Tendon tears - success stories, feeling rubbish!

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Hollie15

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Hi All

I have a beautiful (to me anyway!!) Welsh x Arab. She turned 15 in September. Basically back in August, she took off on a hack and we ended up crashing into a smallish ditch. She was fine that day but was lame the next few days. Vet came out, didn't have a clue, advised scan and maybe nerve block.

Took her for her scan, this vet knew what it was before even scanning. Her tendon had, over a period of time, swollen up 4 times the size it should be, he said it was caused by her trotting action and it rubbing on her annular ligament. And it was a case of when it would tear due to it being so big.
So she has a tear in her tendon. 10 weeks box rest. Took her back up wednesday at the end of the 10 weeks. He was pleased with progress, said all going in right direction but wants another 6 weeks, then if no better will re scan and maybe consider operating. He reckons she should be back to how she was, ie being able to jump etc if continues the way it is.

Has anyone else had this injury? Did your horse get back fit? The vet sounded very positive but people around me being quite negative about it and saying she is getting on a bit so not to expect much. Which I'm not, take it as it comes but I want to be as positive as the vet sounded!!
 
I have one!

One of our hunters sustained a tear and 3 holes in a hind tendon due to a traumatic injury, and a worse injury than yours by the sounds of it.

He had 6 mnths box rest with a controlled excercise programme from 3 mnths into the rest. He also had a course of 'Adequan' injections and an ice boot 3 x a day until all the heat had gone.

After 18mnths of bringing him back into work very carefully, he was back out show jumping and hunting again. The tendon went totally back down and has not had a days lame since (the accident was 5 yrs ago).

It can be done - just take your time and don't be tempted to rush the healing process.
 
Sidney!!

Thanks, that sounds a lot lot lot worse than mine!! Mine never had heat in her leg, and has walked normally since the day I took her for scan! I haven't been told to do anything with her apart from keep her in a stable. But I've been putting MSM supplement in her food and putting leg ice and rinsing the leg with cold water. I'm not rushing anything, going to do exactly as the vet says. Miss riding a little bit but her being better is much more important.
How old was your horse when he had the injury? Any do's or don'ts looking back? Thanks :) x
 
I have a racehorse in on rest, he had a 40% core lesion in his SDF at the end of July, so at a similar stage to yours, he is walked out twice daily for about 10 mins and has progressed well, the heat has now gone, leg has settled well. In about 2 weeks he will be turned out for the next 6- 8 months for a complete rest, if all goes well he will start slowly being brought back to work with a view to racing spring 2014.

Time is a great healer, take as long as you can walking to build up fitness, hope it goes well.
 
I wont bore you with the whole story but i was told put mine down after a tendon tear as a 4 year old. He spent a whole year on box rest and was a gamble he would ever be ridden again. He is now 8 with £800 BS winnings on his card and evented last year with no jumping penalties at all so please be positive, i had to be or i would have cracked up!
Q
 
Hi Q,

Well done for going with your heart and persevering despite advice not to! This is all helping making me feel more positive, it can be done just patience and hope!
Even if mine can't be ridden again she would have to be a field ornament, can't lose her!!
Hope you and you horse continue to make great progress!! xx
 
i was told to have my mare put down 5 years ago, which was 4 months after i bought her due to her tearing her hind tendon we dont know how it hapened she came in hopping lame from the field. 6 months of the vets messing her around nerve blocking and scanning the vet finely gave her a steriod injection into it. we had a very long drawn out excercise program of walking out in hand and box rest then finely a year later she was back to herself untill she did her opposite ligament, so had to go back and do the whole process again. 5 years down the line she is doing everything as before shes now 15. but the outcome that came out of this was the bonding we did because everything was in hand and patience i had to build with her,
 
My girl tore a tendon when she was 7. She has been shown, competed dressage, hacked, XC(with daughter on board)... never a moments trouble with it.
I'm hoping to continue this as we continue to strengthen her front suspensory legament which she tore last winter...
 
He was 11 yrs old at the time - worst diagnosis I have ever been faced with and still feel sick thinking about it. My vet was fab and very supportive and helped me get through it. The worst bit was the 'in hand' walking which had to be done 3 times a day and got very tedious, but well worth it to get such a good end result.

Fortunately the horse was very sensible on box rest, despite from going from hunting fit to stationary for 6 mnths!

As he came to the end of his box rest I also allowed him to graze in hand for a few mins each day, so when he was finally turned out, he didn't go too silly.

You seem to be doing all the right things, and mine also had the msm supplement for the duration of his recovery.

Positive vibes x
 
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About a year ago my mare went mildly lame with little explanation, she was scanned after a couple of weeks revealing a tear half the width of her deep digital flexor tendon in her hind leg. She spent several months on box rest and restricted turnout, gradually being brough back up to full turnout.
I've just started working her properly again over the last few weeks, although from just her leg she'd have started work again a couple of months ago but other things delayed her return to work, she's hacking out including canter work, schooling and full turnout. She's completely sound and coping with work no problem. She has a windgall on that leg and the leg tends to fill if stood in but vet says thats normal and even when the leg is filled she's totally sound. I expect her to return to full work without too much bother. I am careful and she probably won't jump this year. She's in foal so will get another year out from January or so but then expect her to be normal work wise.

The best thing you can do for a tendon injury is once sound for turnout is to turn them away for a year and let the leg heal itself fully - part of the problem people have with tendon injuries is not giving it enough time to heal. It will always be weaker so you do have to be careful but with proper conditioning, boots and support there's no reason that a horse can't return to normal work. It may end a top level career but normal horses should have a full return to work if managed properly (at least in my experience)
 
Hi thanks for all your replys. Westparc, how unlucky for it to then go in the other leg!! Glad all is now going well!!
I've been told mine has a small chance of it going in the other leg. Got windgalls on all 4 legs.
Janette - good to hear you've been able to do all disciplines after tendon injury, good luck with the current recovery!

Sidney - 3 times a day! Have to get myself some good tunes to listen to lol. Worth it all in the long run though. Mine has been in a stable sized piece of grass (with additional haylage) when horses were out over 'summer' as she box walks and goes mad if seperated. A lot calmer out on grass. Am worried she will go bonkers though - got a 4year old who enjoys going crazy when let out! Thanks again!!
 
Mynutmeg - glad your horse is coping well, and I hope continues to improve. Yea she will have as much time off as she needs. Will see what vet says at next appointment and just do everything as he says! we were never going to be any winning combination but would love just to get back to our long hacks and occasional jumping - she was just starting to get quite good, and I had just bought a 4x4 so we go out and start competing more. Thats life - bloody typical!
 
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