Need your stores please: Jumping/competing after tendon injury

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crystalclear

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Hi all

Just looking for your stories on horses who have returned to jumping/competing after having a tendon injury/strain. Looking for stories mainly about a mild SDFT injury but stories about any type of tendon/injury and returning to jumping competing are appreciated :)

Thank you!
 
hi
my horse badly injured his SDFT in 2011 , he had stem cell treatment , 6 months box rest and a years rehab walking/hacking
he returned to competition this year and has given me the most fantastic season :) we have been placed in nearly every event we have done this year , he's only had one sj down all year (my fault) and then went and won in august :D

i have had a pile of time pens at nearly every event because i still worry about him and don't want to push for time , he's worth so much to me i just wouldn't risk it
i don't think i'd take him hunting now but more because he's a little over the top and may injure himself being stupid although i have been tempted as he seems to be more sensible since his injury , maybe a quiet day next year

his legs been fine , i ice after any faster work/ jumping now and am a little paranoid about it
it is quite hard to keep an close eye on it because it has been left thicker and slightly bowed with some puffiness , so it makes it hard to tell any changes as it is now nothing like the other leg for a comparason but i am getting more used to whats normal now
 
Thank you for telling me your story, this is giving me confidence. Amazing how well you have done in your competitions since the injury, it must have been fairly bad for stem cell treatment? Well done though, really fab! You sound like me when you say you worry about te leg. My horse hurt her tendon (vet described it as a very mild injury) from landing a jump in dodgy ground so not from over exercise. This was 6 months ago. She was walked in hand and then turned out after three months rest on vets advice. Rest and two ultra sounds later she's in ridden work now (yey!) trotting and gentle cantering and have been riding for twn weeks now buildin up gently but I do worry about competing again when the time comes. Hence looking for stories and yours is such a positive start! Thank you :)
 
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my oldie (23 shortly) did a hind tendon 18 months ago. He had PRP treatment (vet advised against stem cell because of his age - cut off is 15, iirc), 4 weeks box rest and 6 months rehab.

He's back jumping now - we've only recently increase the height and he only does the odd fence at 85-90cm until we see how he copes. He's been doing 60cm classes with his sharer for about 8 months and been absolutely fine.
 
Wow nearly 23 and doing all of that after he injury?! That's extremely positive well done :) sounds fantastic! What a lovely story as well.
ETA: The vet has said he sees no reason why she can't return to competing/normal work as normal as it was mild and she didnt need any treatment, but I guess I am still unsure as this kind of injury is all new to me
 
Originally, the vet said that he would most likely never jump again so I was hesitant to push him with the jumping once he came sound.
Another positive is that the break from jumping did him good - he's finally remembered where he'd put his brave pants. :tongue3:

ETA: I know how you feel - I'd never had a horse injure himself like that and I was on my own for the rehab. There were a few bumps along the road but we got there eventually. :smile3:
Good luck for when the times comes.
 
My girl put a 50% lesion in her hind DDFT about 2 years ago. It wasn't properly diagnosed till nearly 4 weeks later as she was only very mildly lame so wasn't scanned until she didn't show any improvement with rest etc so had no treatment other than anti-inflammatories and rest. She was in full hacking work last autumn (until her belly got too big) with no problems and is just coming back into ridden work now following weaning. She hoones about in the field something chronic with no ill affect. I've not jumped her at all since (and am paranoid about the ground she's worked in) but don't see any reason for her not to come back into full work over the next 6 months or so
 
The vet said he'd never jump again? Crickey you have both come a long way, it shows a lot. Yes it is a long rehab time, I've walked her in hand twice a day everyday then been panicking when first turned out, then riding 5 days a week gently increasing...well you know all of that but it's been hard graft. What we do for those horses! I've taken things super steady but still scared. I'm glad others feel the same as me but you are doing so well! Great to hear success stories :)
 
That's all mind had too, nothing else - yours has come bak well after not being spotted for 4 weeks. I called the vet the day after as I didn't actually know what it was as there was no heat/swelling immediately. Apparently I I'd have called sooner she would have had an injection or something? Ha yes you see them bombing around the field and think, if you can do that you can surely manage to jump. Glad to hear your story is a success too, they are fab! Keep them coming please
 
Here is my horse Diamond. In September 2009 I came home from school and he was fine - shut in the smaller paddock as getting an abscess poulticed but other than that, fine. I went to prepare his new poultice and when I came back to the front door I saw him limping to the gate and the other horses in the adjoining field running towards him, he looked like he'd gotten his hind leg caught in his belly strap.

I ran to help him and he turned to me and put his leg down... He'd rolled next to the fence and got caught.

Sorry Graphic Images!!!!!
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As I was waiting for the vet.

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Treatment

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Measuring it healing

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Us in summer, he has never been lame from his injury.
 
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Oh my goodness amazing story! Well done and thank you for the pictures, more so the jumping one. How high are you generally jumping and what was the injury? Looks like an awful injury! How long was the recovery process?

Ps: Sorry all for the dodgy spelling on previous post, my phone and I aren't getting on at the mo!
 
