[59668]
...
Has anyone followed a programme for strengthening their horses stifles? How long until you felt there was progress and what exercises did you do?
Weak stifles - how long to see progress?
- Thread starter [59668]
- Start date
fee26
Member
My horse has a stiffle injury and have just posted a thread about it 
.
His had 3 weeks rest but out in a small paddock as will not be stabled and his progressing but needs more time
.His had 3 weeks rest but out in a small paddock as will not be stabled and his progressing but needs more time
[59668]
...
Thanks but I mean more like inherently weak stifles, not recovery following injury.
LouiseG
Well-Known Member
Loads of poles, hill work (not steep hills, gentle inclines getting making sure they are working long and low in varying speeds of walk especially as it's harder for them and less concussive on the joints) and lateral work (leg yielding, shoulder in). When I was rehabbing my horse after stifle surgery we did this for about 6 months, it's not a quick process and he went lame again in the end in both stifles but physically he looked great.
NZJenny
Well-Known Member
So, as far as benefitting the stifles, this rehab program was probably a fail, if he then went lame in both?
LouiseG
Well-Known Member
He had stifle surgery previously and was found to have extensive bilateral cartilage damage to both stifles before this rehab was attempted, so no the rehab programme wasn't a fail at all, his stifles were just too badly damaged. From purely a "weak stifle" point of view, those are exactly the exercises that should be done to strengthen them according to the vets and physios who wrote his rehab programme to attempt to build the muscles around my horse's damaged joints