For those who have dealt w/ colic curgery… what was your “return to work” regime?
And yes, I’ll be asking my Vet when my guy is released from the Rehab facility… but in the meantime, please humor me. 
I do know he will be back “home” for a few weeks before we start back up.
Was just curious what I’m in for…
I assume you got the book “Back to Work” as well? If not, it’s a great resource.
My horse was off for 3 months after his colic surgery back in 94 (?) He was 8 yrs old.,
First month was handwalking only, then gradually returned to turnout. After 3 months we started riding him. And it wasn’t an invasive colic surgery as some are- it was a nephrosplenic entrapment, no cutting of gut involved. He made a full recovery and never had a another major colic incident. Lived to be 20 yrs old, died of complications from an injury.
Thanks… guess I should clarify. He’s started turn out earlier this week. Just a small paddock by himself.
I should be able to bring him “home” the beginning of Sept. (he’s at a Rehab facility right now). He’ll just be on a regular schedule (turn out, etc) for a few weeks and then will start back into work.
What I’m looking for is a “back to work” schedule under saddle.
I know it will start with walking, etc. Was just wondering if anyone had experience with this before and what you did.
ie. Walk for 15 minutes u/s, 4x a week for 2 weeks… etc. etc.
3Spots: I just found that I do have that book… will check it out. 
Okay… just pulled out my copy of “Back to Work”. Holy cow… this must really be geared towards horses that were really fit and competing at high levels!
I don’t even do what they suggest after week 3 before the surgery. LOL Guess I am more of a pleasure and plug along rider.
But it was helpful as I thought we’d be walking a lot longer.
I’m confused about exactly where you are in this path to recovery. I am guessing that he has had surgery, has had the 30 days of hand walking, is on the 30 days in the small paddock, and will then go to 30 days in general turnout in a larger space. Is this correct? I would think the folks at the rehab center could give you a good time table for a good, total fitness recovery program.
We were not cleared to return to work until after the full 90 days had passed. Then, I started longing him at the walk/trot for longer and longer time periods to build up his muscles (5 minute periods in each direction), and after two weeks I added in the canter. When he was carrying himself well and moving strongly, I added cavaletti in a large circle for him to walk, trot and canter over while still on the longe. Then we began walking under saddle, and so on. It may seem to be the long road to the goal, but mine was recovering from small intestine re-sectioning and was 19 years old, so we took our time and made sure he was completely well. I didn’t want lesions or problems surfacing after all we had been through.
Time Line:
7/10 - Surgery
7/15 - Released from Clinic and taken to rehab facility (stall rest, hand walking/grazing)
8/5 - Small t/o added (run attached to stall)
8/17 - Small paddock t/o for a few hours a day
Plan:
8/28 - Built up to regular t/o schedule (half days) in small paddock
First of Sept - Ready for t/o company (so can go home)
As you can see, we have deviated slightly from the typical 30/30/30 as he started the small attached run t/o after 21 days. And then 12 days later, the small paddock. So we kinda added an extra step in there. But most people don’t have access to that smaller turnout option and go from stall rest to small paddock but the horse can still run around in the small paddock. With this set up… all my horse could do was walk a few steps, turn around and walk back.
Again, I’m sure my Vet has in mind what schedule he wants to do but I’m not going to call and bug him about it right now since we have time… I’m sure he’ll tell me when he’s released from rehab. I was just curious what other people had done to kind of prepare myself for what is ahead… though I know it depends on each case/horse. My guy’s surgery required no disection (he just had a twist). So only the incision on the outside which looks great. He’s only 10 years old.
The Rehab facility is a small operation (on person though she has farm help)… she does rehab, retirement and broodies. She knows the same protocol everyone else has stated. 30 days stall rest, 30 days small t/o, 30 days regular t/o, then back to work. I haven’t asked her what she thought the “back to work” meant. Her job is to just take care of my horse, monitor him, and she follows Vet’s orders. 
Chief2 ~ It’s interesting you longed… the book “Back to Work” says NO longing. Straight line u/s work is recommended. But they also recommend you do the u/s work before turning them out. Because of my guy’s previous hip issue… I don’t longe except to check for lameness issues when they creep up from time to time.
Again, I was just curious what others did in the past. Thanks for the input.
I didn’t have the book. Ran it by the vet. He approved the rehab schedule. It worked. Good luck with your horse! :lol:
Thanks… I’m sure my Vet will have a schedule in mind.
Again, I was just curious what other people had done just so I would have an idea on what to expect.
