Strengthening stifles after injury

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LouiseG

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Hi there, I wondered if people could tell me what exercises you do as a way of strengthening stifles?

My horse had stifle surgery back in December, he had cartilage damage in both legs, he's only 7 and the vet thinks it's down to conformation so it's crucial I get the muscles strong, as well as his core muscles (he's always been weak in his core). He's been back in work since end of March, where we hacked for at least 2-3 months in straight lines. Have been back "schooling" for about 2 months and still aren't allowed to do anything smaller than a 20m circle in trot, still cantering large and have started increasing lateral work (leg yield and shoulder in). Also doing poles at least once a week, where I have been randomly placing about 10 poles around the arena and incorporating them into our schooling session (mainly so I dont have to keep getting on and off if he knocks them). We are schooling 3-4 times per week and hacking twice.

Any suggestions very welcome as we are getting quite bored now and running out of ideas! x
 
I'd do less schooling and more hacking.

My mare has a sticky stifle and hacking is great for her. Especially hill work.
 
less schooling more hacking and as much hill work as you can bare! my horse has locking stifles and the only winter she hasn't locked was when she would go on a walker for 15/20mins twice a day whether that is coincidence or not i don't know!
 
Thanks for the replies! We have next to no hacking at the yard, it's all roads and barely any hills. We do have a nice steady incline on the road up to the yard which takes about 10 minutes so once a week I have been walking up and down, and up and down... I go out in the trailer at least once a week to the forest. The schooling is on the advice of the physio but I can do the lateral work whilst hacking I guess. I'm not to do any trot work on hard ground and cantering outdoors is explosive so I am really struggling! x
 
I would do more polework, make it more interesting and challenging, I am currently rehabbing and using poles every day either in hand or ridden, we do simple walk distances, double that so he misses out a pole each stride, raised poles, either both sides or alternate sides, having them raised as if spokes on a wheel walking on the turn, a row each one slightly higher than the last this is very challenging and takes real effort to get it right, work over them diagonally, I am trying to move them about as he tends to use himself less well after a few days but you can just use your imagination, if walking nothing should be too difficult and the slower they walk, within reason, the more they use the hind leg and engage the core, trotting obviously requires distances to be correct.

Has your physio given you plenty of exercises to do on the ground?
 
I do have some poles exercises from the physio from a previous injury but I think they would still be okay to use, I will concentrate on doing more of those. The ones we have are normal trotting poles, a fan, also we have poles in straight lines end to end where we weave through them, the ends are raised either inwards or outwards, and have raised ones on a large circle.
Are the poles exercises done mainly in walk? x
 
I am still mainly walking so at the moment yes but it does really make him work hard as well as use his brain.

I would also be doing lots of exercises on the ground with him, carrot stretches, tail pulls, tummy lifts etc mine has strengthened up immensely in the 4 weeks since he was treated, his hind legs are becoming much stronger he is starting to be more stable when stretching as well as incredibly supple, all good for the core, he has a SI injury but I would think it needs much the same physio to build them up.
 
Oh the dreaded tummy lift! It's tantrum inducing, he hates it!! We do carrot stretches every day. Thanks loads for your really helpful advice! I think SI and stifle rehab is pretty similar, when he got the all clear from the vet the thing he emphasised the most over and above anything else was core strength and how it can't be over looked x
 
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