Tendon Rehab Process

[BoggyGirl]

My ex racer had tendon strain to the superficial digital flexor tendon. It was back in September. He had two months box rest. Then we put him on small paddock turnout where he has been for this month as we have no walker. He is the most laid back horse ever and while he is outside all day in a pen approx. 15x 15 he's not really moving around much so I have been taking him for little walks in hand too. He isn't lame nor has been in the last two months and there is no heat or swelling. We were told to do walker or small paddock turn out to start him moving around.

The next stage in the next week or so is to increase turnout with a view to then turning away till the summer.

Just interested in what others have done? There seems to be a lot of differing schools of thought on walking work, work under saddle etc.

 

[be positive]

Ours did the same, he had several months box rest, unsure exactly how long as he came here part way through, he walked in hand twice a day, then was turned away for the whole winter, he was not laid back so small paddock was not a sensible option, he was sedated and turned out 24/7 Mid Dec - May when he was scanned and as all looked good he came back to work.
We ignored the advice given by the vet and did 2 months ridden walking all hacking nothing in the school, not 1, 6-7 days a week before thinking about trotting uphill or on the level for increasing lengths until after about 31/2 months he started easy canters, he went back to ptp, stayed sound, retired to be a RC allrounder and was lost in an unfortunate stable accident, the tendon was never an issue.
He did all his rehab barefoot, again not considered an option by the vet, which I think made a huge difference and left him with excellent feet when he was shod to race.

 

[BoggyGirl]

Ours did the same, he had several months box rest, unsure exactly how long as he came here part way through, he walked in hand twice a day, then was turned away for the whole winter, he was not laid back so small paddock was not a sensible option, he was sedated and turned out 24/7 Mid Dec - May when he was scanned and as all looked good he came back to work.
We ignored the advice given by the vet and did 2 months walking, not 1, 6-7 days a week before thinking about trotting uphill or on the level for increasing lengths until after about 31/2 months he started easy canters, he went back to ptp, stayed sound, retired to be a RC allrounder and was lost in an unfortunate stable accident, the tendon was never an issue.
He did all his rehab barefoot, again not considered an option by the vet, which I think made a huge difference and left him with excellent feet when he was shod to race.

Fantastic thank you. Did you just turn out in the field as normal with others? I am having palpitations about the first run around in the bog although he seems all good. I will scan before ridden work but they didn't seem to think there was a need to do it again now.

 

[be positive]

He was a total idiot if his feet touched soft ground, walking in the school was impossible so we gave him a fairly hefty dose of sedalin and put him in with a settled group who were staying out 24/7 and left him to get on with it, he did go bonkers despite the sedalin but quickly settled and it did no harm as we had conditioned his leg as much as possible with the walking in hand, my field was a bog that winter which, unless it is really deep, will be safer than rock hard ground, he was not scanned before turning away the leg felt good and he had been sound since he arrived here.
I think the key is being able to turn out and leave in a settled herd so you only have one hooley to contend with rather than them going off every morning like an idiot, if you cannot leave them out I would rather keep them more restricted and in a routine of going out quietly each day keeping fingers crossed they do not go off like an idiot.

 

[milliepops]

I've rehabbed a couple of sdfts, well, still in the middle of one, and lots of other soft tissue injuries... Mine are not laid back horses and I have preferred to get them to the point where they are doing a bit of work before I turn out properly but it really depends on the horse I think.

I've usually done something similar to BPs many weeks of road work, but this one doesn't hack so she got led out until we were doing 30 mins on the roads and then vet said it was OK to introduce school work, just going large on the track but we are now up to 30 mins in there with a few mins of trotting. She's got more turnout space now.
I don't think there's a right way and a wrong way, if you can keep the horse quietly mooching then that's great and probably better than what I have which is limited TO and then riding from the stable. Mine have all been unhelpfully prone to explosions.

 

[splashgirl45]

i did box rest, then turn out in small paddock and then was supposed to be in hand walking but my mare would have done more damage so vet was happy for me to do ridden walk instead, and she was still in the pen but managed to get out one day so i left her out 24/7 and she was fine..she was on individual turnout with another quiet horse next door...she came sound enough for regular hacking at all paces..

 

[deepsoftheavy]

Ive done couple too. Box rest initially then very small area turnout. Weeks of ridden walk work (safer in my case than in-hand). Then incremental trot sessions building up to around 90 mins a day 6-7 days a week of steady walk and trot. Only then have I done regular turnout.

 

[hopscotch bandit]

My horse has previously done her suspensory branch and after a few days box rest has gone out into her paddock due to keeping her moving for her arthritis. I think latest thinking isthat after an initial shorter period of box rest horses can then be quietly turned out with the emphasis being 'quietly'.it has now been realised that box rest can be counter productive in some circumstances.

I have said that if my horse who is waiting to be scanned for possible DDFT injury has to endure a long period of box rest then its not going to happen for her. it wouldnt be fair.

But i hope it wont come to that. And if it does she can break the mould by going out sooner than she should. She owes me nothing and if it means she wont become sound enough to ride then so be it so long as she can be field sound.

 

[ihatework]

If your horse is behaving and can do hand walking or walking under saddle from the small paddock I’d be doing more of that rather than letting the horse hooley around in a bog, I’d say 3 months is just a fraction too soon to risk it on the ground we have at the moment.

 

[Myloubylou]

I rehabbed mine autumn/winter of 2017. She was on box rest for 6 weeks then month of daily in hand walking twice day. Was able to turnout in small fenced off paddock and get on and walk for 10 mins a day building up 5 mins each week. I did have to go in school as work full time so didn’t have light. Didn’t do any right circles. 3.5 months post injury introduced trot and slowly built up to canter. I had scans done every few months. She had a few occasions when her leg swelled but she seems very sound on it now. We stopped jumping but still schools and do fast hacks if the ground is good. Oddly didn’t feel too long, think because we were riding however sedately. She was a perfect patient, never difficult to handle or ride. She’s 21 next April

eta was sfdt tear on hind leg

 

[AUB]

You didn’t get a rehab plan from your vet?

Anyway, my mare had an injury (leist) to the straight sesamoidean ligament on her left hind leg on august 9th. She was never really lame but had a slight toe drag when trotting very slowly and sometimes took a shorter step.

We started rehabbing on oktober 18th and did 20 minuts by hand, adding 5 mins every day. I started riding on october 30th. When we hit 1,5 hrs, we got the green light to start adding some trot work. On november 8th we did 2x2 mins trot. I’ve added 1 interval every 3 days and we are now at 10x2 mins. When we reach 15x2 I’ll make the intervals longer but fewer (10x3, 8x4, 6x5 and so on) and start adding a bit of canter, also in short intervals at first. The vet has been out twice during the rehab just to check and we’ve laid the plan together.

She was turned out as normal as we initially thought it was just a smal kick (She probably had the injury trying to avoid the kick) and when we found out it was the ligament after 4 weeks, I decided to just keep turning her out as she goes completely bonkers when left alone in the stable or on a small paddock. Better to let her have a few crazy gallops with her friends each day than have her piaff alone all day in the stable...

A lot of the rehab has been done in the arena because of the weather and darkness, but with our kind of injury, the arena is firm enough. That depends on the injury.