Rehab program after colic surgery

[DPT2013]

My horse had colic surgery on Sept 7. In the discharge notes they told us to follow the typical 30/30/30 program (30 day stall rest, 30 day round pen turnout, 30 day normal turnout). Technically 30 day “normal” turnout should have started last week, but since our round pen is larger than most (it’s really a rehab paddock) and he can go in and out of his stall to it as he pleases throughout the day, we haven’t put him back in a big pasture with buddies.

The vet was out two weeks ago and said she didn’t need to come back out before we start riding him as long as we didn’t have any concerns. My hope is to start riding him mid Dec. My question is, what does that rehab plan looks like? The hospital gave no suggestions and didn’t respond to my email about it. I’m a very detail oriented number person. Dr. Google says to do every other day, but that’s the only consensus I could find. Anyone have any rehab plans that they have used? How long to walk for (minutes and days)? How to add trot (how many minutes per set, etc)? Canter? How many months to add in jumps?

We’ve never had to rehab from anything prior to this (thankfully) so I’m a very worried newbie that wants to do the right thing!

[CFFarm]

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?444130-Conditioning-After-Colic-Surgery

[gumtree]

There’s different “types” of colic surgery. So IMO and experiance it depends on how much they “cut”, resectioned if that was part of the procedure.

90 days should have been plenty of time for things to completely heal up.

Not sure what hand walking will bring to the table at this point. The horse has been turned out right? Most turned out horses are going to get pretty rambunctious at times. If things were going to to go south they would have.

[2tempe]

I’ve posted my process on other threads and the details get fuzzy over time, but:
My vet recommended to work every other day for the first couple weeks then more frequent rides.

Note, as in the other thread: you can do some things to make it interesting: in ring, out of ring, a little lateral work. And in the walk time, be serious about the walk, no ambling along, but a nice marching walk

[DPT2013]

[QUOTE=gumtree;8937929]
There’s different “types” of colic surgery. So IMO and experiance it depends on how much they “cut”, resectioned if that was part of the procedure.

90 days should have been plenty of time for things to completely heal up.

Not sure what hand walking will bring to the table at this point. The horse has been turned out right? Most turned out horses are going to get pretty rambunctious at times. If things were going to to go south they would have.[/QUOTE]

Not sure where you see anything about hand walking? Yes he has been turned out in a small paddock alone. He had an epiploic foremen entrapment without resection. The surgeon gave him a 50/50 chance for a 60 days survival. It’s been about 68 days and I think things can still “go south” so I want to do the right thing.

[LovieBird]

I just went through colic surgery (minor impaction and dislocation) with mine this past February! Like you, I did not get a detailed schedule as to how he should be brought back.

I did the 30/30/30 schedule, but during the last month, I started hand walking him for short periods of time, gradually adding in some bending circles, walking over poles and around the property up small hills. I also did carrot stretches with him. I finally felt comfortable to ride him after an extra month.

We just started out doing 20 minute walk sessions, gradually building up to bending and walking on varying terrain before adding in trotting. We were schooling at the Novice eventing level before his surgery, so my goal was to bring him up to 3x 5 minute trot sets and 3x 3 minute canter sets with 2 minute rests in between each set. I just built him up to the 3 5 minute trot sets first and let him stay there for awhile then I added in the cantering a minute or so at a time.

After he was up to the 3x 5 minute trot sets and 3x 3 minute canter sets, we started doing small (about 2’) jumps

I had alot of people along the way tell me I was taking it too slow- after almost losing my guy I don’t care what anyone says. I had to do the right thing for my horse.

This is probably way more than you wanted to know, but I feel like I was in a similar situation and could not find any concrete answers.