Tie- back surgery for the Grand Prix dressage horse?

[Helicon]

If you have had a tie-back done on your dressage horse, can you share your story?
Why did you decide to do it?
Was there any improvement in your horse’s performance afterward?
Was it worth it to you, and do you feel it was a kindness to your horse to have it done?

I brought my horse in for a stomach scope and got a surprise when the internal medicine veterinarian remarked that he seemed to be a grade IV roarer. He waited until the sedation abated and rechecked with the surgeon observing and they agreed he was a grade IV (no movement on the left side). They want me to bring him back for a dynamic scope.

He does make a slight noise sometimes when warming up or in canter, but since it was mild I never pursued diagnostics. I did not connect that it could be the reason that this horse is difficult to keep in front of the leg, especially in the canter. I have owned this horse for six years and I adore him. He has a good character and is honest. We moved up to Grand Prix last fall. Keeping his energy up has been the hardest part of our journey. Now of course I am wondering if the surgery will make the work easier for him.

Thank you for reading. I’d love to hear your success story, and if it wasn’t a success, please educate me on the drawbacks you encountered.

[iberianfan]

Unfortunately, I can’t speak to before/after surgery, but I bought a horse that had it done. He was confirmed PSG and doing some GP movements. I can just say we had no difficulties with his breathing. Sorry, I know you are looking for more. To clarify: it was done years prior to my purchasing him.

[2tempe]

Old thread may be helpful: https://forum.chronofhorse.com/t/tieback-surgery-tell-me-everything/393717; Failed tie back surgery?

[Helicon]

Thank you 2Tempe I did read all the old threads but I was still hoping to hear more from someone who had to have it done for an actively working/competitive horse and their before and after observations.

[Helicon]

Thank you Iberianfan good to hear!

[2DogsFarm]

No personal experience, but 2 friends have had the procedure done.
1 on a young (4) Belgian, part of a Show Hitch.
Another on an older (9?) Standardbred Pleasure Driving horse.
Both done at a local vet college using a newer procedure.
I don’t have details of what changed in the surgeries, but both horses are doing great.
Belgian had his recheck about a month ago & is back to work.
STB is due for the recheck soon - surgery ~6wks ago.

[Dbliron]

Before and after were radically different. Horse was Fourth Level, and just incredibly hard to keep in front of the leg. After surgery everything changed. He was no longer hypoxic, so work because SO much easier, and he was happy to work. He hadn’t made much noise either, nothing at all like some horses, but canter work was really tough, he’d just fall out from under me about 2 minutes in. The surgery was worth the stress and the worry - the horse was just so much improved afterwards.

[Helicon]

Dbliron - Thank you so much this is exactly what I was hoping to hear. Thank you thank you thank you!

[Sue_B]

I personally know of a bnt who, over the years, had 2 of her horses done. Made all the difference in the world for each of them. Well worth it. I myself owned a horse who had a tie-back, but it was done before I got him.

[src13]

I had it done on my draft x low level dressage horse in August. It ended up failing. First one my vet had seen fail, and first one the surgeon said he had seen fail in several years. Horse ended up having paralysis on both sides - if yours is just a Grade IV on one side and you work very hard to get him fit, I’d consider doing it. Even when it failed, my horse did improve in slightly terms of energy and fitness, so in the unlikely event that your tie back failed, you could likely continue on and be fine. I’d have a long conversation with my vet and potential surgeon (someone experienced in upper airway surgery) about the risk/reward of it. If you’re in the northeast and have the ability to go to New Bolton, I would highly encourage it. Feel free to PM me, I went through a lot of research/thinking about this not too long ago.

[Helicon]

Arc13 - Thank you for sharing your experience. When you say it failed, does that mean the stitches did not hold? Does you horse still need special feeding arrangements and is he coping with that part okay ? Did you have it done standing or under general anaesthesia?

[joiedevie99]

Yes. Grade 3+ roarer on dynamic scope. Doing GP. I can’t say he was ever bothered by it, but potential purchasers were. We took him in for a ventriculocordectomy. Easy procedure with a 1/2 day hospital stay. Noise is certainly reduced, and he had no complications or limitations/diet changes after. If the new owner thinks there are issues, he can still go in for a tie-back in the future.

[Helicon]

Joiedevie - Thank you! A ventriculocordectomy treats the sound only, if I remember right? I am surprised the vet did not want to get it all done at once. I assume that’s because the horse had no energy issues? It sounds like it is much less invasive procedure. Were they able to do it standing?

[src13]

We did it standing. Dr. Adams at Leesburg did the surgery. Failed meaning the stitches came undone and the flap was no longer tied back. I understand some vets will laser off the flap rather than tying it back, which may have better success. When the tie back failed, my regular vet said we could go back to his routine before (aka not as strict with feeding on the ground/soaked hay). My horse ended up having paralysis on both sides and on the advice of both Leesburg and New Bolton, we ended up doing a permanent tracheostomy. If your horse has been competing at/training Grand Prix and your vet feels comfortable, I’d have no problem doing the surgery. It’s highly unlikely it fails and it’s an incredibly routine surgery. I knew someone who evented a horse through intermediate with a failed tie back but I think she’d bought him with the failed tie back.

[Helicon]

Sue B - thank you so much for the success stories. When you say it made a world of difference, what performance issues were the horses having before the surgery?

[Sue_B]

All of them were having endurance troubles. So, the gp horses were losing energy and spark by the end of the test no matter how much fitness work they did with them. In succession, those two horses helped turn a local trainer into a bnt.
My own horse had a double tie-back so he could actually breathe and live a “normal” life. He was a son of a very famous triple crown winner who couldn’t race due to his breathing problems. After the tie-back, the owners put him in training with an eventer trainer. When that failed (due to reasons not related to his roaring) he was given to me. Once I got his gutteral pouch infection cleared up, the soft roaring he did went away and he went on to be a very normal horse that I could gallop, jump and do dressage on. The only way you could tell he’d had surgery was by his hoarse whinny.

[joiedevie99]

@Helicon

A ventriculocordectomy treats the sound only, if I remember right? I am surprised the vet did not want to get it all done at once. I assume that’s because the horse had no energy issues? It sounds like it is much less invasive procedure. Were they able to do it standing?

Yes, standing. Vet felt it would give a 30-50% improvement in air flow in addition to sound help. Doing the whole thing at once seemed unnecessary given the lack of symptoms and the much greater risk of complications and lifestyle changes.