Shortened version of the story - Little Mare tore her DDFT, after an extensive rehab she came back to her purpose (Jumpers). She stayed injury free for a little over a year until she tore her Collateral Ligament in the other leg, with a subchondral bone injury and avulsion fracture at the ligaments attachment to the fetlock (diagnosed by MRI). After another extensive rehab she returned to full work. She remained injury free for less than a year, when she strained her collateral ligament again. After this strain I decided I would not do another expensive rehab - she spent three weeks on stall rest then went back to her normal turnout schedule for three months with no under saddle work.
All soft tissue injuries occurred in the field. She does not have much sense turned out.
She’s not inexpensive to keep sound not factoring in the injuries. She has navicular. She requires pads and to be shod all around. She’s on isoxsupriine and she requires maintenance in the form of injections and Adequan.
Recently I put just front shoes back on her to have her do some forced exercise, as she’s very fat. She had radiographs and an ultrasound recently that confirmed there is no reason she should be unsound and no reason she could not return to work.
With front shoes alone, she is foot sore. She doesn’t appear outright lame, just foot sore.
Here’s my internal debate. Do I spend the money to do everything necessary to get her comfortable to go back to work? But with her track record, it’s uncertain she could hold up to returning to the Jumper ring, and it seems the odds are not in my favor that she will remain injury free.
She’s a young horse. If she was aged, I would have no problem just letting her be. My trainer thinks I am crazy for even considering dumping more money into Little Mare.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Words of Wisdom?