Jumping after suspensory injury

[DawgLady]

Last February, my 15 year old gelding strained his LH lateral suspensory branch. With the guidance of my vet, trainer, and a significant investment in therapies, I slowly rehabbed him. He began jumping again in September and has remained very sound (knock wood). Originally, the vet said that he should be limited to little jumps – like 2’6" and under. I don’t think any of us expected him to recover this well. He is super fit now (thanks flatwork) and staying absolutely sound over 2’6".

I have a call in to the vet for a discussion. I’m sure it’ll take a few days to get his ear. In the meantime, I’m wondering…has anyone had a horse that exceeded his/her prognosis? Based on how he is feeling and acting, I am cautiously optimistic that he may be able to return to a 3’ career (especially since we only jump once a week, and only a few courses at that).

Maybe I am dreaming, but it lifts my heart to think of jumping 3’ again with my old friend.

[Renn_aissance]

Short answer is yes, I have.

Long answer is that the discussion with your vet should devote equal time to “CAN he do it” and “SHOULD he do it.” Depending on the nature of your fellow’s injury, your vet’s prognosis may have been that adding the additional impact on landing would have substantially increased the risk of reinjury, so the vet made the recommendation of a 2’6” career less because the horse was felt to be physically limited and more because the horse would be more likely to have a sustained sound career doing a less concussive job.

It’s been less than a year since the injury and the horse hasn’t been back jumping that long, so the vet may feel the conversation is premature- or not! But that’s no reason not to have it and to explore some of the variables that guided the prognosis.

For what it’s worth, after suspensory #2- which was a different leg than #1, and caused not by a traumatic force but by the ligament rubbing up against an area of the bone that had roughened with age, so not a predictable reinjury that could have been guarded against- my vet gave me the all clear to return to his previous level of activity and I decided not to. The horse was 17 or 18 at the time and I felt that he would have a longer sound career if I stepped him down to 2’6” earlier than he HAD to rather than maintaining him to continue as a 3’ horse, which he still could have done successfully. He’s 25 now and still sound and happy bopping around 2’-2’3”, so I think the decision paid off.

[DawgLady]

@Renn_aissance Thank you for your thoughtful answer! It would be SO much easier if this horse were suitable for a 2’3-2’6 job. As it were, he’s a powerhouse and isn’t an appropriate mount for beginner riders. Once his career with me is over, he will live out his life in a well-earned posh retirement :).

[Feliz]

My jumper had a strain to a front suspensory in 2015 and it hasn’t bothered him since (crossing fingers madly now!) Vet was optimistic at the time that he’d return to full work. I took the rehab & recovery very seriously, didn’t jump anything for 9mths, then nothing of height until after 12mths and then I was cautious about jump height and footing for another year (I still am really)

Slight side track, but my personal theory (and I’m not a vet) is that we (riders/owners/trainers/vets) don’t see the full picture on suspensory injuries and recoveries as there are so many variables. It seems like these are often diagnosed quite late as the lameness can be on/off/subtle, there may not be any heat or swelling. Probably the first indication is lack of performance - which can be attributed to lots of other things, including the horse being difficult.

So by the time it’s diagnosed it may have been an issue for quite some time. Then all the variables of rehab - is the horse a good patient? Is the rider truly diligent about sticking to the slow and boring rehab plan? Is the farrier doing a good job? Do all the stars align?

I was very lucky that my vet recommended leaving my guy in a small turn out with a quiet buddy and he was generally a very good patient and it all went smoothly (aside from a few heart-in-mouth moments of course - because horses )

Good luck with your horse

[PonyPenny]

My horse had the exact injury with an avulsion fracture of the LH. He was given to me with no expectations of jumping anything other than maybe 2’. He not only exceeded that, but went on to compete in the A/O hunters and equitation with my daughter. He also competed in three National Hunter Derbies where he won two of them and got 5th in the other. I got him when was 14. The injury happened when he was 11. I received his entire rehab binder from his previous owner. He spent a lot of time swimming in Ocala. He has three strains of that suspensory that required layup under my ownership. Once in the turnout, once slipping out of a trailer and once slipping in bad footing at a horse show. All required about three months of hand/saddle walking before he could go back to work. He has scar tissue and my vet has said it will never be as though he never injured it. He wears bar shoes behind, gets his hocks down once a year plus Osphos and gets a daily Equioxx pill. He stopped jumping at 18 in 2017 after a fabulous year. My daughter was transitioning to her career and I am too wussy to jump. He now does dressage with me which started last January. He is doing great. Schooling 3rd level. Hoping to show inn 2021. I am shocked he can do anything at all as he had a big jumping career starting in Germany in 2006 and then in the US when he was imported in 2008. He will be 22 in March. I am under no illusions that he could re-injure it and have to be permanently retired.

[lintesia]

I had a horse who had a high hind suspensory injury when he was 12. He had 5 months of stall rest plus therapy and then a very slow and careful rehab. I had been doing Rusty Stirrup with him before the injury and we moved up to the AA Hunters after his injury. I took him to the vet for a full work-up after our first show doing the AAs to make sure that he was truly up for the level of work. (He was!)

[foursocks]

It is such an individualized sort of diagnosis and then prognosis, but I’ll add in my experience! My jumper did his RF in turnout several years ago and had about 5-6 months off, total. I sent him to the underwater treadmill place I use once he was cleared for that because he was turning into a ridiculous nutjob, and he spent a couple of months there.

When I brought him back to my barn we spent a couple of weeks tack walking, then a bit of trotting, and so on. Maybe two months after he came back from swim camp we were jumping again? He’s now my Low AO Jumper (with plans to move up), and has had no issues on that leg since coming back into work. Good luck- I hope your vet gives you good news.