SFDT injury. Options?

[Nichola_BEquestrian]

My boy has been diagnosed with swelling of the SDFT.
Vet has recommended rest, small paddock and only walking. Reassessment in 6 weeks. Up to 9 months of rehab

I don’t have small paddock options on my yard. Have kept him in this week but he’s a 17hh sharp warmblood and the walking will become increasingly difficult.

I’m not sure what to do for the best. I’m not bothered if he doesn’t return to competition (was a dressage horse). He’s 16 now and owes me nothing. Even if we end up just hacking for the rest of his years, that’s absolutely fine.

He has other issues going on too, such as arthritic changes in his stifles and navicular + collateral ligament changes in front (managed by remedial shoeing and pads).

So my options are the tricky box rest. Or turn him out as normal with the others (but it’s a big herd and on an 11 acre field). Turn him away for the winter (in over night) and see how he goes.

What are people’s thoughts?
I don’t want to sound like I’m going against veterinary advice by turning out, but I know he’s not going to cope 9 months in. And the yard doesn’t allow his own smaller paddock

Very stressed and any advice appreciated

 

[dottylottie]

i box rested my at the time 4 year old for the 2 weeks as suggested, then continued to turn out. knew full well she’d explode on box rest and walking! took a bit longer as she was still a plonker, but was almost exactly a year before she was signed off to be treated as i would’ve done pre-injury

 

[Nichola_BEquestrian]

i box rested my at the time 4 year old for the 2 weeks as suggested, then continued to turn out. knew full well she’d explode on box rest and walking! took a bit longer as she was still a plonker, but was almost exactly a year before she was signed off to be treated as i would’ve done pre-injury

Thank you. Vet has recommend 6 weeks box rest and walking with another scan to follow. But did mention it could be a 9 month recovery. That’s a lot of time not turned out. If I turn out on our big field I’m sure he would gallop around and undo the recovery

 

[Highmileagecob]

In your shoes I think I would have a frank and honest conversation with your farrier and ask if the remedial shoeing is causing a knock on effect and producing more changes. Ask your vet if turning away for six months without shoes will help, and ask for an honest answer about whether the horse will ever come sound, given that SFDT is showing changes. It's a tricky area, and understandably, professionals do not have a crystal ball - but I'm fairly sure they see enough to make an informed judgement. You have my sympathy. Trying to rest a horse is difficult.

 

[Goldenstar]

Do you have access to another horse ?
Because I would lead him from the other horse and stable him, you would need to do this at least twice a day it will be a slog and difficult if you work .
Situations like this are very very difficult and you can only do your best .
H had this injury and although difficult to manage we did keep him comfortable and sound it was a wild ride working out how to manage him .
He returned to hunting but we kept his work load much much lighter last year was his best soundness wise since it happened but I had really sussed it then .
He was PTS at Easter he had a fast growing cancer .
For him it became a chronic injury that flared up at times we used to laser round his foot when this happened this should not work but it helped him .
We also used steroid into the foot at times he had various niggles like your horse and I did everything I could to keep each one comfy it cost a fortune .
H had big flat feet with thin horn it was hard to manage them.
He could never work in a school after this in except in walk .
Keeping Hero core strength good was key to keeping him sound this was not easy with him but I think it’s something you should be thinking with your horse even now while he’s on box rest
H was younger when it happened than your horse which probaly made it easier, getting him shod right was complicated and I had to change farriers from someone I knew well and had used for years .
I think you do have a chance of getting him back to being hack .
You need to find a way to restrict his movement and get him moving as the vets advise even if that’s a specialist rehab yard.
At his age I think you have zero chance of getting him sound if you don’t restrict movement in these early stages .
Don’t let him get fat it will make things so much more difficult.
You can use sedation was hand walking if you are in huge trouble but it’s less than ideal because it gives you other problems to manage .
These types of lamenesses are sort where horses went into hemmels ( small cattle sheds ) when I was young sometimes they were even put in with cattle and left to rest .

 

[Goldenstar]

I know from H he had to be shod even losing a shoe could cause it to flare up .

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Assuming you are on DIY could you afford a double livery for a short while? Move him to another yard that allows small pen turnout for the period of his recovery, or even to a rehab yard if affordable. If on part livery would your yard allow you to pay a retainer while you did this as not being there will be lesser on resources for them?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would just leave him out seen as he has other issues going on.