But it doesn’t look like many people are chiming in so… :winkgrin:
I know a pony who had surgery right around the same time as your guy. She has been interesting, because at age 24 (not your typical surgical candidate!) she is very good at telling us what her limits are. She got more tired than we would have expected from her turnout in a small pen, and seems to have less tolerance of the direct sun than before her surgery, so she gets an hour or so early in the am while the barn is being cleaned and then another hour or two later in the day after the sun has shifted. She has permission to do some little tiny kids in therapeutic riding, walk only, bareback, less than 30 minutes, and gets tired from that so we’re careful not to do two days in a row - she only started doing that last week so we’ll see how quickly she builds back up. She LOVES the little tiny kids and LOVES the “work” ordinarily so it was considered an important part of her rehab, and more useful than hand walking. Honestly, I think she also loves being in a nice shady airy stall instead of a hot sunny drylot, and stall rest with 4 meals of soaked hay and equine senior seems to suit her!
We don’t have a specific plan for her rehab except that she’ll be walking only til her 90 days is up and we’ll take it week by week from there. She’s small enough that there’s a limited number of kids who ride her, so there’s no danger of overuse, especially through the winter!
I think your back to work plan depends in part on how fit the horse was prior to surgery. Two of my horses have gone through this. After the first 90 days of rest (stall progressing to stall/paddock progressing to turnout, all with handwalking) I started getting back on my horse and walking. Each week, I did a little more. By 180 days post surgery, we were jumping again. My horse was back in full work 9 months after surgery. Others at my barn had horses back in full work sooner.
I am now starting a horse back to work after 12 months off for a pelvic fracture. I am a little wiser this time. I’m starting with more ground work and am walking him through cavaletti on the ground to encourage him to lift his back and get his hind end under him, etc. I’ll also handwalk him on some gentle inclines. I plan to do about 30 days of this before I sit on him.
Either way, make sure you keep current on chiropractic and body work through the whole rehab process! Good luck. Both my horses never looked back from surgery. One had it at age 25 (!) and continued showing until the day he died. The other is now 8 years post surgery without a hitch.
I highly recommend books by Linda Tellington Jones for ideas for exercises you and can on the ground and under saddle. I used one called “Improve your horse’s well being.” Big pictures, easy directions, and lots of fun ideas.
betsyk: Awww… what a sweet pony. Glad she is doing so well.
Watermark: I’d have to say my guy was at about 50-60% fit before the colic. He was just getting over a stone bruise (which laid him up about 2 months) and a move to a new facility. So alot going on w/ this guy this past year. Bless him… :lol: So I know we have a long road ahead of us to get anywhere near where he was the first part of the year. Yes, I have an MT and Chiro who have been working on him and will be continue to do so. I will be moving him to a different facility when he leaves the rehab place than he was. Was planning on moving him (long story but I think the new place was a contributing factor to the colic) and figured the best time would be after the rehab instead of moving him back to the original barn and then up-rooting him again. So he’ll need time to adjust anyways… so I’ll check out those ground exercises. Sounds like a great thing to work on with him until he’s ready to be ridden.
I’m familiar w/ hip issues as this same guy dropped his hip back in 2006 and we dealt with a very long lay-up (another long story) hence why even a short period of time off is a detriment to this guy. I keep him at least light work year round.
My gelding/barrel horse is just 6 wks. out from his colic surgery. He’s doing quite well but he is also on the 30/30/30 schedule as posted above. I think I’m getting impatient as he is seeing him look out over his small paddock wondering why he can’t be out where he used to be. But I know for his own good, I have to keep him where he is to avoid any hernias. Our next step is to move him into the round pen but I know I’ll have to keep him on the longe line so he doesn’t take off like a bucking bronc. We’ll do very limited exercise; basically trotting and no more, then back to the small paddock (I won’t leave him left unattended in the round pen). It’s going to be a slow process to build those muscles back up before he’s back to barrel racing; how long…I have no idea? Anybody out there have a barrel horse that has had colic surgery with advice? Thanks!
OP - I went thru this w/ my dressage mare - twice. Both were displacements like yours, but two different directions. ANYWAY, Once my mare was cleared for riding we started out at every other day for several weeks (see the above comment re horse getting tired). I alternated walk work with trot work. Moved gradually from about 2/3 walk 1/3 trot. Short sets. Note that at the walk we asked the mare to march right along, no slow, ambling thing. I also added in some leg yields and other lateral work even at the walk to help her regain some suppleness.
Its hard to say x minutes, I think it depends on horse and how fit they were prior. I think you have to feel your own horse and the process goes on. But start out with an idea: 10 minutes walk, then a trot lap around the ring, walk lap, trot lap etc maybe 5 times. Depends on ring size…Assess horse’s response. First ride, maybe 15-20 minutes. Go from there. Keep some notes. I think I didnt canter for at least a couple weeks in to the rehab.
Edited to add: I’m not generally a longing fan, but we trainer and I did some line driving for the week prior to when I was allowed to ride. Some walk and trot w/out her having to carry me. I got more of a workout than the mare lol.
Hopefully the OPs horse has gotten completely back up to speed in the past 8 years.
me too. But the question from the barrel horse owner was the other day:yes:
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