Recurrent Tendon Injury

[Louisthekingv]

I purchased a 5 year old jumper April 2021 and imported him May. End of May 2021 I reached out to the breeder (not who I purchased him from) to inquire about his history. She said she had sold him October 2020 because he had torn the superficial tendon on both front legs. I had the vet out to ultrasound and all looked good. A month later, June 2021, we do a recheck and it’s reinjured. The vets best guess is that it was not rehabbed correctly and/or not fully healed.

I spend the next year rehabbing him. Starting with hand walks for months, then walking under saddle, trotting, finally to cantering. He’s up to 15/20 minutes trotting and 12/15 minutes cantering (all flat work) and he tears it again in the same spot Aug 2022. Smaller this time.

The vet is now concerned there is an underlying issue leading to these tears. I would love to hear from the hive mind on where to go from here. Do I cut my losses now? Send him to pasture for a year and try again later? Try a dedicated rehab place?

We never even got back to jumping before this happened. He has been confined to the stall with the exception of his rides. Do I try again someplace he has more movement (small paddock vs stall)? I have been trying to Google search the prevalence of chronic tendon issues without much luck.

My heart hurts to think of selling him but I realistically cannot own another horse and put him into rehab at the same time. I could maybe do a lease if I chose the pasture route (not a dedicated rehab facility). At this point I think his best bet eventually would be to find a non-jumping home which is not my focus either, although we did dabble in dressage and he would make a lovely dressage horse if he stayed sound. I also want to make sure he finds a soft landing and has a shot of doing something later.

[Peggy]

A friend’s horse who kept re-injuring a front tendon turned out to have adhesions between that tendon and some other structure. One was supposed to slide over the other, but couldn’t bc they were attached via the adhesion. Diagnosed by doing ultrasound while manipulating the leg. Treatment, IIRC, was injection with cortisone followed by some months of walking on hard ground three times a day. This was also a young horse, maybe a year or two younger than the OP’s. Never bothered him again.

I’d be tempted to turn the horse out in the OP’s situation.

[IPEsq]

This might be time for MRI to see if there’s something going on that would be helped by surgery. But I’ve also known horses who almost make it through rehab several times but never can quite keep going, and not for lack of care or management.

[sara78]

Yes i also had one liké this but was hind suspensory, i did everythibg i could, took Time etc but kept reinjuring every Time i started trot work again. There are horses that unfortunatly do not Come sound, i am not saying that it IS your case but do not think it IS your faut if hé does not Come back as before. Good Luck with your horse

[Louisthekingv]

Thanks all for the replies. I put him into a 24x24 and he gets a hand walk once a day. I plan to have him re-ultrasound in February to see how things look.