Would you jump a horse that's had a tendon injury?

Laura-Maybe-IV

Laura-Maybe-IV

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Hi all,

I got my horse two years ago now and when I got her i was told she she had a injury at 16 to her tendon, from what I've found out from a close friend who was there when it happened the girl who had her at the time was holding her back and letting her go then repeating this but digging in her spurs winding the horse up :mad::mad:
Anyway she let her go again and she spooked and jumped a puddle, a week after the injury it was discovered she had put three holes in her Main Flexor Tendon and some in her Superficial Flexor Tendon! Stupid girl :mad:

Anyway she had four years off then I took on her on slowly over 9 months building her muscles up, I have jumped her upto 1m but I am wondering if I should be doing this with her, she hasn't jumped for nearly a year now. But I am considering it with her again as she is a fab jumper, I also find jumping her on a good surface really helps. When bringing her back into work she did not go lame once :)

What would you guys do? btw she is 21 a picture of health, and always wears good boots for her ridden work and jumping work (when she did it) her tendon does have a bow in it, but it's never been hot or sore... Touch wood! :D
 
I'd bring her back to jumping if she enjoys it, facing the fact that if she breaks badly the kindest thing may be to pts.

Of course you could get her rescanned to see what state her tendons are in but if it were me I'd not bother I'd just get on and deal with the consequences if they happened.
 
hi :)
thats a question for your vet really as it depends on a lot of things
my horse injured his tendon in 2011 and has had two years of mixed hacking , walking in hand and time off , he had stem cell treatment and his scans are great and he will be able to jump again

tbh with a 21yr old i'd just be happy to have a happy sound horse to ride as if the tendon is reinjured at that age it will be very difficult if not impossible to heal well enough to be sound again and that would worry me
your vet will be able to scan the tendon to see how well it has healed and how much of a risk is involved with jumping ,if she was sound the last time as long as you do plenty of road work to bring her back into work and are very careful that you get her fit enough and only jump on a good surface she might be ok
but your vet is the best person to ask :)
 
Dee O'Dorant said:
I'd bring her back to jumping if she enjoys it, facing the fact that if she breaks badly the kindest thing may be to pts.

Of course you could get her rescanned to see what state her tendons are in but if it were me I'd not bother I'd just get on and deal with the consequences if they happened.
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Yeah I've always said if it went again I would pts as she would never come right from it again, yeah I was thinking of having it scanned it has thickened up hence the bow, the vets said to me technically it should be stronger. She never had stem cell therapy or anything it was just left to heal. Yeah I might do small jumping and see how she gets on if she gets sore ill stop. Not that she ever has bless her :)
 
angelish said:
hi :)
thats a question for your vet really as it depends on a lot of things
my horse injured his tendon in 2011 and has had two years of mixed hacking , walking in hand and time off , he had stem cell treatment and his scans are great and he will be able to jump again

tbh with a 21yr old i'd just be happy to have a happy sound horse to ride as if the tendon is reinjured at that age it will be very difficult if not impossible to heal well enough to be sound again and that would worry me
your vet will be able to scan the tendon to see how well it has healed and how much of a risk is involved with jumping ,if she was sound the last time as long as you do plenty of road work to bring her back into work and are very careful that you get her fit enough and only jump on a good surface she might be ok
but your vet is the best person to ask :)
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Thanks :) great news about your boy :)
Yeah she didn't have stem cell therapy it was just left to heal, yeah it does worry me a bit with her age but she just isn't the kind of horse that would just hack she enjoys dressage so maybe I will just pop her over the odd jump occasionally on a good surface :)
When she's fully fit she works 6 days a week and does a mixture of flat work, dressage and hacking. She loves her work :)
Although I've always said if her tendon went again she would be pts :(
 
You'd have to have your vet scan it first but I personally wouldn't want to risk it on a 21yo, if it goes again then you're in a pretty pants situation. Have a chat with your vet and see what she thinks :)
 
it's a bit of a how long is a piece of string question.

In this case I dont' think it's fair at her age to start jumping again and anyone doing it does so in the full knowledge that to do so may cause the ultimate demise of the animal.
 
my 21yo did a hind tendon last year. at the time, the vet said that he would never jump again but that he was unsure of the prognosis given that it was a hind - apparently they're not very common.

he had prp treatment and was brought back into work over 6 long months.
he's been retired from jumping and pops the odd small fence (max 50cm).
Personally, I won't risk jumping any bigger given that he's come sound.
 
singing dawg said:
it's a bit of a how long is a piece of string question.

In this case I dont' think it's fair at her age to start jumping again and anyone doing it does so in the full knowledge that to do so may cause the ultimate demise of the animal.
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It is a difficult one, I must stress she hasn't been jumped for over a year now, it was just a thought I will have a chat with the vet and see what she thinks, I know that there is the risk of the tendon going again, I will just have to have a long chat. If the vets not sure then I won't do it. I wouldn't want to hurt her ever.
 