One of mine had a bit of suspensory damage last year he was 18 and had done nearly 3 months box rest previously for a pedal fracture, it took its toll on him physically so I decided not to box rest, it was summer and he lives out mainly anyway he had laser treatment on his back legs every week for a month, he was sound after the treatment i didn't tell the vet I didn't box rest.

 

[w1bbler]

If you can afford it / are insured, then try indiba treatment, ive seen amazing healing from it.
Sending to a rehab yard that uses indiba would also solve your boxrest/ turnout issues
If you are near Devon I can recommend a yard

 

[Nichola_BEquestrian]

Thank you all for the responses, much appreciated. Currently we are going in to week 3 of box rest. He goes out in the arena for half an hour every morning while I muck out, as he doesn't tend to run around at all in there. He walks around the edges eating grass and has a roll. Then I had walk him for 20 mins in the evenings (bandaged, as the vet suggested).

He has been coping very well, surprisingly. He has a large stable and always has company in the barn, so he seems quite content. The vet will be back in 4 weeks to review. My worry is what I do down the line, as I can't keep him in forever, but the yard I am on is large herd turn out on large fields (so it would undo all of my rehab work). I think I need to look at moving him.

It's me that's the problem now. I don't know if it is because he is injured, or because my life is changing, but I've lost all interest in riding When I've brought him back from injury in the past, I've always been excited to get going again and rehab took it's toll on me. This time, I'm not missing the riding. I have a busy career, a new business that is taking off and children at home; so it's like my life is going in a different direction. I've ridden for 30 years, always had horses and worked in the industry etc. But for some reason, I've no interest in riding now. Don't get me wrong, I have full interest in my boy, he's my everything and I love him to pieces. I just want him to be sound and happy.
Is it selfish of me to consider retiring him because I've lost interest? Does that sound really awful? He's only 16. I've done everything I wanted with him and enjoyed years of dressage (he was a show jumper before I got him, jumping large tracks - hence why we have other changes going on too, including navicular and stifle changes that are managed by his remedial shoeing).

My head is everywhere at the moment!

 

[Birker2020]

Thank you all for the responses, much appreciated. Currently we are going in to week 3 of box rest. He goes out in the arena for half an hour every morning while I muck out, as he doesn't tend to run around at all in there. He walks around the edges eating grass and has a roll. Then I had walk him for 20 mins in the evenings (bandaged, as the vet suggested).

He has been coping very well, surprisingly. He has a large stable and always has company in the barn, so he seems quite content. The vet will be back in 4 weeks to review. My worry is what I do down the line, as I can't keep him in forever, but the yard I am on is large herd turn out on large fields (so it would undo all of my rehab work). I think I need to look at moving him.

It's me that's the problem now. I don't know if it is because he is injured, or because my life is changing, but I've lost all interest in riding When I've brought him back from injury in the past, I've always been excited to get going again and rehab took it's toll on me. This time, I'm not missing the riding. I have a busy career, a new business that is taking off and children at home; so it's like my life is going in a different direction. I've ridden for 30 years, always had horses and worked in the industry etc. But for some reason, I've no interest in riding now. Don't get me wrong, I have full interest in my boy, he's my everything and I love him to pieces. I just want him to be sound and happy.
Is it selfish of me to consider retiring him because I've lost interest? Does that sound really awful? He's only 16. I've done everything I wanted with him and enjoyed years of dressage (he was a show jumper before I got him, jumping large tracks - hence why we have other changes going on too, including navicular and stifle changes that are managed by his remedial shoeing).

My head is everywhere at the moment!

He wont care if you retire him. But he may get a little bored, depends what you class as retirement.

I didn't retire Lari at the yard where I kept him for two reasons:

1) because he wouldn't have had the herd environment that he has now with acres and acres to wander over and a variety of mares and geldings all with different personalities. A paddock with friends on both sides is okay when the horse is a ridden animal as it will get stimulation in other areas of its life but when retired it would be pretty bored IMHO.
2) because I couldn't have coped with having a horse that I couldn't ride when all my friends were riding and having fun, I really struggled with that aspect of things much as I loved having him

Would you have somewhere to retire him to where he could be out with others?