So on Christmas Eve (afternoon), we looked at our gelding and he was definitely colic’ing and had severe lameness in his right rear. Our vet came out and thought the pain from his leg might have caused the colic. His right haunch was severely swollen. Gave him banamine, put him on stall rest. The next day, he was still acting a little colicky, gave him half a doze of banamine and more stall rest. Vet came today and did x-rays. Nothing could be found on the x-rays and he thinks he pulled a hamstring while sliding in the mud. We’ll put him on Bute for 3 days which we started yesterday. The swelling had gone down (even today). The vet said to hand-walk him 3 times a day, then ride at the walk for a few days before turning him loose again. He also mentioned this his stride may be a little short on that side. We’re on flood plain, so things are naturally wet here, more times than not. Any other thoughts on which we can do, especially not to have a shortened stride? Thanks in advance!
My retired horse pulled her hamstring, also most likely sliding in the mud. I can’t speak about the riding aspect, but everything I was told and/or read at the time said to take it SLOW and don’t try to rush the recovery. I guess these things can be real touch and go. My girl was fine after a few weeks (2? 3? can’t quite recall) of stall rest/hand-walking… but she’s also just a pasture ornament.
My mare strained/tore the muscle on the inside of her right haunch last summer stopping/sliding into a jump at a show. She was sore, quite lame and uncomfortable. Took nearly 2 months of patient rehab to get her sound. 3 months before jumping again. Soft tissue injuries are no joke!
Last year this time my mare managed to do something in the field and tore a muscle in her HQ. It swelled from the top of her croup to her hock (about three times the normal size), lower leg was clean and tight. She didn’t want to walk or lay down. She was buted and in her stall/paddock, we walked her two times a day, started at 5-10 minutes each walk and worked up to 20-30 minutes twice a day. That took about 4 weeks, I think I continued that for 6-8 weeks, then I started ponying her at the trot as well as her normal walking twice a day. I didn’t ride her until about 4 and half months after the original injury. Once she was being ridden I basically started over building everything back up. I went really slow, because if I pushed her she would get sore, sometime she would play in her (small) paddock and make herself sore. Thankfully she never truly re-injured it. I also did lots of walking and trotting over poles and built to raised poles. It took me 9 months to get her back into full work and turn out. About 10 months until I started jumping her again. The vet also told me she might end up with a slightly short step on that leg, she did not! Lots of controlled, slow movement to stretch the scar tissue as things heal, and a pain killer so she used the leg correctly from the get go and nothing ever tightened up. If you want more details on what I did feel free to PM. My vet told me 6 weeks to heal, ended up being 9 months but so far so good! Hopefully your guy heals up faster.
I had a horse that pulled a muscle in his hind end many years ago. Likely due to pasture shenanigans. It took 2-3 months for him to be 100% I did use a heating pad on the area every day (just the kind you warm in the microwave, and found a way to fasten it to him). Which he seemed to enjoy and maybe helped soothe the muscle. Just did it while I groomed him.
I took him for short easy walks for awhile so he wouldn’t get too stiff. I also turned him out in a small paddock with good footing. I did not want to stress the muscle further, but I also think a little movement was good for him.
In animals and in people. If I had to guess, I would estimate a traumatic hamstring injury would be a 2 month layoff for a runner as well. Healing takes time.
My gut feeling on this would be 1-2 days of confined rest/hand walking, then a few weeks in a small paddock with walking under saddle. I probably wouldn’t want them out with a group in a pasture they could run and play in, and/or slip again.
That timeline back to exercise sounds awfully, awfully short :no: I’d get an ultrasound if possible, but I understand if it’s not. Fibrotic myopathy will be the next thing to work hard to avoid. Once the acute phase of this is over, I would get a great massage therapist in to start work, show you how to do things in between visits, and do all that’s possible to avoid scar tissue from forming (that FM).
Follow your vets instructions since that person is the one with the most knowledge about the situation. If the horse does not steadily improve in the timeline given by the vet, call the vet and advise the vet of the horse’s condition. I actually am going through the exact same thing with a horse that was pretty lame behind, and he improved pretty significantly in a handful of days with bute and continued turnout. It’s been about a week with mine, and he is still a bit short behind, but the vet says that is normal. I’m sure your vet has seen way way way more of this than any of us. As long as the injury is mild, it’s good to have the horse turned out and moving around, which will help with circulation and keep scar tissue from forming. Much much much better than massage.
Hope he recovers uneventfully!!!
Everyone, thanks so much for the advice! Strange enough, in my 25 years with horses, I haven’t encountered this. This is his 2nd full day of Bute and we’re hand walking 3 times a day. He’s still pretty weak and sometimes he crosses over. I guess it’s just slow and steady. The vet knows the horse pretty well, so I’ll check in with him often and have periodic visits. I love the idea of a massage therapist and I’m going to look for one. Thanks again!
Go extra slow and then take the advice above regarding massage, stretching, etc.
My older guy pulled his hamstring almost 10 years ago, he was never dead lame, just NQR. We started from the bottom and worked our way up before deciding that it was indeed his hamstring.
Unfortunately by that time there seemed to be some scar tissue build up. We opted to use shockwave on the area and I’m glad we did. The next day he was tracking up evenly again, it lasted about a year and then he seemed to shorten up on that side again. It’s possible he could have slipped and pulled it again.
Back for another shockwave treatment and he’s been sound ever since knock on wood.
I spend a long time warming him up and cooling down, especially now that he’s getting up there in age.
When they pull their hamstring it hurts to back and to go downhill.
Put liniment on before walking.
I had a mare who sustained what sounds like a very similar injury. Because of another issue, she wasn’t being ridden at the time so we opted for handwalking with controlled turnout for several months. She developed fibrotic myopathy (mentioned previously) that wasn’t helped with surgery. If I had it to do over, I would have kept her moving in a controlled way more than I did. I would have gotten on her sooner and trotted her for extended periods even given the other issue. Once it is manageable, walking some rolling hills might be good to prevent the scarring building up. It was recommended by my vet following surgery for FM. That vet was adamant that movement was very crucial to avoid scarring that caused the very shortened stride on one side and suggested that it was critical after her initial injury too. Maybe see what your vet says about that? My usual vet had not seen something like this before and had been at it many years.
I feel so much more empowered with these recommendations. They’re really appreciated!
My guy did this- slipped in the aisle and sat down in the cross ties. Bute for the first 5 days (and UlcerGard with the bute,) then back to his daily Previcox. Turnout as usual overnight in a big rolling field with sensible buddies, 3 months of walking only. We started more adventurous walking- that is to say, adding hills and lateral work- in the second half of that period. It was a wintertime injury for my horse too, and he really liked having a heating pad over the area while being groomed prior to exercise. I also did massage daily. Slow and steady wins the race with anything soft tissue related!
