Suspensory ligament and hock issues- vets advise

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Horses24-7

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Hi all

Will keep it short :)

A week ago my horse had a lame assessment as his gait behind was swinging inwards and he was sruggling in his downward trot/canter transitions.

Went I to vets and he improved (but not sound) when suspensory blocked scanned ligament and found fibre pattern in ligament not as it should be but.

He was nerve blocked in his hocks the following day and again improved but not fully. X rays showed slight arthritic changes.

Vet said is therefore a combination of the 2.

Had shockwave therapy on ligs and steroid injections into hocks. Picked him up and was advised 3 days box rest and then he can go out in small paddock and can light hack him in walk. Got to go back in 2 weeks for more shockwave and again 2 weeks later.

Vet thinks it's happened due to me recently upping his game with new instructor, moving up to medium dressage and that he just needs some light work and rest.

Problem is after researching everything it seems usually box rest is for months and definitely no ridden work and I'm panicking that I'm going to do more harm turning him out and walking him out on hacks etc, what do you think?

To add he's 10 :)

Any advise greatly received :)
 
Hi
My horse had extremely similar issues to yours - PSLD in one hind plus bilateral spavin. Like yours, there was no tear - just an irregularity of the fibres. I had the same advice as you. However this was in October as the weather was turning for winter so I turned her out daily for anything from an hour, to half a day, but I turned her out with the main herd, not in a small paddock as I knew that this would send her demented if she couldnt' be with her friends. This continued until I brought her back slowly into work in March - long reining in walk on the roads and then got back on board in April. I have also embraced barefoot as I didn't want the remedial shoeing they suggested (my horse also has navicular in both front feet). She is looking and feeling well, but her workload is still very light - only doing between 30 and 40 minutes of walk with a few strides of trot when I need to get out of the way of traffic. I won't be doing any schooling with her until the mornings are too dark to hack out, so probably about October time - and that's also assuming that she stays sound. It's a long haul and you're right - too much can do more damage, but I think it's a case of knowing your horse and how it can cope. I knew mine would not have coped on box rest and the short time she had each day of turnout helped her manage and kept her sane. She is now on 24/7 turnout for summer.
 
Mine diagnosed arthritis in hock in March, cortisone injected and had great results. During assessment vet found 'issues' with all 4 suspensories (high). Scans showed no damage or detachment but she reacts when manipulated.
She's had 4 shock wave treatments on back legs only and was told to ride her for the summer, 40 mins max and walk and trot only. The prognosis isn't ideal for me, the vet said she'll be fine for hacking and showing (we do ROR) but she won't hold up to Dressage. I was planning to affiliate and we were working towards elementary this summer :(
She's off danilon now but I've decided to turn her away for a year (luckily I have a friends horse to ride). She was only ever 2/10ths lame at her worst and she does a fantastic trot across her paddock. I wasn't advised to keep her on box rest just to restrict the size of her paddock.
I'm working along the lines that if she doesn't come back 99.9% after a year off then she never will, if she does she'll still only be 10. I was really upset at the time as Dressage is my main enjoyment with this mare but sadly the vet says the problems are testament of her (rather rubbish tbh) racing career.
Sorry can't be more cheery but every horse is different so hopefully your horse will come back fitter than ever :)
 
Mine has PSD bilaterally behind plus a bone spavin on the NH, he had a bilateral neurectomy and fasciotomy, I was advised by Rossdales that shockwave is not as effective behind as it is in front. My horse had hunted from an early age before I got him, but now is fully sound and competing BD, working at home at Elem/Med level.
 
