Rehab work and getting fit

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lyndsayberesford

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My 6 yr old is in his 10th week of box rest from a fractured cannon bone and at 12 weeks he is getting x-rayed again with the hope that the fracture has healed.

I intend on sending him away to a yard for full livery where he can be supervised and brought slowly (very slowly back into walking out and work etc)

Does anyone have a suggested plan for him, length of time it takes really is no object and i will be having a word with my vet about it but would like to look at coming up with a plan for him till say Xmas time and then showing it to my vet and see what she thinks

The place he is going doesnt have a horse walker so we were thinking of gentle long reining instead as it will be slightly safer than walking by his side to get him out. We are not going to be asking him to "work" as such more a gentle exercise to stretch his legs and get the blood flowing to his fractured leg etc.

He is 17.2hh but will be in very capable hands.

Also what do you think re turnout? He should have access to a very small paddock where he cant pick up speed but do you think it should start with daily turnout of perhaps 30 mins to an hour?
 
My pony has a broken splint bone and is at the yard mentioned above to be looked after and get better.

He had an xray at 6 weeks of box rest and his leg was not healed yet so will have another xray at 10 weeks and hopefully if his leg is better he can start his rehab. If all is well after his next x ray he will start to have some very restricted small paddock turnout and at least four weeks on the walker and then will be x rayed again if he is still ok I will then be able to start riding him again and he can have more turnout in a bit bigger paddock but still on his own. When I start riding him again he will probably still be going on the horse walker to build up strength as well as I won't be riding him every day. It is possible to also do trotting on the big horse walker as well.

If you have not got access to a horse walker then you are going to be need a very patient person to be walking your horse out in hand twice a day gradually building it up. My vet will give me a rehab program once my pony is ready and I expect your vet will too.
 
Cant afford to send him away to a place like that as lovely as it looks!

I want him local enough that i can visit each day and my friend has offered me a good rate

I have a book coming from Amazon now, so hopefully will use that to devise a good rehab plan for him
 
I think your vet will probably be the best person to help you with a program as it will depend on the facilities that you have access to and what you can do. A book will normally give you the information you need if you have an ideal set up which for many people is not always realistic.
 
Update on this! Following 12 weeks box rest i decided to send my horse to the lady who broke him in for me originally and asked her to do the rehab work!

Seems to be successful so far, he has done 5 weeks of walking out (ridden) building up by 5 mins per week!

Had the vet out yesterday to do a lameness trot up and finally he is sound!

YAY!

We have been told to now slowly introduce short bursts of trot on the road (not long time becuase of concussion to the repaired bone) for two weeks and then after two weeks he can do light schooling in the menage as long as not on tight circles etc!

Feels like such a long time to wait for my boy to have a trot! Still on stable rest as could not trust him to not hooley round the field but he seems to have resided himself to staying in for now and stable manners and temperament have improved massively since being able to ride out :)
 
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5 months after injury :)
 
Dominobrown posted a really good rehab post in veterinary under a kissing spine heading. I'm on my phone so can't post link. Iirc the link is in a post in CR just now. Good luck
 
horserider said:
Have you got a good physio who can liaise with your vet and you to draw up a plan for rehab ?
Click to expand...

This is what i am is up too with one of mine who has had surgery on his jaw the physio has been so valuable worth every penny spent , she made work plans ,
Lunging exercises , advised jumping a lot ( to get him using both hind legs at the same time ) which I would never had thought of gave me lots of things to try with my trainer it's been a very very eye opening exercise she made push him far harder than I would left to my own devices .
And she gave me a flexy stick and an artists pad for Christmas so I can record him bulking up and his muscles becoming symmetrical which was kind.
 
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