Recovering from Collateral Ligament Injury

[Rubs_Not_Pats]

I cantered my first poles !!!

O.K, since Tuna has been doing so well and now everyone is changing their tune, I decided to give us an early Christmas gift and in our lesson actually asked and cantered three ground poles. (It would have been two but I biffed on one). Anyway, she was awsome. I had her regular trainer ride her today (has not been on since injury) and she said she feels good. So. for all you gals out there struggling with the rehab, I am beginning to feel like we can make it back hang in there!

I will still wait a while before she sees real jumps although vets and trainer think I can shorten rehab at this time. I didn’t flat forever to have her break again, we will continue to keep it slow, I hope to start little crossrails in late January/February. I hopr for her first small turn out at about that time as well but will re U/S before.

[3Hanns]

Rubs- I am soooooo happy for you

I knew you would get here…all that patience pays off doesn’t it :yes:

It’s so rewarding when you are back on track, and can be a team undersaddle again.

I think you are doing the right thing by re U/S before turn out, and jumping…I know you’ll have great results.

Happy Holidays, and Happy 2008!!!

[yellow_rose]

rubs that is awesome!!!

maybe in 6 mo I will be there too??? :winkgrin: until then we will just enjoy turnout !!

[pbjdressage]

Hi - I just wanted to chime in on my situation. My guy was diagnosed in May with a weakened lateral collateral ligament. He was put on tiny paddock rest and checked again in August. He was still lame and the ultrasound was slightly worse. In November we noticed that when he trotted off in the paddock that he looked good. Mid December I had the vet out to check him again and his ultrasound looked great. Vet was very pleased at his progress.

He is now being tack walked.

I will most likely not turn him out in real turn out for several months. He is the hottest horse I have ever known and he has no sense about taking care of himself. He has adjusted well to his life in the paddock so we are going to keep him there.

[Bluehorsesjp]

Congratulations Rubs!!

I am so thrilled for you. What a great christmas present!

Hopefully by this time next year the big guy and I will be standing in your shoes.

Thanks for leading the way and please keep us updated.

[system]

daughters horse has collateral ligament damage

After reading the thread, I haven’t noticed anyone mention if they thought their horse had this injury before. After our ultrasound, we were told that there was scar tissue present at his “new” injury. So we are at a point where our horse at 7 years old, has sustained this injury before, without our knowing, possibly 4 years ago and we are dealing with it again.

He is in semi stall rest, we have a small paddock around the barn, attached to his stall and we are at the 1st week off point. He is much more comfortable moving around than standing. I have considered the resurpine so we can confine him to a smaller space, but I am not seeing that this is a good idea. Does anyone have an previous experience with a reinjury? I am loosing hope, but hope to get him to comfortable walking status.

[Gunnar]

@Bluehorsesjp;2867801

Gunner
How severe was Bodies tear? Was it off of the coffin bone? You are our success story so we need to know details. Sorry if these are in another thread.

Oh and Flying my horse was a 4 out of 5 when the injury first happened. Not sound at the walk in any way shape or form. He was sound at the walk 2 weeks into stall rest, but by then we had injected the coffin joint-my first vet thought it could be ringbone from the x rays. And yes I am worried about injecting steroids into a joint that has a ligament torn off of it. Cross your fingers that I don’t get calcification.

Blue, I do not know the answer to your question. If the tear was seen on the u/s that gives some idea as to where it was located. I just do not know that myself. My knowledge is limited but I do know that the location of the tear has a great deal to do with the recovery rate.

Bodie was very lame in the beginning! After a few months and 3 SWT he was sound but he reverted back after getting loose. He was not handwalked but he did move around alot so it was not necessary.

Reserpine may help some horses. On an earlier injury Bodie got reserpine but still needed ACE to be handwalked. It did not help him much!

Time is the most important factor with this type of injury! I took a long time to be sure. 10 1/2 months of rest seems longer than any of you have described but I wanted my horse back sound, not up and down etc. I was very patient to the end!! I did buy another horse to ride at the time but she went lame too so I still had no horse to ride.

Be patient you guys! I promise it will be worth it!! :sadsmile:

[slc2]

My horse had one in a hind leg caused by an accident in turnout. He was totally sound on it after shock wave, rest, hand walking, etc, and was able to go back to work for some months.

