Old tendon injuries.. What is your horse doing now?

[sophs_c]

My horse failed a 5 stage vetting last September due to a minor injury to the superficial flexor tendon. He wasn't lame and had completed Pontispool PN with a double clear 4 days before.
He then had 4 months off and has been in work since February, I have built the work up slowly being very paranoid and probably worrying too much about him damaging himself..
He's now hacking out, going to the beach, competing Prelim dressage, cantering in fields and we popped round our first course of fences for a year last week! The vets were very vague as to what he would be able to do so I didn't get my hopes up. I would love to get him jumping small courses at competition and maybe some XC next year but will just have to see how it goes!

I know many horses go back into full competition without a problem.

Just wondered what your experiences were? Did yours pass a vetting again?

Sophie x x

 

[Choccy*Dun]

Hi,

I suppose every horse is different, but my TB x damaged his tendon so badly at a BE event by jumping like a complete loon cross country that he was put in a cast and had to be cross-tied in his stable for weeks!
When he came sound again we turned him away for 18 months and he got very wild, fat and hairy. We did exactly the same as you have done, taking everything 'slowly slowly' and he's now back in full work and loving life. I don't know if he'd pass a 5* vetting ... I doubt he'd respond too well to a flexion test but he has the vets seal of approval and you wouldn't know he'd ever had a probem!
I don't jump anymore so he is loaned to a girl who is doing incredibly well with him - she's just very careful about the ground she works him on, always makes sure that he is booted/bandaged when being exercised, and doesn't get greedy about jumping particularly high tracks (which I suppose can be tempting when the horse is capeable). Plus we're lucky that our fields are flat and well-drained, as we wouldn't put him out in a field that was really muddy/boggy.
I suppose it's just a case of being sensible, but I have no doubt that if you continue to be considerate to the issue like you are now, you will have no problems at all doing the activities you want to do x

 

[sjmcc]

my last horse ripped the sack around her tendon synovil they seemed to call it she was box rested for 3 months then was aloud to be walked out in the morning at at night in hand NIGHTMARE . then was aloud turn out on her own from 1 hour building it up ect ect . then returning to light work working up to normal again all in all took 6 months . she returned to normal doing dressage n xc again never seen sight or hair of being lame again a vetting i doubt shed of passed ever

 

[skychick]

mine came back into work just over 2 monts ago. She is hacking, a bit of light schooling etc, hopefully a 1/2 hour lesson next week. We are taking things very very slowly and at her pace. But she is loving being back in work, we have every hope that she will be able to go back to popping little jumps at local shows etc, dressage.
Even if she returns to full full work, i will never hunt/fun ride her etc....purely because she is the most amazing mare and i would hate her to break down over an activity i rarely do.
My mares was a hind leg, not a front.