My 19-yr old OTTB had SI injections. Didn’t help much. He had quite a bit of wear and tear from the track so when that didn’t help, I just did light hacks with him for a couple of years, which he enjoyed, then retired him to Virginia.
FWIW, my vet did not suggest stall rest after the injections. Just as well a this was a horse that went nuts when stalled and had lived out 24/7 since I got him at age 6. And yes, we trailered home as they prefer to inject at the clinic.
My horse is usually quiet but when I had him on “pen” rest before he did start to get rowdy. So we will see. I’m confident we can get at least 3 or 4 stays of full confinement but we will see if we can safely last the full 7 
I’m remembering now that when my other horse got his SI done, that he must have been on stall rest for at least a few days and then he he kicked the metal pipe in his run and fractured his splint bone. So he was on stall rest for quite some time after that… But he did feel great once he was actually back into work lol. We will never fully know if it was the rest or the injection though! But to my knowledge he never needed it done again…
Your comment got me thinking. My horse was mildly sore behind in his stifles and very mildly sore in his back and SI. I was surprised because a month ago my other vet got no results at all on flexions.
But I did have a lesson the day before (with 10 minutes of warmup with the equiband ) and about an hour after he had a farrier appointment. Then the next day we had to haul to the vet about 17 minutes away.
I’m glad that we inject the SI as I think it needed to be done but looking back I’m glad we didn’t elect to do anything else… Because I don’t know how true of a picture we were really getting given the situation. The vet did tell me that in about a month she would be willing to give Estrone a try if his stifles still seem sticky . Although my hope would be that the SI injection will kind of unlock things and help EVERYTHING feel good. Everybody that sees him keeps commenting on how good his muscle and is looking and how we are obviously on the right track. I just want him to be as close to 100% as I can get him.
Of course my vet was really happy with his feet and said it was like a 180 in his comfort level foot wise. I only have to laugh because my farrier is trying to weed out coming as far south anymore so eventually I’ll be farrier shopping 
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Apparently not! From what he said, the SI injection wouldn’t really do anything for a couple weeks anyway. None of the vets near me do the SI injection in the field since it is ultrasound guided (I assume field ultrasound equipment exists and they just don’t have it?)
I honestly feel better about having it done in the clinic in the special injection room and 30 mins of scrubbing down the horse over a drain vs our “perfectly fine but very dusty” dirt aisle in the barn (no wash rack either).
My horse also had several areas of muscle injected with sarapin simultaneous to his SI injection and starting the next day, his whole haunch was jiggly and loose like it had never been before, so the 1 hour trailer ride didn’t impact the effectiveness of those injections as far as I can tell.
Yes this vet wanted it to be done in a more sterile environment and they also put him in a stock just for extra security (He was sedated but this was just to make it even easier.)
I cant find any vet around here who will do it on the farm. I have to go to bigger hospital vets to have the SI injected.
Yup, my vet practice is outfitted with ultrasound equipment that can be used out in the field. They will do just about any injection including neck injections out in the field. But every practice is different, and also has different thresholds for risk to their equipment/vet staff.
My vet’s comment was so casual, but it was one of those remarks that has lived rent free in my head ever since. I will definitely note that last spring I brought a horse to a 3-day that was 2 hours away and I trucked in each day. He was spent by the end. He is a Thoroughbred and even then, had no gas the last leg of the XC which is very unlike him. I felt sorry I put him through that, lesson learned!
Well mine was not gassed enough from his 2 hours of trailer riding on his clinic day to not complain loudly and dramatically about being stuck inside while his friends were out 
I do feel like he used to be totally depleted after a show weekend an hour away (we stay overnight at shows) but the last couple years I think he’s gotten used to it enough that he doesn’t come home drained. Funny because he was definitely working less hard at training level dressage than third.
I know our regular vets do ultrasounds for suspensories and such in the field. Is it a different machine for the SI? Bigger? Otherwise I’m not entirely sure why they’re only done in the clinic when hock/stifle injections are regularly done in the field.
Same. I’m not sure the rationale. Maybe the depth/strength of ultrasound needed is not one they have for ambulatory visits? I know she has one for tendons, etc. she uses on site.
The one vet that told me he wouldn’t do it has a full hospital setup and he said it just wasn’t something he handles.
Moreso the needle - it is huge and very long.
Yeah my understanding is it’s about the needle. I know the vet that did my horse definitely took her time doing the ultrasound and seemed pretty meticulous about where she was going to be injecting.
My horse feels good and soft when I palpate him. 
mmmm yes, it was a large needle. There were also 4 vet techs fluttering around doing things and my field vet never travels with such an entourage 
Glad he’s jiggly! It really did take 2.5 weeks to feel the difference from the injection under saddle in our case. Ten days in, he was still protesting left lead canter by bucking a bit and it still felt like his left hind was trying to be somewhere else. It took a lot of effort from me to hold him together in canter. A week later and we were uphill, floating through left lead canter, and all his legs felt squarely under him without any effort from me to organize his body.
tldr; give it 3 weeks before deciding if it worked or not
It’s a HUGE needle. I felt much more comfortable doing it a clinic where everything was immaculate and the vets had what they needed.
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