Recurring Tendon Injury

[Dolphin]

If you had spent 2 years slowly getting your (only) horse back into work following a tendon injury, only for the same injury to recur 2 months later, which of the following would you do?

You can only afford to have one horse, and your insurance company has excluded all your horses legs so you have no insurance cover.

 

[RachelB]

Depends on the injury site, the extent of the injury, what the horse was doing before the injury, what it was doing before the second injury, and what you wanted to do with any horse you might ride. Plus the horse's nature and temperament.
My horse has a DDFT tear which I am 99% certain happened before I bought her, then was re-injured with me. She was hunted in a previous home, so at a wild guess I'd say she damaged herself when hunting, went on to recover and become a happy hack, then I tried to get her to do more and get her fit enough to do a small ODE (2'3" PC stuff) and it happened again. DDFT injuries are often very bad and have poor prognoses and Maiden's is no different. She's now having nine months off (after five months box rest, so 11 total) and will then be brought back into work to be a happy hack forever more (she'll stay in my ownership so I can, to the best of my ability, ensure her future). Maiden is happy to do whatever and has no potential for competition anyway, so being a happy hack, confidence giver and lazy bum suits her perfectly!
If I were you, I would (after consulting my vet, obviously) be leaning towards giving the horse a minumum of one year total field rest, then pending the horse then being sound I would hack and possibly lightly school for a year or so. Only if everything was still going ok would I consider anything else, especially if it is a DDFT tear. But a year off sounds like a good plan to me.
How long did the horse have off previously? How did you have the injury treated before (I was told there was no treatment for Maiden's injury)?

 

[brightmount]

I ticked turn away, but at the risk of sounding like a stuck record, I would try barefoot under the management of an Applied Equine Podiatrist. I would use the autumn and winter to transition the horse, and then in spring if it is a mare I would consider putting her into foal.

These aren't random suggestions, I have been down the same route. My vet mentioned at the time were considering the various options that mares can come sound when put into foal owing to the increased efficiency of the blood circulation, and I'm sure the field rest helps too. But going barefoot could sort out the problem in itself, and then by spring your horse would be comfortably without shoes and ready to receive the stallion.

This is quite a radical suggestion and I'm only throwing it in for consideration as you sound like you need some different ideas.

If it's a gelding, ignore me (except the barefoot bit)!

 

[vicijp]

Pin fire and turn away for 12 months.

 

[seabiscuit]

Needs time and more time- 12 to 18 months off.

 

[dozzie]

I'd turn him away for a year too. Then bring him very, very slowly back to work with plenty of walking on the roads and avoiding any deep ground or surfaces and no jumping (or whatever it was that set it off again.)

 

[helenhall]

Time, time and more time, sorry been there and got the T-shirt! Frustrating as it is in addition to cold hosing etc I did find a magnetic boot helpful worn overnight and although the words didn't exactly come out of his mouth my Vet did indicate that this had speeded up recovery time, also try massaging arnica oil into the area it encourages blood flow and helps reduce swelling/bruising.

 

[monstermunch]

You definately need to turn this horse away for 12-18months. But you need to be prepared that even after this time your horse may not come good. the problem with horses is that you can never rest the tendons completely. Where a human can use crutches and can actively listen and understand instructions from a physio a horse is using his legs 90% of the time and will often have the odd run around.
it may be worth thinking about resting him and them bringing him back to only very light work and being used as a general happy hacker.
Good luck with your situation though

 

[dieseldog]

As Option 1 didn't really work as the horse is lame again I would try option 2 with a bit of Option 3 thrown in. Hope it all works out

 

[kerilli]

if the horse was suitable, i would sell it as a hack, with full disclosure of injuries etc. after a significant tendon injury, most horses never stand up to full work. gutting, but there it is. then i would go out and buy something that is up to the job i want the horse to do.
PM me if you like, i have, unfortunately, very extensive experience of tendon injury and rehab.