I'm of the opinion that she could break down again at any poiny, even by playing in the field. If she is sound and happy then why not? If it's something she loves then let her enjoy life and have some fun.. Just don't over do it ;)
 
PonyFeet10 said:
I'm of the opinion that she could break down again at any poiny, even by playing in the field. If she is sound and happy then why not? If it's something she loves then let her enjoy life and have some fun.. Just don't over do it ;)
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Yeah I do think that to some degree, it could happen when she was out hacking or flinging herself around a field :D yeah I may give it a go ill just have to have a think, she does love it but ill chat with my vet and see what happens :)
 
My tb injured his tendon when he was 15, he had 18 months off and brought back into full work, I made the decision not to jump as wasn't worth the risk, however I would rule out the odd small jump, as a vet advised me a small jump would be no more stress than him galloping and leaping round the school. I just stick to the odd jump out on a hack but have never jumped in a show or anything
 
One of my old horses injured a hind tendon, with 2 'holes'/lesions.

After 6 mnths box rest and gently coming back to full work in 18mnth, he went back to jumping 1m courses and hunting. I sold him to a friend and is still sound and juming now.

However he was only 12yrs old when the injury occured....

If it was my horse I would have it scanned, and if the vet gave me the thumbs up, I would allow it to jump.
 
Our now retired 29yo tb did a tendon in a previous life, it is hugely bowed, but he jumped quite successfully with his previous owner with it like this with no probs. I did some low level stuff 2'9 stuff with him when we first got him when he was about 20/21 and he loved it. I dare say he would go all snorty and joggy if I tacked him up tmrw and attempted a jump, not that I would!

I would take it slow, make sure she's fit and just let her do what she enjoys, I would have 1m as an absolute upper limit though :)
 
At 13, my PBA tweaked a tendon. A year later she was back to doing 80km and 120km ERs. BUT it was a very minor tweak with minimal tearing and no holes in the tendon. I was dictated by her progress and took it very slowly, prepared to stop if she showed any signs of a problem.

Given your horse's age and history, I wouldn't risk it. 21 isn't massively old and you could have a few years left with her.
 
hi, my pony had a bad flexor tendon injury almost 2 years ago now and the vet said it didnt look like he would be able to be ridden again , he was on box rest for a while but slowly made recovery, they then said i could walk him and then said take it at his pace and for months i spent walking and troting but now , we hack, school, play games and jump ! not too big just up to about 3ft but he's going fine and he's 25!! so i think its fine, they will let you know when they've had enough :D
 
Stencilface said:
Our now retired 29yo tb did a tendon in a previous life, it is hugely bowed, but he jumped quite successfully with his previous owner with it like this with no probs. I did some low level stuff 2'9 stuff with him when we first got him when he was about 20/21 and he loved it. I dare say he would go all snorty and joggy if I tacked him up tmrw and attempted a jump, not that I would!

I would take it slow, make sure she's fit and just let her do what she enjoys, I would have 1m as an absolute upper limit though :)
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Thank you, I'm not looking at jumping big tracks with her as that wouldn't be fair on her, but smaller then I might consider it even if its just in the school occasionally to keep her mind working and give her something to think about. No I wouldn't jump her more than 1m now, she did a lot of big jumping in her younger days the dizzy heights of 1.30-40s and she's only 15.0hh bless her! :D
 
Slightly different but my old pony tore her check ligament out hunting, she was about 21 when se did this, orginally she only tore it a bit, but then made it worse being a t**t on in hand walk work. She then had about 6 months box rest (yes a risk but she was always very good in the box) she came back into walk work (ridden as was safest) I think did about 10 weeks walking then slowly slowly built it, up. All the time the vet checked it for me, there was just a slightly thickness there. I jumped her a few times in the school and then took her hunting, where I let her, this horse absolutely lived to hunt and jump, and I'm so glad I did let her hunt again as less than two weeks later we lost her to colic, the first time she had ever colicked! The vet had checked her legs 3 days before hand and said how good there were. I used to always cold hose her legs after exercise as I just felt this would help cool her legs down. I would say go with what makes you and your horse happiest, I've always said that I would rathery horse lives a slightly shorter life doing the things they love and being, than a longer life not being allowed to so what they love, this is just my opinion though and I know that people may judge me for it.
 
I don't think I would do it at that age personally, I just think I would feel responsible and like I shouldn't have done it if the tendon went and she had to be pts :-(

Have a word with the vet though, I probably wouldn't mind a small cross pole incorporated into schooling or a log out hacking etc.
 
mandwhy said:
I don't think I would do it at that age personally, I just think I would feel responsible and like I shouldn't have done it if the tendon went and she had to be pts :-(

Have a word with the vet though, I probably wouldn't mind a small cross pole incorporated into schooling or a log out hacking etc.
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Hi that's the only kind of jumping I was thinking of doing with her I don't intend to go out jumping big tracks as that wouldn't be fair on her, I was thinking just the occasional cross pole in the school every known and again to keep her her mind active :D
 
Good boots, hose/chill legs after and don't do too much. I've just let my big lad have a few jumps after doing his check last year and supensory 2 years before (first was walking strangely as he didn't go obv lame with an abscess in his heel, second we hit a deep patch half way round Tweseldown xc and pulled up). He just won't go back to aff eventing as it isn't worth the risk.
 
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