Somehow, though healed, it must have very slightly changed the dynamics in the joint, because somehow, it allowed a tiny amount of pressure on an OCD he had in the joint since before I bought him (as a baby), causing an extremely subtle lameness - or as another vet said, it’s just possible the clock rain out on the OCD - many people feel an OCD that isn’t currently causing problems never will, but I’ve heard from several vets it is no guarantee it won’t cause a problem later. Once the OCD flared up, the prognosis was ‘grave for staying pain free for upper level work’.

The lameness was not severe- not visible but I could feel it. Eventually, he had to be retired to light work. If the OCD hadn’t been there, we would have made it. The ligament injury could not even be detected with any imaging technique after his rehabilitation.

It is not usual for a horse to recover from a serious laterlal collateral ligament injury. When my horse got hurt I asked around - it is not common for them to go back to work from a serious injury to that ligament. I do not think my horse’s injury was ‘serious’. It resulted in a barely detectable lameness that most people probably wouldn’t have investigated. If a horse comes in from pasture on 3 legs, like Boleem did, I think that’s a ‘severe ligament injury’.

Not to say it does not happen, of course it does. Yours did. But just saying you are lucky.

I would think that uneven footing, studs, jumping and galloping would be a bad idea, but each injury is different and only your vet really can give you a good indication of what you should and shouldn’t do.

I should think xrays and ultrasounds or mris to keep an eye on the condition of the ligament would be a good way to monitor it. We take baseline pictures when we get a horse and re-take them every spring, we take new pictures if a problem comes up too.

[Bluehorsesjp]

Very discouraging day today

Today my horse is at the 3 month stall rest mark.

Today he reared up got his leg over the rope and took off. I couldn’t hang on to him because of his leg being over his lead rope. He galloped through the foot of new snow we just got, through the manure pile, through the woods and finally stopped By the other horses. He is not easy to catch so there was some more running when I finally caught up with him. Probably only 10 minutes total that seemed like an eternity.

He did walk back to his stall sound. I have not jogged him and will not.
He will be aced tomorrow for his walk.

But I am so scared that he just blew whatever healing has happened. I don’t know if I should even walk him tomorrow or just leave him in his stall.

Did anyone elses horse do something so stupid? I am devastated by this escape. I have been so careful about footing and everything.

And on top of everything he is a week overdue for shoes, so that can’t have helped either.

Trying really hard not to be over dramatic. But did my horse just ruin his chances of healing from this?

[Rubs_Not_Pats]

Oh Blue, I am sorry. Hopefully it won’t be so bad. I would not go out in the future without drugs though. It is cold and said horse has pent up energy. Rubs still is ridden on sedation and it is in the 50’s here. I just can’t take the chance of her getting loose. I joke with my husband that her new drug problem is better than her old lameness one. Have faith, I think if you had damage, you would see a visible change in soundness tomorrow. I don’t think you would see it right away due to adrenalyn from our excitement today. Another thing you could think about is a chiffney, like they use on the TB’s. The grooms do the handwalking for me, as I am sure she would have killed me like two weeks in and it was over 100 degrees at that point. Don’t blame yourself, accidents happen.

[yellow_rose]

i am sorry blue … i have also been discouraged lately too

my dear sweet boy has now been put into the small paddock (out of the roundpen! wee!) and while he is so quiet in his paddock… no drugs now (but I wouldn’t hesitate if he acted goofy)… never running, not even trotting – he has gotten slightly more lame

I think it is more hoof-related than ligament related… he has a chunk of hoof missing from the toe where the injury happened & it grew out & flaked off recently… his poor hoof looks like it went through a blender I should really take a picture and show you guys

I am scared that if his hoof grows out and I put shoes back on him… if he’s still lame… what more can I do???

[SimpleSimon]

@Bluehorsesjp;2892064

Did anyone elses horse do something so stupid? I am devastated by this escape. I have been so careful about footing and everything.

…

Trying really hard not to be over dramatic. But did my horse just ruin his chances of healing from this?

My horse broke out of his stall - not once - but twice while healing from a strained (not torn) medial collateral ligament in the dip joint. One time, I came home to find him out in his field, sweaty and breathing hard…who knows how long he had been out and what exactly he did. Especially since he got in with another horse…

He is sound knocking on wood and appeared to suffer no ill effects from his galloping around.

Fast forward 6 months and we are mid-way through our under saddle rehab. Although he is now enjoying a winter break as the footing is bad enough that neither horse is being ridden right now.