Holly Hocks said:
Hi
My horse had extremely similar issues to yours - PSLD in one hind plus bilateral spavin. Like yours, there was no tear - just an irregularity of the fibres. I had the same advice as you. However this was in October as the weather was turning for winter so I turned her out daily for anything from an hour, to half a day, but I turned her out with the main herd, not in a small paddock as I knew that this would send her demented if she couldnt' be with her friends. This continued until I brought her back slowly into work in March - long reining in walk on the roads and then got back on board in April. I have also embraced barefoot as I didn't want the remedial shoeing they suggested (my horse also has navicular in both front feet). She is looking and feeling well, but her workload is still very light - only doing between 30 and 40 minutes of walk with a few strides of trot when I need to get out of the way of traffic. I won't be doing any schooling with her until the mornings are too dark to hack out, so probably about October time - and that's also assuming that she stays sound. It's a long haul and you're right - too much can do more damage, but I think it's a case of knowing your horse and how it can cope. I knew mine would not have coped on box rest and the short time she had each day of turnout helped her manage and kept her sane. She is now on 24/7 turnout for summer.
Click to expand...

He's been fine going out for 1/2 hour to an hour each day so far so might just continue that. Is your girl sound now? Problem r.e corrective shoeing is that my horse struggles to keep shoes on and as soon as you leave any lateral extension to the shoe it comes off removing half his foot with it :mad: he's very sensitive foot wise and is hopping lame if he loses a shoe so not sure if barefoot would be an option?

Might bang the hacking on the head at the moment- at least until he's finished shockwave treatments as can't see he will get much from it he can't get from strolling round a paddock.
 
Laafet said:
Mine has PSD bilaterally behind plus a bone spavin on the NH, he had a bilateral neurectomy and fasciotomy, I was advised by Rossdales that shockwave is not as effective behind as it is in front. My horse had hunted from an early age before I got him, but now is fully sound and competing BD, working at home at Elem/Med level.
Click to expand...

My vet did mention this option but she said to try the shockwave first as she said the damage didn't look severe. But will look into this as an alternative if shockwave proves unsuccessful- glad your boys sorted :)
 
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I think it will depend on how badly damaged the fibres are. My boy had 6 months box rest with an hour's restricted exercise in walk each day. He had PSD in both hinds and had shock wave etc. He did come back sound after this and we competed BD to Elementary but he broke down again and had a neurectomy in both hinds. Another 6 months box rest/restricted exercise but he has never come sound enough to do dressage. In fact I ended up turning him away for 14 months. We now just hack gently in walk and trot.

Having said that - each horse is an individual. But unfortunately if your vet is saying that your horse will not return to the same level of work then I think that it is worth bearing in mind and ultimately accepting it. I came to the conclusion that I would rather have my boy happy and sound enough to hack etc rather than unsound and unhappy. Therefore I don't push him - if he wants to trot then we do, and if he doesn't then we don't. We could probably do more but I would rather not cause him damage by asking too much.

Sorry. Hopefully your horse will recover better. My boy did his injury at 10 and he is now 16.
 
Horses24-7 said:
He's been fine going out for 1/2 hour to an hour each day so far so might just continue that. Is your girl sound now? Problem r.e corrective shoeing is that my horse struggles to keep shoes on and as soon as you leave any lateral extension to the shoe it comes off removing half his foot with it :mad: he's very sensitive foot wise and is hopping lame if he loses a shoe so not sure if barefoot would be an option?

Might bang the hacking on the head at the moment- at least until he's finished shockwave treatments as can't see he will get much from it he can't get from strolling round a paddock.
Click to expand...

Hi again
My horse is sound in walk and mostly in trot, but occasionally in trot I feel what I can only describe as an "odd" stride - some days are better than others and I feel nothing and other days I can feel something a little - however she also has arthritis in the fetlock of the same leg where the PSLD and spavin is, so this could well be the arthritis.
My girl also was rubbish at keeping shoes on which is why I decided to go barefoot. The first few months weren't good, when she was only out for a short time and on box rest the rest of the time and she was very footsore, but I took a load of advice from this forum and changed her diet and supplemented with Pro Hoof and now she strides out happily. I still use hoof boots on the fronts for hacking, but long-reining and everything else is now totally barefoot. She's a full TB as well, but her feet are looking better than they ever have - almost rock crunching! I never thought she would be able to go barefoot and it's not an easy option, but wow - I really hope I never have to go back to shoes!

