Sound enough to Ride?

A

alext

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 June 2005
Messages
99
Visit site
Hi I'll apologise in advance this is likely to be long!. I have a horse who last year stood on something and ended up with an infected navicular bursa. The out look was not good the vets got a good flush of the bursa and put him on strong antibiotics to clear the infection . I think he also managed to infect the ddft although this didn't go up the leg as it was feared it might. However after the flush he didnt come as sound as the vets would of liked and was still 8/10ths lame.the vets thought he had damaged his ddft but couldn't reach it with ultrasound and we had run out of insurance money for an MRI.
He was allowed home but no one thought he would ever improve and when I brought him of the trailer I didn't think he would see the end of the week :(
He suprised everyone and made progress be it not as fast as the vet would of liked. She told me I would never ride him again or maybe just as a light hack.
We had one relapse where he got worse and I was told to prepare to put him to sleep.
At the time the vet thought he had reinfected but I thought he had sore heels as where the frog had grown there was a hole I could stick my finger in! Through the whole process I was aware and did tell the vets that he is a bit of a wimp .
He improved to 2/10 lame in may 3 months after his accident and was allowed to be turned out. I was told he would never get any sounder than this and he would stay on one bute a day for the rest of his life.
Fast forward to now he has not been on any bute since August . And to me and farrier he is sound in walk and to me in trot (farrier hasn't seem him trot)
He is not the easiest of horses on the ground and thus he never went for walks and I can't take him for walks now.
I feel maybe the vet didn't ever expect him to make it and never really explained why if he came sound I wouldn't be able to ride him. Now I may struggle to get this across right . I feel he is bored , I'm considering having the vet out to re acess him but feel a little silly doing so after they have told me he can't be ridden again. However they haven't seen him since last may and told me to call them if he goes lamer and there pts. I only want to take him out for walks to give him something to do in no means when I say ride him do I mean anything more!im little 8and half stone and he's 15.3 Tbxdales
I guess i'm asking for similar experiences or someone to explain nicely please why not? I gather it's to do with the strength of the ddft and added weight of tack and rider.
Thanks in advance apologises for length
 
i would go with your gut instinct if you feel he is ok to walk out go for it ! I had a similar situation and mine was not 100% sound but was bored so he hack out once or twicw a week and enjoys life far more than he would stuck in a field, just asses him daily and if he looks sore rest him
 
You know your own horse. If he feels like he needs to work then try him. If he becomes lame (or less sound, whichever way you want to phrase it) then you know he can't work.

Mine isn't 100% but he's 17 and has arthritis is every leg. He still works (will have done 8 days' hunting this season by the end of this coming Saturday) and enjoys it. He's a nightmare when he isn't working and he hates not doing anything. I've read posts on here where people suggest groundwork and Parelli type exercises for retired horses to keep them mentally stimulated but I know for a fact mine would be bored senseless and annoyed if that's all he ever did. I know my horse and I know when he's up to hard work, and when he needs a quieter time. In a sense you have to push the horse a bit to find out what they can cope with. In your situation I'd probably bring the horse back into work very slowly, maybe start with some long reining in the school then light hacking. See how he is after that - he may never manage more than that or he might surprise you.
 
My lami is 4/10ths lame on a 5 meter circle on hard ground but sound straight vet said give time off until i can get him X-rayed, got to save up due to last year insurance excess, he is sound straight lines and running round the feild and was getting to board that he was getting rude so i started hacking him out and he has settled. We think it's ringbone. I did tell my vet what i was going to do and she was fine with it.

Do what you think.

Xx
 
My gorgeous hors Jimmy was diagnosed with tears in his DDFT from knees to feet on both front legs about 8 yrs ago. I was told to shoot him as he had lost his use. I kept him as he was sound enough to potter the field. A couple of yrs after his retirement i saw him galloping the field and jumping jumps of his own accord. From that day on he has been lightly ridden and never had a day of lameness. I do not push him but we enjoy each others company and go for the odd hack. You know your own horse and at worst it will tell you its in pain and then you need to stop what you are doing.
 
I would get on him and see. Lately my mare who did her bicceps brachi tendon two and a half years ago has been paddock sound in walk trot and canter for at least a year. I was told I would never be able to ride her again, and have sold her saddle etc. But due to trying to shift some weight off her after a bout of cushings induced laminitis, I have been long reining her and lunging her 2 - 3 times a week and she has still stayed sound. A couple of days ago she galloped round the field for at least twenty minutes with my Tb ex racehorse and kept up with him stride for stride. I am beginning to think maybe...
 
I have been told that mine will never be sound enough to school or compete had op on suspensory ligament and now diagnosed with subchondral bone disease but vet and physio have suggested I try hacking for 6 weeks and see what happens. I did question this and the physio said that a person with a bad knee might not go for a run but they would still go for a walk if they enjoyed it. Made sense to me, so why not give it a go. Good luck
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top