Tendons - Is it just me?!!!

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Christmas Crumpet

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Since bringing my horse back into work after a tendon injury I am totally and utterly paranoid about it happening again.

He slipped a bit this morning, got him home and found a bit of heat in his fetlock so cold hosed for half an hour and turned him out in his day paddock which is fairly small. Couldn't help but go back in and out to feel his legs about 10 times which made me late for work. I know the more I feel them and palpitate them the warmer they get from the heat in my hands but it doesn't stop me!! Then I think oh god his legs are definately warm. I appear to be unable to leave him for a long enough time to let any reaction occur. As if there is going to be a huge change in 5 mins!! I even had to make myself have a cup of coffee and wait till I'd finished it before I rushed out again.

We are supposed to be gearing up to start hunting and I can't even go into a canter without panicking. Its ruining the fun completely!!

Does anyone else suffer like this?!!!
 
I'm nearly as bad having had a past horse with a tendon injury. I check them very closely morning and night and after any competitions and fast work. I worry constatly and even a slight change brings on a full blown panic.
 
yep, me too. i am completely paranoid about them, but that's the way to be, tbh. i've discovered that some tendons only show heat at about 10pm at night (stabled horse), and are fine by morning, but it's a very early indicator of something not being quite right.
also watch out for a horse who previously never ever stopped suddenly becoming hesitant, or not going unless the stride is perfect, and for a horse changing legs in front of a jump, sometimes repeatedly, cos it doesn't want to land with a certain leg first.
frown.gif
 
Thank god for that!! I am such a worrier. Its been such a struggle getting him back on the road. His leg apparently is the least of his worries according to the vet!! He started over compensating behind for his bad leg so his back almost seized up and he's having to have H Wave twice a week to start using the muscles he hasn't been using for the last 9 months. He's getting better but its been one step forwards and 10 back!! I think he also been a bit down having moved from his old house with 8 others to with just me and walking, walking, walking has been dreary and dull. Then we started trotting and it was obvious he wasn't right due to doing a kind of bunny hop once in a while and sticking his head right up in the air. Got vet out who has been fab and said keep on going, H Wave him twice a week etc.

We decided to take him cubbing to get his interest back a bit and he had a fab time and was like the old horse I knew.

I think I just have to strap him up as best I can and try and enjoy myself without worrying too much!!
 
hmm, if i'd only felt my mare's legs "once a day, in the morning" i wouldn't have picked up on the fact that she had a problem... she was completely sound, my excellent vet couldn't see anything or even feel anything on palpation, only ultrasound scans showed the true problem (naturally weak tendons, entire ddft and sdft tendons dark on scan). he was fairly amazed that i had picked up on it, i think. paranoia pays off.
 
What happened to the horse Kerilli? Were you able to get on as normal or just do light work?

It amazes me that so much can go wrong with horses!! And I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that you used to be able to do anything to your ponies and they would be sound 99% of the time. Horses break SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO easily!!!
 
I'm bringing my horse back into work after a suspensory injury, and I am exactly the same. Must be normal!

I check them morning and evening.

I went into panic mode the other week as I thought I felt some heat in it, but it went in a day or two, and he feels fine.

Got the vet coming out to do their vaccines on monday, so might get him to have a quick check of it.

I'm still just on walk and trot, but I will be cantering in a couple of weeks - yikes! I have just started schooling again, which is terrifying.

I guess that once we get through a decent amount of time with them staying sound (touch wood) then we might start to relax. I think it's because it's such early days.

Good luck!
 
Am so relieved reading this post ! My horse is coming back into work following a tendon injury and we have three more weeks of increasing trotting and touch wood, then the cantering!! I check his legs in the morning, before and after exercise and when I put him to bed, have to pick feet out anyway so not really inconvenient. My vet said that if more people checked them more often, more injuries would be detected in the early stages and treatment more effective so I think paranoia may be a good thing sometimes! I have had a few times like you where you think there is heat etc and can totally sympathise with you but think and hope(!) it will get easier with time. I was lucky with my horse to pick up the injury as soon as it occured as he was obviously lame but think in most cases it's better to be safe than sorry. I do think though that there comes a point where you do have to say "what will be will be" as you can't wrap them up in cotton wool - but I think that anyone who's had a horse with a similar injury will admit that that is easier said than done! Horses - bless em!
 
Well, I've just been home to check his legs. I turned him out in the day paddock which is about 1/2 acre this morning. Both front legs were warm and quite filled. Now I know they do this when he stands around but I am rather worried. I've cold hosed him again and walked him around. The good leg was back to normal and his bad one still felt a little bit bigger.

I haven't put bandages on because I want to see and feel what the legs are like when I get home after work. Thank god the vet is due anyway and will tell me what he thinks!

Fingers crossed.
 
Fingers crossed it will be ok, my boy put me through complete panic a few weeks back, a week before his last ultrasound, both legs went all filled and puffy for no reason, four days of bute, both back to normal and still no wiser as to what caused it - someone suggested it was the clover (not convinced on that one as he hates the stuff) someone else suggested that it was the heat (plausible because it had got quite warm again after a coldish spell). Anyhow, 4 days of bute, went to vet and given the clear to start riding so sometimes I think they just like to worry us and keep us on our toes. Pls update the post with how you get on with the vet and good luck.
 
Vet came out last night and said his tendon sheath was a bit inflamed but that he'd probably just banged it and to keep walking him. He's coming out tonight to give him a big manipulation session on his neck and back and also to scan the leg just to put our minds at rest.

I turned the old man out last night because he's much better when he ambles about and leg felt fine this morning. Rode him round the farm for an hour at a walk and leg came back hard and cold which is great!!!

On another positive note, he said that the horse is a different horse to the one he saw 3 weeks ago and is so much more flexible and with continued H Waving twice a week he should be better than ever. He also said that the tendon has healed pretty well so him slipping slightly wasn't going to do the damage I believed it would.

So I'm MUCH happier today and so's he!!!
 
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