So hang in there…he could be Just Fine :winkgrin:

[Bluehorsesjp]

Thanks guys,

I will let you know our soundness status tomorrow. I won’t jog him, but will cross my fingers that he is sound at the walk. And yes defiantly a bit of Ace before we go out. I will also look into Resuprine or Fluphen as well. He really has been so good up until now. But you are right Rubs, with the cold temps we have been having and having to be in all day yesterday because we didn’t get plowed until late I made an error in judgement and should have expected something like this.

I will say he looked great trotting through the snow:cry:
It was an emotionally draining day for sure.

Yellow I would put a shoe on. It could be something as simple as that. Also I think both Rubs and 3hann have noticed their horses are off when they need to be done, so having a shoe on for support might help him while he is out moving around more.

Keep us posted. And do post a picture of his hoof. I would be interested to see it.

[dancersdressagegroom]

Collateral Ligament Injury

Blue,

Don’t feel bad, my horse stayed outside during the last rain we had and her stall was deep in mud. I thought for sure I had a lame horse. So I trotted her out and guess what she looked pretty sound. Better than she had 2 months ago. I am going to have the vet recheck her in a couple of weeks.

I think this injury takes a long, long, time to heal. It is an emotional rollercoaster.

Also you may want to try using a lunge line and chain when you walk you’r horse. Then if he takes off you have a lot more line to stop him.

Dancer

[yellow_rose]

Blue I think that is a good idea — I think it may be about time to try some front shoes on him. I will be over at my vets tomorrow and will talk to them about it

tomorrow I will take a picture of the raggedy hoof

[Bluehorsesjp]

I think this injury takes a long, long, time to heal. It is an emotional rollercoaster.

Also you may want to try using a lunge line and chain when you walk you’r horse. Then if he takes off you have a lot more line to stop him.

Dancer

Thanks Dancer,
the lunge line is a good idea

[Rubs_Not_Pats]

Be careful with the lunge lines, they have a tendancy to get wrapped around things (like your hand, fingers, legs, etc) and can cause a bad accident. I’d prefer to use a double cotton braided lead with a chain. That would give you the chain and the extra length without being so long as to potentially be a problem in itself.

[Gunnar]

Oh no Blue! :sadsmile: Based on all the comments on this thread we have all been there. Bodie got away once and never again did I take him out of his pen or larger area!! Maybe once or twice to be brushed etc but always in the barn with a chain!

Hopefully your horse did not reinjure himself! I will jingle for you! :yes: :sadsmile:

Once again I will harp that time is the most important part of recovering from this type of injury! Ligaments are slow to heal! I have torn ligaments myself and am currently recovering from a torn ligament in my thumb! :sadsmile:

Good luck and keep us posted!

[kiwifruit]

I totally agree on the time will heal most injuries. My horse tore his collateral ligament and meniscus of his stifle one year ago this week. I didn’t have a confirmed diagnosis of the torn ligament until I put him on the table for surgery to confirm the torn meniscus. Needless to say, the vets at Mid Atlantic said I should put him down because of the joint instability and pain. I didn’t because I was selfish and basically pulled his shoes, put him on 24 hour turnout and let him be. At first, he was very lame, more so from the pulling of the shoes, but just last month he started to trot around the pasture and guess what, he looks pretty darn good! If he continues to improve, I’m going to take him back to Mid-Atlantic for a reevaulation. My point is time is your best friend. I did everything from extended stall rest, shock wave and even considered stem cell but the best thing that I’ve done so far is to let it go and turn him out. Best of luck.

[Bluehorsesjp]

Today I walked the escapee with 2 cc’s of Ace in his system and a chain over his nose. We only did 30 minutes, but he behaved like a perfect gentleman.

He looks sound at the walk. Maybe a little bit stiff, but I might have been looking too hard. I did not jog him to check for lameness (I was the only one here today and it is always hard to see when you are jogging the horse yourself) There has never been any swelling that I can see since the initial injury. He also does not have a pulse, which he did when he first injured himself.
As you all know with this type of injury being so deep in the hoof it is impossible to really know how the healing is progressing. So frustrating.

Hoping that I have dodged the bullet this time.

But that leads me to a question. Originally my horse was in a stall at night and a very small hospital pen. The vet said that was fine. Once it got really cold here and footing in his outside pen became frozen mud I started keeping him inside with 30-45 minutes a day of hand walking. I am thinking of building another small panel pen so he can be outside. Probably on drugs and only when I am here to bring him in if he starts to go crazy. But maybe if he got to be outside he might be a bit quieter? Happier?