Suspensary damage Causes? recovery? help!

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katy1986

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I have had my horse about a year i bought him as a five year old who hadnt done very much he passed a five star vetting when i got him and has very good conformation. I started working with him along with my instructor and building up his strength but hes never worked very consistant in a contact and was reluctant to put weight in his back end, sometimes we could get really good work from him but its never been consistant and it seems to of got worse the more work we have done with him. This spring we have tried to work at getting the contact more consistant and getting him rounder in canter ready for our first showing season. We tried him in a double bridle and he didnt want to move. Anyway we decided to take him to the vets when we noticed a slight lameness especially in canter, and it turns out that that he has damaged suspensary ligaments when his hocks were ultrsounded. Their were no holes but their was mild damage in both and his left hind was far bigger than his right but their was damage in both.

I have been advised that this will end my horses career as a dressage/ show horse as the injury can come back when worked again.

The vet also said that my horses feet were badly shod with the heal sitting too low and too much length in the toe. My instructor had said this to me months ago and i spoke to my farrier and explained my concerns who was quite certain the way he was shod was correct. She is redg and compeates all over the country and so i took her word for it.

Now im wondering has the shoeing caused it? and if i could of prevented this I dont know why my horse has done this damage he hasnt had a hard year hes had work but nothing he shouldnt be able to cope with.

Is my horse a right off or does he still have a future showing ahead of him?

hes been on box rest and has had steroid injections and he seems as sound as a pound i plan on keeping him on another 4 weeks box rest the assess the situation.

What is everone elses exprience with suspensary damage? recovery? workload after recovery? Any advise would be greatly apprecieated
 
Depends; has he got PSD?
If so then hind legs are very hard to heal especially if not recognised within a few weeks. Mine was undiagnosed for 6 months! he had an operation on his ( there is a post further down about this!)
He became sound after a few months and that was nearly 3 years ago, he is jumping and hacking now.
As for the shoeing issue; this is a very good website

http://uknhcp.myfastforum.org/
 
Welcome to the suspensory strain club!! My boy has proximal suspensory damage in right hind, he's been on 4 months box rest and 2-3 hours turnout in a small pen for the last 5-6 weeks.
If you search this site there are many posts and articles on the subject.

Where on the hinds is the damage? There are 3 parts that can show damage, mine is the proximal or top part just below the hock.

My boy has long pasterns and low heels, he's also quite upright in the hocks. This combined with too much schooling from a sharer, I think, caused the damage, but it can be a sudden strain or more of a repetitive strain injury.

The prognosis for the hinds, particularly if its more chronic is not wonderful but a lot of factors come into play. My boy has also had egg bar shoes, shock wave therapy and adequan injections at the start. There is the possibility of surgery for some cases but I haven't been offered that.

You are looking at a very long rest period because a quick return to work means a high chance of re-injury as the ligament healing process is slow.:eek:

I am following my vets' advice to the letter and hope to be hacking out in the autumn and a return to some competing next year. If you show, I would say you could get back to that, jumping is much more difficult!!! Good luck- it's really gutting but horses often do make a full recovery :)
 
My boy did his right lower medial hind suspensory ligament in September last year. He was doing a 80km endurance ride.

We did all he normal things Ultra sound, Shock wave, Adequan injections and plasma injection into the lesion, plus a whole pile of Homeopathic pills.

He was allowed to be in a playpen which I built around one on my stables (He does not do Box Rest). each month he was allowed a bit bigger pen. He was also bandaged at the back.

He was rescanned just before Christmas and the lesion was nearly healed. We started to walk him out, first in hand then ridden. By March this year he was doing a 10 mile training ride and hopefully he will be competing by the beginning of July.

Another thing I did was give him some Reiki (I'm a Reiki Master) and massage.

My vet told me when he first did the injury that he may never compete again.

Good luck with your horse.

I also have a little Arab mare (Now 20 ) who did a front suspensory 8 years ago and she had her best season last year including 2 wins and a second in race rides (Endurance) plus she won the Veteran Marathon including winning best condition overall.

Careful treatment and rehabilitation and they will come right.
 
i am new to this forum lark but was advised to use it by a friend. My horse was diagnosed with a suspensory ligament strain on his front leg 4 weeks ago. I have been reading lots of stuff on the internet and frightened myself to death! I keep being told that its a strain and not a tear or rip but I cant get my head around it at the moment. Feeling very down about it all.
 
elaine1962 said:
i am new to this forum lark but was advised to use it by a friend. My horse was diagnosed with a suspensory ligament strain on his front leg 4 weeks ago. I have been reading lots of stuff on the internet and frightened myself to death! I keep being told that its a strain and not a tear or rip but I cant get my head around it at the moment. Feeling very down about it all.
Click to expand...

My girl has had a strain to both front leg suspensory ligaments at different times and a few years ago. 3 months box rest then brought steadily back into ridden work and she's been fine. She's now got navicular although completely separate issue from ligaments.
 
OP sorry to hear about your horse. As I understand it, vets offer a few options depending of the severity of the problem. Also with something like this there is a possibility that treatment isn't totally successful.

Having said that, a friend's horse was diagnosed last year with PSD, she was operated on and is back competing and winning in dressage at elementary level and working medium level at home.
:o

Good luck, at least you know what you are dealing with which is always a plus.
 
My mare tore her front suspensories and I turned her away (fenced off from the others) and in he end it took over a year but she came 100% sound. The vets were amazed when they scanned her and asked if they'd were scanning the right leg. I am a firm believer in time off and being turned away. We are comig into winter perhaps you could discuss it with your vet with he aim to bringing your horse back slowly come spring. Too many people rush rehabs and don't give enough time off. Time heals all wounds etc etc :-)
 
Elaine you've posted this on a thread that is three years old. Start a new one yourself and you will get lots of support from other people with experience of your problem.
 
sounds to me like shoeing is a possible cause. I would ask a second professional opinion on your horse's foot balance. The farrier is bound to defend his/herself. Vets have nothing to gain or lose stating about the shoeing so I don't understand why you would disbelieve the vet? Could you not see for yourself that the toe was too long? That is a common cause of suspensory strain.
 
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