yes and to add insult to injury hes put a bl…y BIRD SCARER in there :no:(I can just see us trotting round and round calmly with that thing going off at random :eek:)
Anyway its raining again (whats new!) and the track is just a gloopy gluey skid rink so cabbage field trotting is “off” :sadsmile:…sigh… razor shoes again!!!
Rehab is an ugly word!
Having one that needs every endorphin available, and having worn hooves down to squared toes (barefoot). I hear you.
Even though we are now to cantering,my heart nearly stopped when something triggered what seemed like an hour long (probably 1 minute) roar around the field, after turn out. However we survived.
Rehab is an ugly word!!!:eek::eek:
Checking In
Great to see others coming along so well!!
Our guy a bit more than 7 months post-surgery, and doing well. All ultrasounds have been great. We’ve gradually worked him up as others have described, to 8 minute trots (3 in an hour) and then about 3 or 4 weeks ago, we added in canter. We started at 30 seconds 3 or 4 times in the hour. Now we’re at 2 minute canters interspersed within the other work in the hour. At this point, I’m not so concerned with the stop-watch approach to his work. We’re starting to work in more straight line transitions to lighten him (he thinks leaning is fun) and some very shallow leg yields at the walk. No turnout yet. We are not comfortable turning out until he’s canter a lot more.
At least now, we can actually “work” him, and start to re-train him in his manners, response to leg, balance, and lightness. Beats walking for an hour!
He did have a series of mild gas colics 3 weeks ago, which we have tracked to ulcers, so we’ve started treating that, and have a nutritionist working with us on his diet as he dropped a LOT of weight and muscle mass recently. He was getting steroid injections through November to hold off the muscle loss, but I think everything came to a head. Work increased, feed increased, the weather was a roller coaster, and he couldn’t maintain anymore. We’re on a good track now, though, and I feel badly that we didn’t do more for him nutritionally earlier.
Continued luck to everyone else!
Update here… we are closing in on 2 years post-surgery now. Feronia is ever so slightly NQR and probably always will be, but she is likely showable and getting stronger. She’s a good girl on the trail, too.
Where we’re stuck is left lead canter. The problem has come and gone a lot, but right now, keeping the left lead for more than a few strides is tough… while on the right lead she will do gorgeous uphill tucked-under canter, and with my trainer on her will collect it, do canter half-pass, etc. Trainer is also much better at keeping the left lead canter going. I’ve done everything possible vet-treatment wise, and she is not visibly lame, but am just not seeing a lot of improvement.
I’ve ridden horses with problems maintaining leads, and have always blamed it on weakness. It always improved with time and work. I am at the moment dealing with this on the right lead. In both cases yours and mine the surgery was on the hind leg on the weaker lead. And I always thought that the LH should be working harder, on the right lead.
However we have just started canter, and it has improved dramatically after three sessions, not counting the “unauthorized” ones. We are just beginning lateral work. I have always counted on S/I and H/I, at the trot to do a lot of the strengthening. At the rate we’re going -very cautiously- it’ll be months before we get to really having at it :(.
Does riding her at canter in a slight shoulder fore help?
Vicarious, when I can maintain it, shoulder fore helps. I think it helps with everything 
And even at my relative novice level of riding, I can get SI and HI at the trot. Trainer also suggested shallow loops in counter-canter for strengthening.
I do have a mental block here, because this horse, when I bought her, loved to canter. In fact she would have chosen canter (either lead) over trot, any day, and often did. So… ask for canter, get it, and she’d keep it until I asked for something else. And it was a nice canter, too. She has a huge stride for such a little horse. Now it’s just a lot of work and not terribly fun for either of us, especially going to the left.
I should probably say that our injury was not a proximal one (main body and inside branch in foreleg) and we didnt have surgery but even so imo ligaments do (I think) consist of a similar makeup where ever they are (obviously its a little bit different when they are right next to the bones) and so, presumably, should heal in a similar way? So on that assumption Im getting great encouragement reading positive progress reports as theres so much doom and gloom out there about them:eek: And if it turns out in the end that she cant race any more or do 50 mile endurance rides then hopefully she can do 30 milers and have fun like that! Low level dressage is “acceptable” to her but not the preferred way of life!!!
