I’m not sure if this belongs here or in horse care but since the horse is an upper level dressage horse, and the goal - or hope at least - is to return as close to there as possible (it may not be possible), I thought I’d start here.
This horse is a Hanoverian who I have had since he was 6. We had competed through I-1 with modest (amateur) success and were working on I-2 when he was injured during turnout on February 1, 2022. He was at that time about to turn 20 but was in great shape; he’s not a large horse and has always been very fit and youthful. The injury was in the RF and was very tough to diagnose - presented like an abscess or bruise at first but did not resolve. An MRI (on the table at NC State) yielded nothing, and I brought him in early April, exactly a year ago, for a combination PET/CT scan at New Bolton, which finally gave us a primary diagnosis of a subchondral bone injury at the top of P3 near the fetlock joint, and a subsidiary injury in the coffin bone - pedal osteitis.
These are very tough injuries to heal especially for an older horse. It’s mostly time, though we also did whatever treatments might possibly help.
It’s now been 14 months since he was injured, and at our latest vet visit last week he was 100% sound on good footing, and reasonably sound - not 100% - on hard footing. The vet, who I trust fully, feels he has plateaued, and that I can begin riding him on good footing - he may never be completely sound at the trot on a small circle on hard footing, but if I avoid that he might well be completely fine. I won’t know what he is capable of - anything from back to his former level (though his age may make that impossible), to a trail horse, to somewhere in between - until I start to ride him.
But… I have no idea what plan to follow to get him fit, and specifically and eventually, fit for dressage work. For the past year he has been turned out, first alone in a small paddock, then eventually back into his regular field with a few other horses - stall rest is contraindicated for these bone injuries, and also he has asthma so it’s particularly terrible for him. So this isn’t like bringing back a horse who’s been on stall rest for a soft tissue injury, which I have a lot of experience with. He has no trouble running around in his field with his buddies and has plenty of room to do it! Plus he had maybe 16 years of training and consistent work before this injury.
On the other hand, he’s had more than a full year with no ridden exercise. He’s just a little fat but has no topline or hind end musculature. And he’s not young.
I don’t want to injure him again by rushing this, yet the vet doesn’t think I need to take baby steps. But all this leaves me totally floundering! Do I walk for two weeks? Do I walk on hills (hacking where I am is impossible without hills, many somewhat steep, and his pasture has hills in any event). Should I start trotting short intervals right away (that will all be in the arena)? On the bit? Argh!
Of course I will consult my trainer. But she would work him based on how he feels, and know exactly when to stop because he’s getting too tired, and my “feel” is not very good - to my great sadness, and despite constantly working at it, I’m just not very talented at the skills needed to be a good trainer.
So…is there anyone who has been in this or a similar situation, or who has knowledge of this sort of thing, who might have suggestions or advice about how I could structure a fitness/conditioning plan for this horse?
Thank you!
- here is Narelle Stubbs presenting and showing how to do them: Narelle says, “You wake up those muscles before you get on.”