Suspensory damaged to front leg

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LCDB

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Hello All

One of my horses (and I have to say my favorite) has been diagnosed with damaged to his front suspensory.

The vet has suggested box rest with controlled exercise or turning him away for 6 months. As he is not the sort to be stuck inside I have decided to turn him away.

How does everyone cope with these injuries, the not knowing that your horse is ever going to come right. I was fine the first week but I think it has hit me now and I really don't know what to do for the best. He is not lame on the leg so that is one relief. But thinking long term I am struggling to know how I will cope when 6 months down the line I am potentially told he is no better, I tend to think negatively than think positive and be disappointed.

Sorry for the sad post, and not really any point to it but I don't have anyone else to talk to and just needed to get it off my chest.

Thanks for reading.
 
Yes,I have one on three months box rest ATM .
He's getting twenty minutes walking led from another horse most days .
HEs going have some shock wave therapy but keep going straight into walking exercise at the end of the three months he damaged the lateral branch he was 3/10s lame when he did it but was sound after a fortnight he's always been sound in walk.
 
TBH it is a very difficult time. Mine had a front suspensory injury. He had PRP, Shockwave, copious quaitities of ice, straight line walking, restricted turnout, and then he sagged in his shape through not working and became a wobbler!

He has been off work for 2 years (if you include all the straight line work as "off") and that is even harder, as the dratted horse can't even retire like a normal horse, as he still needs some work to keep his back 'up' but although the wobblers is mild, I felt like I did not want to ride him!

Now, the leg is sound and has been for a year. He is currently symptom free, but the wobblers comes and goes. If it comes back as bad as it was then he will be PTS the next day. He is being lunged 3 X a week to keep his back supported. I may ride him this summer if his condition seems stable.

At first I was sad for our goals being hampered, ten I was worried that we would lose him. At times I resent him for being off work but still needing 'work' IYSWIM. I am now looking for a new ride-able horse, and Jay can stay retired while he is happy.

I do miss my riding. Sadly we ask a lot of horses, and I guess it is inevitable they will occasionally go wrong. A mild front suspensory injury where the horse is not even lame has a high chance of recovery, and I guess the vet will be able to tell you better after a scan.
 
Mine had a suspensory injury which he came sound from - briefly.

Sadly equine vets were unable to recognise that two tendon injuries in a happy hacker might actually relate to feet ........ I had to push them to x ray feet and nerve block and surprise surprise, it was navicular.

They suggested bar shoes and pads - I have gone barefoot.

I am not saying it is easy doing this - we are 7 months in and only hacking out for 30 minutes and walking the other 10 minutes around the block which is steep downhill.

Vets are not always right and don't always see the bigger picture - had I known now what I knew then he would never have had the second tendon injury.

Wobblers is something I don't know anything about, so can't comment.
 
LCDB said:
Hello All

One of my horses (and I have to say my favorite) has been diagnosed with damaged to his front suspensory.

The vet has suggested box rest with controlled exercise or turning him away for 6 months. As he is not the sort to be stuck inside I have decided to turn him away.

How does everyone cope with these injuries, the not knowing that your horse is ever going to come right. I was fine the first week but I think it has hit me now and I really don't know what to do for the best. He is not lame on the leg so that is one relief. But thinking long term I am struggling to know how I will cope when 6 months down the line I am potentially told he is no better, I tend to think negatively than think positive and be disappointed.

Sorry for the sad post, and not really any point to it but I don't have anyone else to talk to and just needed to get it off my chest.

Thanks for reading.
Click to expand...

A friends horse recovered very well from 2 suspensory branch injuries, she iced and iced the leg initially with ice cups and the vet said this early treatment had a profound affect on the horses recovery. She also had to introduce work over a period of time initially on the roads. She invested in ice vibe boots which helped the rehabilitation period also henever had box rest as it had other issues and the vet felt it better for it to be turned out.her horse went on to SJ and ODE for a number of years before getting another SB injury on a different leg.

its a very common injury with the work her horse was doing.
 
I had an ex racer who did a front suspensory. He had 12 months off on a rehab yard and scanned clear so was brought back into work but not racing as it may not have stood up to that level of work. He remained sound as a happy hacker and energetic companion and it didn't bother him again. But he wasn't worked hard afterwards.
 
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