Canter headaches.
Quietanne,
You might also think of LY at the canter.
come up the long side a line or two (like 3 feet) from the wall, guarding the outside shoulder, LY to the wall. Come back to trot. Next try it from the quarter line. Coming back to the trot is the reward (for both of you;))
If you master that, then try it from a 15m circle out to a 20m circle. Then down to the 10m circle. It won’t happen overnight, but may help.
[QUOTE=vicarious;6157894]
Dratted farmers, you’d think they owned the field. :lol:
Dubarry, how did your ultrasound go? Hoping no news is good news. :yes:[/QUOTE]
Thanks for checking on us! I forgot to give my progress report because I’ve been a little busy - there is going to be a Mr. Dubarry!! But back to the really important things, 
I can start walking under saddle and will continue to do so for the next 30 days. My vet recommended walking under saddle 5x a week if I could manage it. He wants to come back and see the big red horse trot for the first time (after the 30 days of walking). The ultrasound was purely academic because we are a special re-injury case. Virginia weather has been variable lately. One day its snowing, by the end of the week its 65 degrees. This weekend we had 40 mph winds (needless to say, I did not ride). Overall, things are falling into place.
Sounds like everyone else is on the right track too!!
:lol::lol:Thanks for filling us in onthe really important things!
I hope poor Mr Dubarry survives all this. He really doesn’t know w hat he is in for.:no::no:
thanks, merrygoround for the pointer to this thread.
my horse was injected two weeks ago with stem cell & psp following shockwave. Not sure what the rest of the treatment protocol will be … additional shockwave at some point.
currently we handwalk or walk under saddle up to 20min a day and she has at least 4 hours turnout. She gets 2cc of ace orally before turnout and we’re looking for a really quiet pasture companion.
she’s at a full-service dressage barn and not in training right now, but i get help with handwalking during the week. so far she’s behaving really well, but misses having a job.
in fact, i’m off to the barn now.
best wishes to everyone.
So luckily for me my mare seems to have recovered from her suspensory (although we are currently mysteriously lame from something else). But question for all of you…
Did you put any special shoes on your horse for the suspensory? My mare did her hind. Vet number 1 who treated my suspensory injury had me put shoes with pads and a slight angle on the hind she said to help support the suspensory and reduce the strain. Did that and have worn them since, her feet have actually been growing better with them too(before she had no shoes on behind). Vet 2, who I am now using because I moved, says the shoes/pads do nothing nor ever would have with the suspensory. So I’m wondering what other peoples experiences have been.
I was never told to use any sort of corrective shoeing and my horse is doing really well (KNOCK ON WOOD). We pulled his shoes while he was on stall rest and during the beginning of rehab so his feet really grew nicely.
As an update on Echo- I think that we are officially back to where we were just over a year ago. Hard to believe! I jumped him 3’3 the other day and he jumped me clean out of the tack. I’m lucky I managed to stay on! lol He feels wonderful and his canter is better than it has ever been. I’ve entered our first HT- CDCTA- and am very very excited to have my boy back in action.
So far through all of our recovery we haven’t had shoes.
I was always advised though that elevating the heels was not helpful in recovery, as a certain amount of strain is necessary. The purpose of rehab is to control the strain applied, and have it incur in slow increments to encourage the fibers to line up in the best possible fashion.
Moosie: You are correct in thinking that it doesn’t matter where the damage is, it still gets treated in basically the same fashion.
Right now I’m hoping that yesterday’s tantrum,a specialty :sigh: wasn’t enough to undo all our work.
When do you stop worrying??
[QUOTE=vicarious;6179948]
When do you stop worrying??[/QUOTE]
Ha! Sadly, I think once we get the idea in our heads that our horses can be fragile, the concern never goes away completely.
My hope for myself is that I can include my concern in plans and refrain from trying to wrap my horse up in cotton wool … it seems like that kind of fretting just gets in the way of living in and enjoying the moment.
