SI prognosis- update to my last post

[I don’t like mondays]

I posted last week about my daughter’s pony hopping into trot and then whether to have a bone scan (thanks to everyone who commented, helped massively). I’ve got the results and it’s hocks and SI. SI has been scanned and hocks xrayed. The SI is quite significant (it’s the joint rather than the vertebrae). Vet thinks pony could come good after rehab but only time will tell. Im a realist and lost my last horse to this (he never came right). Pony is only 7. Anyone have any words of advice or anything positive? I’ve been here before and it wasn’t good. It feels really tough that she’s my daughters pony. I also know how SI can go :-( Thanks

 

[Fieldlife]

I posted last week about my daughter’s pony hopping into trot and then whether to have a bone scan (thanks to everyone who commented, helped massively). I’ve got the results and it’s hocks and SI. SI has been scanned and hocks xrayed. The SI is quite significant (it’s the joint rather than the vertebrae). Vet thinks pony could come good after rehab but only time will tell. Im a realist and lost my last horse to this (he never came right). Pony is only 7. Anyone have any words of advice or anything positive? I’ve been here before and it wasn’t good. It feels really tough that she’s my daughters pony. I also know how SI can go :-( Thanks

I'd look for other contributory factors. If there are any, addressing those will have a big impact on outcome. Worth x-raying foot balance, and checking no NPA.

 

[I don’t like mondays]

I'd look for other contributory factors. If there are any, addressing those will have a big impact on outcome. Worth x-raying foot balance, and checking no NPA.

Thanks you Fieldlife. They xrayed the feet at the same time because I was thinking the same

 

[Fieldlife]

I've had a lot of success rehabbing SI injuries - get everything else as good as it can be, inject if there is pain and inflammation, use the few months injection window window to build as much supportive muscle around SI to protect it long term. Very frequent bodywork and saddle checks, Exercises such as raised walk poles / backing / water treadmill, hill work / resistance band work / what ever gets horse working over back - long reining / double lunging / in hand work etc.

 

[I don’t like mondays]

I've had a lot of success rehabbing SI injuries - get everything else as good as it can be, inject if there is pain and inflammation, use the few months injection window window to build as much supportive muscle around SI to protect it long term. Very frequent bodywork and saddle checks, Exercises such as raised walk poles / backing / water treadmill, hill work / resistance band work / what ever gets horse working over back - long reining / double lunging / in hand work etc.

Thanks Fieldlife, that’s encouraging. Did you find the Watertreadmill was a big help? I might try that (in addition to all the other bits you mention like raised poles, in hand etc- luckily I’ve still got the resistance bands from my late horse)

 

[SEL]

There's a Facebook page called nobacknohorse which has some great exercises and useful moderators. Have you had SI injected?

 

[TheHairyOne]

Ive also had success with an accute injury. 6 months of rehab after steriod injections, long and low, poles, correct working etc followed by correct management and he was never asked to jump very much again. It was maybe 7 years ago now. Ive had to had the steriod redone once (slight arthritic hock on one side and a reduction in work due to a slight tweak of a front leg ligament set it off again), but he is still super happy working at novice.

He is 19 now and still out doing dressage at least once a month. Hope your story ends up as good as mine.

 

[I don’t like mondays]

There's a Facebook page called nobacknohorse which has some great exercises and useful moderators. Have you had SI injected?

Thanks SEL, I’ll take a look. Yes SI and hocks injected today

 

[I don’t like mondays]

Ive also had success with an accute injury. 6 months of rehab after steriod injections, long and low, poles, correct working etc followed by correct management and he was never asked to jump very much again. It was maybe 7 years ago now. Ive had to had the steriod redone once (slight arthritic hock on one side and a reduction in work due to a slight tweak of a front leg ligament set it off again), but he is still super happy working at novice.

He is 19 now and still out doing dressage at least once a month. Hope your story ends up as good as mine.

View attachment 100045

What a lovely horse. It’s nice to see a positive story

 

[maya2008]

I’ve also known a positive story - horse came right for another decade or so before finally re-injuring and retiring.

Will it be harder to do the ridden portion of the rehab on a child’s pony though?