The other thing I found she needed on return to work was a good physio - she had quite a lot of tightness in her back muscles both as a result of the box rest and also the lameness had been causing her to carry herself wrong...
 
charmeroo said:
I came to the conclusion that I would rather have my boy happy and sound enough to hack etc rather than unsound and unhappy. Therefore I don't push him - if he wants to trot then we do, and if he doesn't then we don't. We could probably do more but I would rather not cause him damage by asking too much.
Click to expand...

This is how I feel about my girl as well.....her happiness and soundness comes before my desire to do more.
 
carefreegirl said:
Mine diagnosed arthritis in hock in March, cortisone injected and had great results. During assessment vet found 'issues' with all 4 suspensories (high). Scans showed no damage or detachment but she reacts when manipulated.
She's had 4 shock wave treatments on back legs only and was told to ride her for the summer, 40 mins max and walk and trot only. The prognosis isn't ideal for me, the vet said she'll be fine for hacking and showing (we do ROR) but she won't hold up to Dressage. I was planning to affiliate and we were working towards elementary this summer :(
She's off danilon now but I've decided to turn her away for a year (luckily I have a friends horse to ride). She was only ever 2/10ths lame at her worst and she does a fantastic trot across her paddock. I wasn't advised to keep her on box rest just to restrict the size of her paddock.
I'm working along the lines that if she doesn't come back 99.9% after a year off then she never will, if she does she'll still only be 10. I was really upset at the time as Dressage is my main enjoyment with this mare but sadly the vet says the problems are testament of her (rather rubbish tbh) racing career.
Sorry can't be more cheery but every horse is different so hopefully your horse will come back fitter than ever :)
Click to expand...

I completely understand the whole upset of having to give up dressage :(

I've had my horse 6 years and had 2 children in that time so struggled to fit everything in and only recently got a trailer and got out competing and feel gutted that it all could have to stop as I love the training/competing thing.
It sounds selfish but I've waiting years to have some spare time etc :(

Fingers crossed we have a success story!
 
OP it's not selfish at all. We put so much time and money into our hobby that it's soul destroying when it goes wrong. I've also had mine for 6 years, got her rising 3 and straight from the track. I've taken her slowly infact the back lady tells me off for calling her my baby (horse not back lady) she's says she 9 not 2 !
I'm not into hacking, to me it's a means to an end and although I enjoy the showing I don't enjoy it enough to do loads. We normally do 3 or 4 county shows and the last couple of years we've got to Hickstead so my plan is to bring her back next April / May time and providing she come back ok I'll get her fit and back out then probably put her out on loan to someone who likes to mainly hack but also wants to show and do the odd walk / trot and occasional Prelim dressage test.
Fingers crossed yours will be fine :)
 
I do hope your horse comes sound, I got a lot of stick for operating on my horse but I am so glad I did. At 8 and given how much he loves going to parties and that he did two rounds of Horseheath Hunter Trial without taking a lame step before the op even though he must have felt it (I feel awful now about that), doing everything to keep him comfortable and happy is my top priority. You will also find that if it does go to the op that those that have had it tend to keep quiet about it, which I believe is wrong. Fingers crossed the shockwave works.
 
Hi just an update: he's now had all 3 shock wave treatments and he's got to go back in 2 weeks for rescan- personally dont think he's any better- he was trotted up last week for the farrier just before his last sw session and looked the same to me :(

Should I expect some improvement by now? My bet is being extremely u helpful and won't answer any questions with. Straight answer- think she should go into politics ;)

She did mension the op but I can't see it will make him sound if he still wasn't 100% when his lig was nerve blocked?
 
I keep thinking that maybe it isn't his suspensorys and that I'm going to get to the end of my insurance money and not got to the bottom of it :(

Any lame experts what do you think?

1c71e598.mp4


This was him before initial lame assess 6/7 weeks ago
 
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