Tendon Injury-Back into work plan..

[JoshuaR97]

My horse who has been out for a year with a deep flex tendon injury is ready to hopefully start his straight line/walking out program. He's been turned away since July so he's done nothing. I wrote it up like this for just over 2 months. Where he is going out every day of the week and every week we build it up around 5 minutes until at the end of the second month he's going out for an hour with added short bursts of trot. Now I'm unsure if he needs to be going out every day or I knock it down to every other day as I don't wanna rush him.. So any ideas to help my plan?

 

[KautoStar1]

What does your vet say ? What does the latest scan show. The usual treatment these days for tendons is box rest with controlled exercise for a period of 6-9 months before the horse is turn out again.
But as a general rule, walking every day (road work if possible) building up 10-15 mins to and hour plus for at least 6 weeks and then gradually introducing trot for maybe 100 yards and then walk again and so on increasing the trot work a little more each day over the next 4 weeks. Presumably your vet will be monitoring the tendon as you build up the work. He or she will tell you then when you can introduce more work. But as your horse has been out in a field since july then it wont just be his legs that are unfit, it will be all of him. Walking and more walking is the key, take it steady and don't rush. Correct re-hab is the key to long term success.

 

[Birker2020]

My horse who has been out for a year with a deep flex tendon injury is ready to hopefully start his straight line/walking out program. He's been turned away since July so he's done nothing. I wrote it up like this for just over 2 months. Where he is going out every day of the week and every week we build it up around 5 minutes until at the end of the second month he's going out for an hour with added short bursts of trot. Now I'm unsure if he needs to be going out every day or I knock it down to every other day as I don't wanna rush him.. So any ideas to help my plan?

My horse has a slight sprain of his suspensory branch and it was caught very early before it turned into something worse and I iced vibed it like crazy on day one (within half an hour of him doing it although at the time I wasn't sure it was his leg) and also when the vet first diagnosed it I continued with the ice, which makes all the difference to recovery.

His injury is a lot different to your horse so a different treatment plan. With my horse its a month of walk, a month of walk and trot and the third month introducing canter and circles. The vet has always said to give him a variety of surfaces to work on during this time, i.e road, grass, arena surface so I think this is typical of all tendon injuries and very important. Also when walking down hill its important to collect the horse under you so he's not ploughing down in a rush.

My boy hasn't had the box rest most horses would have as this is no good for him as he would seize up as he has various other issues and he has had daily turnout onto a sandpit for two hours. He isn't having scans as I see no point, it is only a slight sprain and we have plenty of experience (I didn't get the second one scanned either).

Going by previous experience (third branch injury, different legs each time) we are just starting week three I am able to ride for anything up to an hour, obviously this is all straight lines although I am only doing 30 mins. He's had a canter around the sandpit and also a couple of bucks and rears, unfortunatley this can't be helped but his leg has stayed down so I am hopeful of a full recovery, as is the vet going by past experience.

He's having LW ultrasound twice weekly- has your vet suggested this for your horse? This is by a veterinary physio.
He is also having Ice Vibe boots once to twice a day (can only do once weekdays), and ice cupping every other day now, although to start with it was once a day for 20 mins, weekends I managed to do twice a day.

i am hacking twice weekly (weekends) and in the week will probably do two or three days of walk for 20 - 25 mins, I do a in hand walk around the car park on the days I don't ride as I like him to stretch his legs every day of the week as well as turnout, as he comes in from turnout around 9, so its a long time for him in the stable until he goes out the next day.

I will be giving him an extra couple of weeks anyway between each gait phase, just in case. I have always played it like this so I see no reason to alter the treatment plan.

Your vet will be monitoring your horse presumably with scans and I would ask him for rehab advice. Good luck.