(But yes, I will ace before hand walking on a windy day from now on.)
I agree that the worrying doesn’t ever go away.
Feronia had front shoes only before her surgery, was barefoot for her rehab, and went into front shoes again shortly after I started riding her. Eventually we added rear shoes (she’d never had them before) and she became less sore.
It’s not her hooves; she has fabulous Morgan hooves. It’s her leg joints (knees and hocks) that s*ck.
Some horses need that extra “can’t sink into the sand” support. Which is why so many UL horses are shod all around, and sometimes with bar shoes, which give even more “stay on the surface” support.
Good note. We appear to have survived the tantrum, and did some progressively better canter work.
Still worrying!:sigh:
[QUOTE=quietann;6180023]
It’s not her hooves; she has fabulous Morgan hooves. It’s her leg joints (knees and hocks) that s*ck.[/QUOTE]
The fact that shoeing can have a very positive influence in support of the leg rather than hoof structure seems to be a specialized understanding. My horse’s hooves are GREAT, as well. Angles of joints, however, increase strain … and if shoes make a difference in my horse’s comfort, I’m all for it.
My trainer talks of “comfort” rather than “soundness” … it’s an interesting perspective that helps me evaluate what the goal is – not a perfectly sound horse, but a horse that is comfortable in her work. Maybe splitting hairs, but if I’d had this perspective years ago, I wouldn’t have gone along with “she works out of the lameness” so blindly.
Oh hey- I’m joining the club. 18 year old 14.3 QH never any soundness problems until last year.
Mine is relatively bilateral hind end, but worse LH. Suspensory doesnt have lesions but many little tiny tears I guess (chronic?). Was not told he needed surgery and was told he wasn’t a candidate for PRP or SCT b/c no lesions. He originally started having lameness problems March 2011 but I don’t know if it is related…did hock injections and all better until October of this year.
Went to vet several times because NQR, did hock injections, fetlock injections, tendon sheath injections, polyglycan IV 2x month, adequan loading currently…over the past ~4 months starting in early December.
didn’t palpate sore at all on suspensories…but LH was sound after blocking high supensory and then RH was lame…so my guess is that it got sore from over compensating. He has no swelling externally and no heat. U/S showed lots of little disruptions or whatever below high suspensory (3-4’’ down). LH suspensory 1.5x bigger than RH.
So right now they told me start with 30d stall rest 5min hand walk 2x day. Did not say to ice, wrap, or give NSAIDs. Recheck then.
I was thinking about getting a game ready system…I have seen some positives. I was going to rent one for $500 for the month. I also have BoT wraps and normal no bows. Any thoughts?
We have a lameness vet from ocala that we fly up that treats my other horse and the horses at his barn. I was thinking about sending him the ultrasound pics and X-rays and letting him look at them and make sure the protocol looked right.
I am slowly starting to accept the fact that he will be stall bound for a longggg time. When I was told 30d stall rest i thought THAT was a lot…not 3-6 mo.
Hey Reay sorry to have you join the thread but you will find a lot of great information to guide you through the darkest days. I have no experience with Game Ready but when I asked my vet about it he said if I wanted to do that just cold wrap him and save the money. He really thought it migh be overkill. And it is always great getting a second opinion although vets in the field are a little more guarded about how to treat this injury then say vet hospitals and surgeons. At least that is what I experienced when I started down this long road.
I have great news to update the thread! Almost five months after surgery my guy jogged off sound today! Vet was amazed (this is a vet that was guarded against the surgery) and pleased! We then did the ultrasound which was good but still needed more fibers to grow in the right direction. I was not shocked about this because I was always told the horse becomes sound before the ultrasound shows complete healing. My guy can now go into a larger paddock and resume legging up. I stopped riding him 6 weeks ago because Ace was no longer having an effect on him, and I thought it was just too dangerous to risk injury to me and horse. Vet told me to try Sedivet while riding. So one month walking, another ultrasound and that will put me at the 6 month mark! Vet was encouraged to tell me that I might have the fall event season to look forward to! Keeping fingers crossed!
