regarding ddft tear- am i working her too much/too little?

[charleysummer]

I have been given no advice on how to up the workload so i am purely guessing and playing it by ear!

i stared off riding for ten minutes in walk after a longer than reccomended box rest and turnout introduction (due to her being a bit naughty and galloping off on her 'walks') just in straight lines out on roads for a long time,

and very gradually upped the walking activity, slowly introduced trot in bouts of 3 strides a day to longer trots on suitable ground.

Now it has been 5 months since she had her operation and i started riding her again in january, currently she has showed no signs of heat or even slight lameness and has been going very strong- i am being carefull and now i have started riding on large circles in walk and trot in a grass school. today was the longest i've ridden her for up to 30 minutes- although mostly walk with some trot. I get off once or twice just to check there is no heat and to see from the ground if she is moving sound.

This type of riding is about 3 times a week, does it sound ok? and what is the next step now if it is, should i reduce it down again? i am feeding lots of tendon and connective tissue supplements to aid her recovery and she is also now back to normal shoes. suprised it has gone so smoothly so far as she is always looning around the field in short mad minutes! just dont want to push it and risk damage to set us back to square one.

thankyou for reading

 

[Ritzyroo]

Hi,

My 14yr old TB mare tore a very small lesion, 6mm x 3mm in her DDFT in her off hind and had 5 months box rest last July-Nov. (no operation though) with gradual inhand walking exercise from October, after a few weeks of going round and round the yard leading/long reining her she was becoming 'fitter' or just fed up and began legging it, much to my heartache, as I'd been so meticulous in bringing her back into work slowly and gently. The vet then suggested I start riding her as it was safer for me and her and we started hacking out, this gave her something to think about rather than what to 'spook' at to bugger off. I also introduced her trotting in straight lines. The vet has seen her 3 times, the last time being February, he watched her on the lunge and was very happy with her soundness, she'll probably have the windgall in the leg forever now and he said I should just observe if the windgall remains soft and squidgy all is ok and if it hardens then to ease her work off. I always stable bandage both hind legs now or use the Bioflow magnet wraps on all 4 legs. She is turned out but she has this habit of running round until she is dripping in sweat and this has not (touch wood) done any further damage, but still so annoying. She is in full work again, ridden 5 times a week for upto an hour, lunged once a week in the pessoa on loose fitting as too tight will shorten her stride and make her appear lame and canter work, and we competed in a prelim dressage mid Feb. She is not jumping anymore which is gutting, but thats not the end of the world. I hope my experience of this injury has helped, if you want to know anymore of our situation give me a shout.

 

[Silmarillion]

I walked mine for five months before thinking about trotting. Her tear was given a very bad prognosis (vet told me to give in) but she's now, four years on after the injury, finally pretty much sound (she'll never be 100%). I cantered her last year for the first time, at the end of the summer. Bear in mind she has winters mostly off work

All you can do really is play it by ear. I'm not sure I'd be doing anything other than walking in straight lines for two or three months though, and then starting short trots on very good ground. There was no reason to keep walks short with mine after the first month or so, we ended up going for two hour walks by the fifth month. I would ride her four or five times a week though - if it was less than that, I would have taken it slower. Schooling has never come into my equation as Maiden can't school (tear is in such a place that turning even large circles can tweak it), but I'd personally be leaving that until I'm walking and trotting for an hour out on hacks.

Is your vet not involved? Mine came out to check up on Maiden at regular intervals and whenever I felt something wasn't right, and even now she has a yearly "MOT" when she gets her jabs and gets trotted up etc. to see how she is progressing. Maiden's tear was in a place that didn't show up on ultrasound, but if it was I would have had her scanned at intervals, too.

All you can do is play it by ear, really

 

[charleysummer]

Ah, it sounds like you took yours much slower than i am doing, i am worried now. I was just told that within a year i'd be back in full work and jumping again so i thought i should up the pace a little to get her stronger and the tendon being used a bit more again to build the strength and elasticity up. however with very little vet input i am sure i am doing some things wrong.

My vet has no input now, no check ups or anything- just a sheet that told me to gradually increase exercise. But she is just a little 14.2hh heinz 57 so i guess she isn't top priority lol. which is understandable if there are event horses to deal with who are worth much more.

Her tear is in a very unusual place- the distal medial margin (if that means anything to you!) but i dont know how big it was, i wasnt told. I was advised to start riding in straight lines which i have been for a while, starting at 10 minutes in walk and then introducing trot stride by stride on suitable ground. but as her leg felt fine and she is completely happy in herself i thought i'd up the work a bit so she is fit to start jumping again in october. she is ridden mostly in walk for 30 minutes 3 times a week with some trot on circles and have had a couple of unexpected short canters... ! should i decrease the exercise again then do you think?

also thinking of going barefoot to help. throw suggestions at me !