What are the odds of a horse with a hairline fracture on the sesamoid recovering soundly enough to jump? Is it worth the rehab time
How well sesamoid injuries heal is greatly dependent on where they are on the sesamoid bone involved. The problem with sesamoid bone injuries is that the sesamoid bone lacks a periosteum, the structure that secretes new bone. So the injury heals with fiberous tissue only. But if the pulley system of the suspensory is not effected by the break and is still functional, the fiberous healing can be functional, since it doesn’t take as much pressure as the area where the pulley system operates. So this is where you have to consult a veterinarian, find out where the hairline fracture is. If they have not put the horse down already, there is some hope that they have already investigated this, and have the xrays, and are offering the horse because they think it is going to heal up and be OK.
It’s always a risk. But if you like the horse, and can do the healing time and rehab fairly easily and cheaply, it is possible to find success with this plan. I’ve had one that healed up surprisingly well, and it was “shattered” into multiple pieces but the pulley system remained intact and unaffected. It took nearly a year to heal, and eventually was hardly even noticeable. I would not have used him as a “high level 3 day eventer”, but as a 3’ hunter, he had a chance of success and soundness, I thought.
If the horse did the injury due to a blow from another leg, due to his conformation, you will want to ride this horse with leg protection always, polos or brushing boots, to make sure that he does not re injure the area.
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@NancyM has a very well thought out response that I will just underscore. The location and severity of the fx is paramount. I’d recommend having a top sport or racetrack vet give you a radiographic consultation. Start at the top with Kent Allen’s practice.
I had one with a t fracture I thought was going to be a trail horse/pet and he ended up fox hunting and doing lower level everting. It never bothered him. The vet was even surprised. It was a long slow rehab though - he was on stall rest for a few months then about 6 months of walking and jogging and because I didn’t think he would stay sound for anything more I put no pressure on him. It wasn’t until he jumped out of the pasture about a year later that I thought, wait a minute…
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