off? Angels was too advanced to treat unfortunately, otherwise I'd have gone down that route. Did you claim loss of use at all? I'm currently going through the claiming process and hopefully she'll be freezemarked with an L by the end of the month. I must admit after her scan I was totally devastated about it, but I'm learning to look on the positive side now.

[/ QUOTE ]
I had a choice of either leave it and keep my fingers crossed, a series of Cartrophen injections, or surgery to tidy everything up. I went for the injections (didn't want anyone poking around inside my horse's hoof capsule unnecessarily, and couldn't just do nothing!) although I knew then that I would never know if it had worked. As far as I am concerned, every sound stride she takes is a huge bonus and I make the most of what I have with her and am very aware that her next stride may be the last sound one she ever takes. It's a case of balancing the cotton wool wrapping with actually enjoying my horse!

Sadly I didn't have LOU insurance on her. I could have claimed as she was given a 25% chance of return to "full work" (and my first vet told me to just shoot her

) and she will never return to full work again anyway. Very frustrating as I have now spent the last two years saving up enough money to be able to afford a replacement dressage pony! And I'm still not there yet!

I was utterly devastated as well - I actually missed a couple of weeks of uni as I was too upset to leave the house

I remember the moment I got off the phone with the vet who did the MRI - I couldn't remember what he had said but I knew it was awful and I just cried and cried!
I hope yours recovers well!