Turning away a horse with a tendon injury - how to?

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kit279

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I might be getting an ex-racehorse who needs turning away for 6 months after a minor tendon injury. He's been stabled for 2 weeks and likely will be fresh, so I'm wondering what the best way of managing this is. I plan to take the shoes off and let him be a hairy feral pony for 6 months.

I've got three others who are all feeling very very well and like a good run around and I've got big fields so I'm wondering what the best way of turning him out for the first time is. He's got to take his chances with the leg because I can't wrap him up in cotton wool but I'd like to prevent an initial hooley that will give me heart failure and maybe duff the leg even more.

Any advice?
 
We made a 20m round pen with extra high electric fence posts and gradually increased the area. Think she had been on 6weeks box rest and then had been walked in hand. She was turned away for nearly a year and the initial tendon injury had healed well, sadly as she was about to be brought back into work, she did a 2nd tendon injury in the field (again). We called it a day. :(
 
We've turned mum's horse away after his SDFT injury. He spent about 12 weeks on box rest, Then spent about 6 weeks in a 12mx12m stable sized electric fenced pen. He was on ACP tablets at the time. We gradually increased the size of the pen, before moving him into a pen along side the other horses.

Eventually we bit the bullet, didn't give him much food for a day, gave him his ACP as usual and then took him into the normal padock with the other horses. We'd opened up some fresh grass, so they ate that. We kept all three of them in hand for about 1/2 an hour, before taking off headcollars and closing our eyes. Nobody ran around, they'd all met each other over the fence already and they were all to busy eating to play. He's still sound and still turned out, he's going to have at least 12months from now in the field doing nothing. They were about 24/7 for the first month, it wasn't fun then! He's now in at night and out tin the day. We'll see whether he comes right, but we're in no rush!
 
Ideally he needs more than 2 weeks box rest to give thetendon a chance to heal then the 6 months turned out will help with the final healing.

How I've dealt with this situation in the past is to restrict feed for several hours so the horse is really hungry. Give some Sedazine (sedative) talk to the vet about quantity 30 mins before turning out.

Then turn out. If they are really hungry they are more likely to get their heads down and eat and the sedative will dampen their enthusiasm for hooning.
 
Evelyn said:
Ideally he needs more than 2 weeks box rest to give thetendon a chance to heal then the 6 months turned out will help with the final healing.

How I've dealt with this situation in the past is to restrict feed for several hours so the horse is really hungry. Give some Sedazine (sedative) talk to the vet about quantity 30 mins before turning out.

Then turn out. If they are really hungry they are more likely to get their heads down and eat and the sedative will dampen their enthusiasm for hooning.
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this is the best bet really ! as long as they can't build up any speed when they go out you can also make a maze out of electric fencing so they have to kind of go left then right etc with a bit of hay or food in each turn if that makes sense!!
 
doodleberry said:
this is the best bet really ! as long as they can't build up any speed when they go out you can also make a maze out of electric fencing so they have to kind of go left then right etc with a bit of hay or food in each turn if that makes sense!!
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oh and lots and lots of road walk work when the horse comes back into work!!
 
I am turning my horse away once I have got her to a certain point of recovery.

I wouldnt give him two weeks I would give him at least 4 in the stable with and speakto the vet. I personally would scan the leg to find the extent of the problem before taking any action.
 
He's had the boxrest and walking off period already but he's coming out of racing so has been in a box for 2 weeks as no time to do him. So really it's just a case of chucking him out in as planned a manner as possible! I think we're going to stick some Sedalin in him, take some Valium ourselves and just hope that all goes well ;)
 
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