Suspensory damage (branch)

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Victoria25

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Hi guys

My horse had an ultrasound scan on Friday and it was confirmed that she'd done minor damage to one of her hind suspensory branches.

She's now on box rest until she's had 7 injections (cant remember the name of them) which will be done 4-5 days apart. Luckily we've caught it quite quickly and the vet confirmed that once she's had her injections, she can then start walking out in hand/out in a restricted area then hopefully on the road to a good recovery.

Just wondering really if anyone else has experienced this and how it all went? Luckily she loves being in and is soooo relaxed so there wont be any problems with silliness when she does go out (6 year old TB ex racer). x
 
I have a 25 year old Arab mare that did hers when she was 10 and is still doing Endurance and winning races.

She was never one to do Box rest so we built a small coral around one of my stables. My vet was all fore allowing movement instead of being stabled.
 
Victoria25 said:
Hi guys

My horse had an ultrasound scan on Friday and it was confirmed that she'd done minor damage to one of her hind suspensory branches.

She's now on box rest until she's had 7 injections (cant remember the name of them) which will be done 4-5 days apart. Luckily we've caught it quite quickly and the vet confirmed that once she's had her injections, she can then start walking out in hand/out in a restricted area then hopefully on the road to a good recovery.

Just wondering really if anyone else has experienced this and how it all went? Luckily she loves being in and is soooo relaxed so there wont be any problems with silliness when she does go out (6 year old TB ex racer). x
Click to expand...


Sorry for long reply - lot to fit in!
My horse has had this - he had a mild sprain of the lateral branch of the supsensory tendon on his near fore. He had the initial box rest and bringing back into work, but it wasn't doing very well so he had shockwave to reduce any calcification and PRP (like stem cell) to help the fibres regroup in the way they are meant to lie in. It was all hunky dory until he had a horrendous accident whilst I was at work and got stuck in a wheelbarrow at the yard and it all went to pot. The leg was inflammed and the calcification that was present (and causing him no problem) magnified and new calcification was added to it and then he became 2-3 tenths lame in trot on the right rein and I was told that it may not ever become better again after this additional trauma.

The best thing I did was to move yards. He was being chased on a daily basis by the YO field through deep mud and the track leading down to his paddock was half way up his cannon bones in a clay-ish type of mud which you would often find yourself getting your wellies sucked off in, so you can imagine how this was helping his suspensory injury NOT!

So I moved to a lovely yard but he rarely went out in the paddocks as she didn't want them disturbed, the YO who was renting the yard off a famous SJ would lie and say he'd been turned out when he hadn't but instead would put him on the walker for two hours a day! He went on a bute trial whilst on this yard and at his worse was three tenths lame on three bute a day and I thought he was finished. But when I started cutting down the bute he started getting better. The vet thought that the lameness may have been mechanical in nature (something I don't fully understand). I managed to cut him down to half a sachet of bute a day and the vet said do as little work on the right rein as I could. Eventually I was able to increase it so that I could do dressage tests and it was barely noticeable and then I cut out the bute moving onto buteless.

After I found out about the two hours a day horsewalker situation I moved from there to next door where I am now and I love it. Immediately he went out into a very small grass paddock which gradually increased in size and then in about October they moved to smaller paddocks for a couple of weeks and then when they started getting boggy the horses were moved to a sandpit and they go out for two hours a day so they can have a roll. He is never subjected to deep mud and his leg has healed to the point where it very very rarely comes up and if it does by the time he's walked the length of the yard its down again (just wingall type fluid). The vet is delighted with him and he's been jumping for months and months now, competing about once every three weeks to a month at the moment, doing around two six, two nine out, and around three foot to three foot three grids at home. I bandage him every time to ride, lunge about once a week on a large circle, and have the physio out reguarly.


After moving from the first yard where I'd been for ten years I did loads of hacking on vets advice avoiding any rough areas (like grass verges) or going down any steep hills if at all possible. Avoid trotting on the roads where possible and build up gradually. Keep the horse moving foward and as much off his forehand as possible to take the weight of his front leg. If the horse has a problem in his opposite diagonal leg (e.g. bone spavin) then you may need to have that leg treated or he will be continually overloading the opposite diagnoal front leg (which happened in my horses case until he received chemical arthrodesis i.e fusion with ethanol) which killed the nerves in the hock and stopped him overloading as much onto the injured leg.

Buidl up your hacking time weekly, so no hour long hacks until he has done a week of 30 mins, a week of 45 mins, etc. But be guided by your vet and the duration he suggested and don't take any notice of anyone else. You and only you and your vet know your horse best. Do what he says.

Also make sure that the farrier you use is a good farrier. By that I mean ensure that he is aware of your horses injury, that the horse will need special care to ensure that the farrier takes time to balance the foot in a correct manner - if you are unsure of this ask your vet to explain further. All farriers should do this as a matter of course, but some are very slap dash in their attitude and just nail a shoe on. Others I have seen take 3/4 hour to an hour to shoe a horse. Those farriers that assess the horses foot, take time to study the shoe they have taken off (to check for uneven wear) and maybe even see the way the horse walks are the ones you want to keep forever!

I went jumping last saturday and did fun eventing. Kept if very small and got him round, rode like a complete pleb but got him over everything and was very pleased as this was my first time back out after my nasty fall in October last year, so had no confidence but had my trusty air jacket on! :) Its good to know that at the age of 17 when I thought all hope was lost that my horse is just getting better and better and is able to do these things and keep sound, and a lot of it is down to management with feet and ground.


Glad it sounds as if she is on the mend xxx
 
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Ahh that’s brill news, hopefully it will be a good outcome! Its her first injection today (eek!). How long was your arab on limited box rest/restricted turn out?

No, her feet seem OK (she’s only got diddy back feet as it is) – she only wears two fronts and gets her hinds trimmed as and when farrier thinks she needs them doing but its something Ill def bear in mind!

Luckily, our YO lets us do as we please (theres only me and a friend that rent the whole place between us) and we've a small turnout area that I can use for her and my arab until she's allowed back with the rest of the herd.

Her fetlock has dropped slightly - she's having eggbars fitted on Thursday for approx. 6/12 months (so the vet has recommended) Im assuming in time this will rise back up as it strengthens? x
 
Wow, applecarts thank you for taking the time to write that long reply which was really helpful!
Luckily as I mentioned above I have whatever turnout she needs so that’s not a problem and its not muddy either (I had a digger up on Sunday to clear it all!!).
My vet rang my farrier when he did the scan (who he’s friends with too) and tood him exactly what she needs etc and my vet is happy I use him so, so am I!
 
Victoria25 said:
Wow, applecarts thank you for taking the time to write that long reply which was really helpful!
Luckily as I mentioned above I have whatever turnout she needs so that’s not a problem and its not muddy either (I had a digger up on Sunday to clear it all!!).
My vet rang my farrier when he did the scan (who he’s friends with too) and tood him exactly what she needs etc and my vet is happy I use him so, so am I!
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No problem - a lot of it was a cut and paste job from a previous reply I gave! :)

Its great having a good surface to turn out on, glad that's sorted as it will make all the difference. I am sure she will come back into work like my horse did, although there is a 40% chance of reocurrence I've been assured that you just have to start again and hopefully it would sort it self out again.

Its just a patience game. I am so lucky to have such a liberal minded vet who has just told me (when my horse was able to) to get on with it and see how it goes and was happy to prescribe bute as/if/when he needed it or may have needed it.

Best of luck x
 
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