Hind Suspensory experiences? Please share.

[no.stirrups]

I’ve found some useful info in searching the archives but I’d love to get more specific. Hinds only, please, as the prognosis is so different from fronts.

Please share degree of damage, treatment regimen, and outcome, good or bad. I’m not looking for hope so much as realism.

My horse has a 15% tear of the proximal Suspensory. I didn’t know it until the ultrasound, but there was a previous injury probably before I got him at 6 yo (he’s now 15). Studies I’ve found show a dismal rate of recovery, but mostly are done on racehorses and a successful recovery means a return to racing. I don’t need my guy to do anything so stressful but I want to at least be able to do several miles of hilly trails in coming years.

Thanks!

[asterix]

Did you find the very long thread in the Eventing forum? Lots of very specific stories there.
I posted quite a bit there but the short story is went straight to fancy lameness vet when prelim horse seemed funky behind. Bilateral high hind suspensory tears. surgeon told me he sees this all the time - horse seems fine until one day he’s not. surgeon thinks it starts small on one side, no visible lameness, horse compensates and overloads other side, etc until one day the whole thing decompensates.
I had a bilateral fasciotomy, very minor surgery. 30 days stall rest, slow rehab with shockwave, horse came sound for eventing.

[KC]

I’m at the one-year mark in a similar situation. Things have gone really well, and if it continues going well, I’d say my horse would be able to handle some hilly trails. So all hope is not lost!

Details: Teenage SWB gelding diagnosed last April with tears in each hind suspensory - the LH not too severe, the RH torn from top to bottom.

Low-tech treatment that began with Surpass, stall rest and hand grazing for 90 days. (Prolly, the stall rest would have been longer, but the horse was stall-walking and kicking the walls, so we gambled that grazing would settle him - luckily, it did.)

Gradually added in turn out, hand walking, walking under saddle, trotting under saddle, and last month, a little canter under saddle. Whoo! The vet’s guidance was to either increase duration, or intensity, but not both at the same time.

Outcome? Vet and I agree it’s not likely he’ll be able to go back to the jumpers. I’m trying to bring him back to the point he can do a little job, though I don’t yet know what he’ll heal up enough to do. The vet ultrasounded 10 days ago, and the LH is much improved - really have to look hard to see where the injury was. The RH is also improved. There are some areas that are continuing to heal. There are some small holes, which she said could close up, or that may be it.

[DQ01]

I have had 2 right hind proximal suspensory injuries with the same horse! I am a wealth of information! The first time she was 5 years old, just did it being silly in the pasture. Took 3 months to diagnose, which is ridiculous, but she showed strange symptoms. Anyway, I can’t remember exactly what the percentage of tear was or anything like that. We just did stall rest then slow rehabilitation. She was doing training level dressage at the time of injury and returned to that and I got her up to second level dressage. Then when she was 9 she came up with the same injury, moderate tear to the proximal suspensory. We did a PRP injection this time, plus stall rest, then slow rehab. I HIGHLY recommend PRP plus shockwave therapy! I didn’t do the shockwave but if I was to go back in time I would. However even with the PRP we had great results. Even my vet was pleasantly shocked by how much healing there was after just a few weeks. That was 3 years ago almost.

My horse returned to work after that injury as well although her stifle started bothering her during rehab so that set us back and it was a very long rehab, but that’s OK. At one point we were worried she had chronic suspensory desmitis but the ultrasound showed not as much scar tissue as they’d expect for that diagnosis. She isn’t perfect but we think it mostly stems from her stifle now although my vet does wonder about nerve pain from scar tissue around the suspensory.

I do a lot of hind end strengthening work, all the time. She requires quite a lot of maintenance but she is sound and working at lower level dressage, mostly just for training and for fun, I’m not a serious competitor. Trail riding has been great for her, lots of hill work. I love Back on Track products, definitely get the polos and the no-bow standing bandages. I also used the Horseware Ice Vibe boots during her rehab but couldn’t tell you if they’re worth the money or not. Definitely didn’t hurt though. Any specific questions feel free to message me!

[DQ01]

One more thing, take your time with the rehab. My vet sent me a few journal articles about rehab for suspensors and the slower you take it the better your chances of recover are.

[riopony]

I will give you a quick note about mine but mostly I am anxiously awaiting the replies!

Short story: horse was rehabbing for an SI issue (about a year of trying to figure it out and other injuries). At Christmas he went really lame. This is when I think he did the suspensory. Vet thought it was still SI (this was over the phone) so it wasn’t ultrasounded til February. Right hind proximal suspensory is enlarged by 30%.

Vet prescribed 24/7 stall rest, ice, wraps, previcoxx/bute. I had him rechecked at 6 weeks and he was moving better (from a high 3 in trot to 1-2) but still dropping his fetlock slightly. Suspensory is still enlarged (he doesn’t have a tear or lesions). Vet is old-school and is really good about not spending my money unnecessarily. He said shockwave probably won’t help that high up and would be a waste of money. PRP/IRAP wouldn’t work as there are no “holes.” He thinks it is chronic now (OTTB) He suggested re-check at 6 weeks but surgery is the best bet/ bang for my buck.

We are about 2-3 weeks away from recheck and I am terrified. I have spent $$$ diagnosing this horse and there has been a lot of different issues. Articles and my vet say rest alone for proximal hind suspensory it is a less than 40% chance return to work and that surgery brings it up to 85% chance.

We have the equi-fit ice boot (the one where you put actual ice in, stays cooler than the gel packs) and it helps a lot. We are currently hand-walking 10 minutes. We haven’t had to long-term sedate him… yet. We were on stall rest last winter for a DDFT and he was awful, this time much better.

Good luck!

[Beckham03]

My horse is just over a year out. I took it extra slow…he went back to light work last fall and I kept it light because I knew winter was coming. He had PRP, shockwave, cold laser, still gets acupuncture, and wears BOT wraps over night. He is still on paddock turnout due to crappy ground and I hope to have him back to level TO whenever this weather clears up and dries. He is back to cantering under saddle as well.

Go slow. Slow and steady wins the race. Keep up with the controlled exercise.

After all of this, I personally just don’t feel like pushing this horse back to the level he was, third level. He is 12 now and I raised him…he is a horse I just really enjoy riding him. We are working at trying our hand at a musical freestyle.

I just read this article this week:

http://www.equinepartnersamerica.com/research/Gillis-RehabTendonsLigamentsAAEP.pdf

http://www.doctorramey.com/rehabilitating-tendon-and-ligament-injuries/

[SonnysMom]

Sonny had a high suspensory on the right hind with some avulsion from the bone. Tried limited turn-out, still not healing. Went to different vet and had PRP and she scraped the bone to stimulate it to heal at the attachment point. He was on stall rest for months with hand walking. Healing but slowly so did 3 treatments of shockwave. Progressed to walking under tack, small paddock turn-out and then it got worse.
I was not able to get him sound. I retired him.