I am also in the rehab stage of an injured SDFT, my boy injured his left fore back in sept he had PRP therapy but unfortunatly the scans showed up an old injury to his SDFT on the right fore (gutting as hes only 5) so he underwent a superior check ligament desmotamy where the check ligaments were cut to release the tension in the tendons both were done as he was under GA anyway. We are now 4 weeks post surgery his tendons are looking better by the day and hes back on the walker for 10 mins twice a day. I havent been told by my vet that he wont be able to do anything specific again, he was brought to event atm my vet reckons he will get back to it without an issue but it all depends on how his legs cope when he comes back into work properly, im not allowed back on board until august at the earliest so im crossing everything for now and enjoying having to deal with a crazy 16.3hh 5 yr old on box rest... NOT!!!!!
 
The wire completely sliced through the tendon so it had to be stitched together, the vet suggested we consider PTS but thankfully he was insured as bills were abut 3k and he spent 12 weeks on box rest.

I usually compete at 3ft courses but have done puissance / five bar to 4ft6. Jumping is his best activity as he's a trotter so is awful at dressage! But absolutely no problems relating to his injury at all, most honest jumper I have ever had the pleasure of riding.
 
Goodness that sounds a lot worse than what I've been through, I'm glad your horse is doing well and progressing. I know what you mean by a young horse though, mine is only 6. It is a bit of a shock but I guess they have youth on their side. However hearing stories of the older horses gives a lot of hope
 
That's amazing news loubidy absolutely fantastic and beautiful horse - you've done so well. This is the type of stories we need to hear :) thank you
 
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Silver Birch - raced, did a tendon, 2 years off the track, goes pointing to get fit - wins the Grand National. Ran for anther 2 seasons before retirement due to age, never been lame again.

Baby Run - raced, did a tendon, back on the track a year later and wins the foxhunters and both Cheltenham and Aintree, over the big fences. Races for a few years, retires, comes back as a 13yo at the start of this month over the big fences at Aintree again and was just run out of it at the end to be 2nd. He ran at Haydock yesterday and said enough so he has been properly retired now - still sound.

Thats just 2 of the many many hundreds of racehorses that have come back from various different levels of tendon injuries to compete at the highest levels again afterwards.

So long as you do things sensibly and monitor the leg closely there ia absolutely no reason at all why your horse can't go on and do everything you have always done and more.
 
My first horse pulled his tendon when I was 15. The most important thing is to give it time. Don't even think about riding it for at least a year, maybe even 18 months depending on how severe. I think people make the mistake of trying to rush the horse back when the soft tissue is not fully healed.
 
Such fantastic stories they are all giving me hope, I even welled up a bit knowing that all of yours have done so well which is amazing. 6 months later and on vets advice, I'm riding my horse gently taking it more on the easy side but I know how important it is to strengthen the tendon - so happy and even more so with your stories. So positive and heartwarming, they have really cheered me up, thank you
 
I helped a friend buy one just coming back to work 9 months after a big tendon injury, it was almost 30 years ago and the horse had been pin fired (it was standard treatment back then). She was already in hacking and a bit of schooling, even popped a fence or two. My friend got a 6K horse for £1,400, and it was a huge success. They did a bit of everything including hunting.

In fact, 3 years later, when they could no longer afford the horse I bought it, and did SJ to newcomers, hunted and even did an open team chase. Once she was a bit older (14) I had a foal from her.

Sadly in the end whist being brought back into work after the foal she started with mild sesamoiditus, which I suspect may have been due in part to the way her legs now were, they looked like she had flares! It probably affected her action.

As she was such an active horse I was glad how it all worked out though, she had a FAB life, and the foal was great. As she was a bit sensitive on the sesamoids she was not bought back into ridden work at all, but went on to have another foal.
 
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My boy is starting to jump again after a suspensory ligament injury, 2 fractures and a tendon injury. I was told he migh tonly make a hack - seems he has other ideas! We competed in our first 45cm SJ a week or so ago and he's been doing Intro's (hates DR) and yesterday he did a mammoth hack with miles of canter and was fine on return - doesn't stop me worrying after almost 18 months out of work!
 
A horse I owned recieved a traumatic tendon injury to a hind leg out hunting - we were giving a lead over a ditch and the following horse crashed into him.

We were given a very guarded prognosis, but after 18mnths he was back out jumping 1m classes and hunting weekly.

It was a long road to recovery as he had to have 6 mnths box rest with a controlled excercise programme before returning to the field. He wad ice therapy, bute and adequan, and a daily msm supplement. We then spent the next year very slowly building him back up.

My vet was amazed we managed to get him back sound, but 8 yrs on he has remained sound with no further issues. Time and patience is the best healer, but we were also very lucky that he was so chilled on box rest.
 
crystalclear said:
Wow leflynn that's fantastic news, well done in your SJ comp too - sounds like your horse is doing very well. When's your next event? :)
Click to expand...

Thank you! Out again in a couple of weeks for more SJ and maybe another intro the week after, jumping last saturday he was so happy as he loves it :D You'll get there ;)
 
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