Sesamoidean ligament injury

[GG13]

My horse has recently been diagnosed with oblique sesamoidean ligament injury via MRI and ultrasound. Prognosis is guarded at this point.

Has anyone else had a horse with this type of injury? Did they return to ridden work?

 

[ycbm]

I did the rehab riding on a racehorse who had pulled his straight sesamoid ligament so badly it came away from the sesamoid bone. He was rested for a year and I brought him back into work and did some cross country with him. He went back into racing and raced over jumps for another 7 years.

Good luck with yours.

I think you have the same, rare, injury as @Michen's horse and he is also fine eventing now after a long slow rehab.

 

[GG13]

Thank you, it is good to hear that there is some hope for a full recovery then.

I want to give her the best possible chance, so fully prepared for the long and slow rehab

 

[Julia0803]

My cob tore his straight sesamoidian ligament in September 2020. The short answer is buckle in for a LONG rehab! But we did have a happy ending, he’s now in full work, possibly the fittest he’s ever been, we have taken up (very) low level endurance and have just started competing this season.

The long answer is we did 12 weeks box rest with the first 6 weeks doing in hand walking twice per day, building from 5 min x2, to 25min x2. At 7 weeks it changed to one in hand walk and one ridden walk every day, up to 45 min each twice a day.

Then it was a recheck and rescan. At that point we had to introduce 2 min of trotting every week, building up to 12 min of trotting each day. Unfortunately when he got to 10 min he reinjured. I felt him do it. Took a dodgey step and was instantly lame. I was absolutely devastated. It was like snakes and ladders and all the way back to the start.

Back to 12w boxrest and inhand walking, then one ridden and one inhand walk per day as before.

However, it was mentally tough on both of us. We got to 9/10 weeks this time and his behaviour started to deteriorate. We’d tried a small, stable sized pen this time, so he could have some turn out, but he’d only stay quiet for 45 min or so before trying to explode. So had to be watched constantly and then brought in before kicking off. He started to behave ‘badly’ (I can’t blame him!) on his walks (he’s normally absolutely rock solid and had been a kids first pony).

Spoke to the vet who agreed that we needed to change something before one of us got hurt. Unfortunately when he came back out to see him he was still 1/10 lame so he said turn away for 3 months in the field and keep our fingers crossed. As it was only 3 months I didn’t want to move him so he went out at night, in during the day. After the first few days I had my dope on a rope back.

At the end of the 3 months the vet came back and said he still wasn’t quite 100% on the turn on a surface but start walk hacking and movement may help, we don’t want the ligament to stiffen.

So we did at least 12 weeks walking again, but this time obviously he wasn’t boxrested, he continued in his normal routine (and was a very good boy, no more dramas and airs above ground). I think it took longer than the 12 weeks as we had some weeks where we couldn’t do every single day. But built up again until he was walking for 1.5 hours. At the next check he was sound! We then started the trot work again. By this point we were back in winter (again!) so had some gaps due to weather etc. But we tried to keep up with 6 days per week, and made sure we did 7 reps of each stage of the plan, eg 7 days of 1hr+ walk and then 2 min trot etc before moving onto 7 days of 4 min trot etc.

We were signed off from the vets in April 2022, as fully sound and able to start canter work. (He was then kicked in the field in May and fractured his splint bone and had 9 weeks of boxrest before starting building back up again!).

When he was signed off the vet said don’t competitively jump/do lots of jumping again. Popping the odd log out hacking/occasional low session would be fine, but not jumping every week type thing (however, I know Michen went back to eventing so it maybe different for every horse). It wasn’t a problem for us as we were more into dressage.

We started having lessons again in November 22, but had a break over the worst of the winter and have recently started again. The vet had said he could go back to competing if we wanted, just don’t be going in the school every day, be picky with your surfaces/don’t ride if it’s deep etc. I pulled back from using the arena because after such a long rehab I think we were both a bit traumatised and couldn’t face it going wrong again and I was a bit paranoid. So we focussed on going in straight lines not on a surface, but my desire to be out and about/ slight competitive edge has led us to try pleasure rides and endurance and we’ve just started competing around 24-26km with a view to step up to 32km shortly.

It was a VERY long road and in all honestly at times felt hopeless. But it was worth it in the end.

Good luck, feel free to ask anything else.

 

[teach]

My Welsh did this last year, right hind. He doesn’t do box rest…so we did things a little differently! What both my vet and physio believe made a massive difference was that immediately after diagnosis he went to my Physio’s yard for intensive Indiba treatment, he was there for 14 days I think. Then we turned him out in a stable herd based in woodland. He was scanned again at 6 wks post diagnosis, and the vet was astounded at the speed and quality of healing-something about fibres being normal looking rather than the scar tissue he expected!
Anyway he stayed living the happy feral life for 3 months, then came back into work and is still happy and sound a year on!

 

[GG13]

@Julia0803 thank you so much for taking the time to reply. It is really helpful to read your journey and I am glad that you managed to get your boy sound again. I have been through the emotional rollercoaster that is rehab a couple of times before so I know how tough, and heartbreaking, it can be with the set backs.

My mare hasn’t been put on box rest at all, but is on small paddock rest for 12 weeks initially, with no in hand work, so that’s interesting the approach is slightly different.

 

[GG13]

My Welsh did this last year, right hind. He doesn’t do box rest…so we did things a little differently! What both my vet and physio believe made a massive difference was that immediately after diagnosis he went to my Physio’s yard for intensive Indiba treatment, he was there for 14 days I think. Then we turned him out in a stable herd based in woodland. He was scanned again at 6 wks post diagnosis, and the vet was astounded at the speed and quality of healing-something about fibres being normal looking rather than the scar tissue he expected!
Anyway he stayed living the happy feral life for 3 months, then came back into work and is still happy and sound a year on!

Thank you, it is encouraging to hear another success story! Mine also isn’t doing any box rest, but is going straight out in a small paddock.
I will speak to my vet about Indiba treatment and see if he thinks it would be beneficial for my mare. May I ask where your physio is based?

 

[teach]

Thank you, it is encouraging to hear another success story! Mine also isn’t doing any box rest, but is going straight out in a small paddock.
I will speak to my vet about Indiba treatment and see if he thinks it would be beneficial for my mare. May I ask where your physio is based?

I am in Lancashire. There are a few Physio’s with a machine now though