 

[I don’t like mondays]

I’ve also known a positive story - horse came right for another decade or so before finally re-injuring and retiring.

Will it be harder to do the ridden portion of the rehab on a child’s pony though?

I agree and this is my worry :-( Pony is too small for me to ride and daughter isn’t experienced enough to be able to get a horse working across the back

 

[Zoeypxo]

Mine has had hocks and SI injections before. She is 14 and has a fair few other issues but currently sound and in work 5 days a week inc dressage and some occasional jumping, she could jump more but its not my thing!
Do you know what is wrong with the SI? injury, arthritis, secondary pain from sore hocks?

 

[Zoeypxo]

Sorry I should add she has yearly hock injections, just had arthramid done for the first time so hoping it may last longer now then 12 months.
SI was only ever injected once. Once hock pain was kept ontop of with annual injections the SI is ok

 

[I don’t like mondays]

Mine has had hocks and SI injections before. She is 14 and has a fair few other issues but currently sound and in work 5 days a week inc dressage and some occasional jumping, she could jump more but its not my thing!
Do you know what is wrong with the SI? injury, arthritis, secondary pain from sore hocks?

It’s SI bone remodelling to the joint so I think that would be considered arthritis. She’s low mileage which makes me even more concerned. She had a bone scan to rule out other bone issue and hocks and SI showed up. The vet thinks the hocks are more mild than the Si
ETA: that’s great to hear yours is living a full life though, did your horse have boney changes to the Si? Was there anything that helped with your rehab?

pony wasn’t lame at the work up but her symptoms were reluctance to trot (hops into the transition) and bunny hopping in canter

 

[TheHairyOne]

My boy had the bunny hopping canter typical of an SI injury and bucked like a stinker in the transition. I couldnt tell you what was going on in there for him (now or when he first did it) as didnt bother with scans or xrays.

He always had a weaker right hind and this is the one which now has the hock arthritis. This isnt bad (been done with steriods twice in 20 months), was never actually lame enough that you could see it, but the slight compensation was enough to make him wonky through his SI again.

Be nothing wrong with doing the rehab work without a rider at all if you can get him working correctly inhand. Once the strength is there then for my horse once it had stabalised he is quite able to not be always correct the whole time with no obvious detriment.

Such a shame for such a young pony though. Do hope you can get him right enough that he is happy and comfortable for your daughter to enjoy.

 

[Fieldlife]

Thanks Fieldlife, that’s encouraging. Did you find the Watertreadmill was a big help? I might try that (in addition to all the other bits you mention like raised poles, in hand etc- luckily I’ve still got the resistance bands from my late horse)

I think the water treadmill is as good as the rehabilitation skill of the operator. If the get horse moving straight, head lowered over back, water not too deep Etc can be really useful. But do see too deep / too fast / head up / horse crooked etc.

 

[Fabel]

Mine had SI issues, we didn’t medicate at all other than bute for 2 weeks and the 12 weeks of various exercises and ground work including 9 weeks long reigning half without tack half in tack, she is now working at medium dressage and amazing. She does have McTimmoney and Craniosacral therapy every 8 weeks alternating. I keep her weight down and also keep her well rugged

 

[ponynutz]

Nothing to add other than apologies it was something, good luck and I'm sure he'll be right as rain in no time.

 

[maya2008]

If it’s all bony changes then I would expect joint injections to make a big difference, at least at first (I know they eventually don’t work as well, but that should be years later). Has the vet given you a rehab plan and said how that would look in a small pony?

 

[I don’t like mondays]

If it’s all bony changes then I would expect joint injections to make a big difference, at least at first (I know they eventually don’t work as well, but that should be years later). Has the vet given you a rehab plan and said how that would look in a small pony?

Thanks Maya2008. Haven’t had the written rehab yet but verbally he said 4 weeks of lunging (I’m not a fan of lunging every day because I don’t think it’s good, so will long line, in hand etc as well). Pony isn’t that small (14h but I’d be too big) so I’m wondering about paying an adult to come and ride when we get to ridden rehab

 

[sbloom]

I've had a lot of success rehabbing SI injuries - get everything else as good as it can be, inject if there is pain and inflammation, use the few months injection window window to build as much supportive muscle around SI to protect it long term. Very frequent bodywork and saddle checks, Exercises such as raised walk poles / backing / water treadmill, hill work / resistance band work / what ever gets horse working over back - long reining / double lunging / in hand work etc.

I've not read everything so sorry if I'm repeating anything already said or missed anything. These exercises can be useful but ONLY if the horse is already straight and able to push up in front. If not, they will strengthen the asymmetry, the horse will look like it has a better topline but the underlying issues aren't gone. Not an accusation Fieldlife, I'm sure you have an eye to know what to do when, but that eye is rare.

Here's a post I made about posture https://www.facebook.com/stephbloom...tKv3K9nkPHKz6SjVXLHqmWWZ4UuYgnSGFwonLKNPvunEl. In the wild horses are safer the more one sided they are, the more they are on the forehand, and the more they shrink their bodies, going base narrow, to protect their vital organs. Every single one of those is absolutly going to make them break if we simply jump on and ride them. We need them to be straight (as possible), pushing up/lifting in front and not base narrow, instead opening up their underneck, chest and bellies/HQs to make them stand over their feet properly. All this goes against their instincts, they would die if they moved like this in the wild.

So if we don't get all that right, they move crooked, and on their forehands, and suspensories, hocks, SI, kissing spines and front foot issues are super common and all go back to posture. They are almost never a primary diagnosis is my understanding, no matter how it might be prevented by vets eg that the hocks caused the SI or vice versa. They're part of a pattern of compensatory movement patterns.

Read everything you can about posture and thoracic sling, I would HIGHLY recommend the programme mentioned in the post I linked to, there are plenty of others, I have a sheet I can send to anyone who sends me an email address, but Balance Through Movement Method is the ultimate to get started.

Responding to your last post OP, lunging is great if you have a straight horse that knows how to move healthily on a circle, one of the hardest things we ever ask them to do. Some amazing rehab people actively use the circle to help them straighten the horse, but for anyone else I'd run a mile. I know you're in a difficult situation which is why you need to read, to get context for what the vets are telling you.

 

[Birker2020]

I posted last week about my daughter’s pony hopping into trot and then whether to have a bone scan (thanks to everyone who commented, helped massively). I’ve got the results and it’s hocks and SI. SI has been scanned and hocks xrayed. The SI is quite significant (it’s the joint rather than the vertebrae). Vet thinks pony could come good after rehab but only time will tell. Im a realist and lost my last horse to this (he never came right). Pony is only 7. Anyone have any words of advice or anything positive? I’ve been here before and it wasn’t good. It feels really tough that she’s my daughters pony. I also know how SI can go :-( Thanks

If you have a few hours to kill look at:
Update on Lari in the search bar under Birker2020 there is plenty to keep you going.

I'm telling you this because the thread details some of the rehab I have done to my horse which I bought in October last year with what professionals believe was an existing SI injury which turned from chronic to acute after an accident with me. Clearly the horse should wasn't right all along, he was lame on his right hind when I first rode him and I have found a rather horrendous video floating around on YouTube which shows the horse not in its best light shall we say, and shows this is an old injury.

However, its important to remember that every horse is individual and just because my horse hasn't come good doesn't mean yours won't. I know you asked for positivity and I genuinely think that some horses do come good but they might take a bit of maintenance.

I'd start by getting hold of a brilliant physio - mine has been marvellous, if you are in the Midlands I can PM you her details. She can give you exercises to do and take away some of the initial muscle soreness that comes with such an issue.

And my tip would be to try and get as much treatment as you can in during that 12 months in terms of physio and medicating the joints. Do the groundwork to get the horse strong in its core and using itself better and think about getting a pro rider to ride initially to get the horse working correctly to continue to build that core and topline.

Its going to take many months of patience and effort but it will hopefully be worth it. I wish you every success.

 

[nutjob]

Mine has made a full recovery but his SI injury followed an accident it wasn't a wear and tear issue. I had a physio involved and did most of the rehab inhand. Are you sure that she doesn't have any issue with her suspensories if this has not been the result of an accident?