I don’t think the aftercare in itself is a HUGE deal, but I’ve run across my fair share of barns that do NOT want to manage it - meaning, they’ll charge out the wazoo for aftercare, and they’ll fight the “special needs” like haynets & food on the ground. Lots of barns do not want to do haynets. Lots of barns don’t want ‘special exceptions’ – even when, in a tieback-surgery-candidate’s case, the exception is very much legitimate.
I think when it is done young, it’s much more successful.
Haynets are an odd requirement…most of my horses are given haynets except the ones with the recent surgery…they get their hay on the ground.
I’m sure lots of barns don’t want special exceptions…but good competition barns shouldn’t have any issue. A horse with tie back surgery is really no where near as much trouble as when you have horses competing at FEI level of competition. So farms used to dealing with that level of horse generally don’t have any issue with making a few changings for a horse who had tie back surgery. And the barns I knew with high level show hunters were very accustom to higher maintenance horses…and wouldn’t find it any issue. But I could totally see it being an issue in other locations…just depends.
I am very lucky that I (1) board in a place that is better at coddling special snowflakes than any place I have ever seen and (2) I also have my own place where I can coddle them myself.
But that being said, I’m not going forward with it. I just can’t. He’s a terrific horse for SOMEONE but not me. Appreciate all the comments/experiences.
I have a horse who has had 2 surgeries. The first was a tieback done at a major vet hospital — but the tieback failed. So I had another large animal hospital do laser surgery and that cannot fail because the offending side is no longer there.
I did my own “aftercare” and there was nothing special that had to be done (no shots or syringing meds or wrapping). The main thing was that he was not allowed to breath deeply for 6? weeks. After the first several weeks I tranq’ed him lightly and turned him out in a round pen.
Yes, there are certain “rules” which have to be followed, but nothing hard to accommodate. After the 2nd surgery and recovery he is fine for hunters and dressage, but x/c at prelim and above is too strenuous for him.
MAKE sure you use a vet who has done hundreds of throat surgeries; a local vet can really botch it. Vets near major race tracks usually have a lot of experience.
All that said, I would not buy a horse with a breathing problem. I was lucky that he has not inhaled food or gotten pneumonia; both things can happen. I bought my horse when he was a weanling, so there was no hint he was a roarer. Fortunately, he has a life time home here, so I do not have to worry about selling him.
I know you said he’s out of consideration, but in short, yes I would absolutely consider this horse.
Ive had multiple with tie both before and after I bought. If it was the right price, I’d do it again.
I friend had a very nice QH (think HUS build not bulldog) who she had the tie-back done when he was around 8 or 9 years old. He did well with the recovery and it worked very well for him. She still has him and he is essentially retired due to arthritis but he is 25 or 26 years old.
Once he healed his aftercare was easy: no swimming, no hand fed treats, hay on the ground in his stall. I am pretty sure his grain was in a corner feeder not on the ground. No haynet in the trailer. So either no hay or manger bags.
For this horse he not only had the audible breathing but was starting to have breathing issues when it was hot and humid. He just had a tough time catching his breath. I think one side was totally paralyzed. It had progressed over a couple of years before she got him the surgery. For him it was a quality of life improvement. Without the surgery he would have been okay as a walk only trail horse for the summer and w/t when it wasn’t humid.
He was naturally an anxious horse so he wasn’t an easy keeper but he was not a hard keeper either. The surgery didn’t change that. Both before and after the surgery he had a nice topline and he never developed allergies. She moved him to a different facility about 10 years ago with a ton of grass and she didn’t ride as much due to having a young child. I know that as he became older he became an easy keeper. I think there were a few summers he needed a muzzle.
Roaring is simply not a sound…so “going to a discipline where it doesnt matter” is not really an answer…unless its doing very little work.
My gelding was a roarer when I bought him…he was 10 or 11 then. Perfect for me in every single way, except, he was a roarer. I bought him and had the surgery while I was out on maternity leave. It was not a big deal. No gross incision or drainage. Stall rest for 6 weeks and gradually working up to small amounts of work. He had the added benefit of a longer vacation than required because I had just had a kid myself.
That was 5 years ago. He still eats on the ground (which I think is healthier anyway) but he has never had any problem since. My gelding was a grade 4 and was LOUD, but more than that it is a breathing impairment. Judges consider it an unsoundness, which is why you are dinged for it.
My horse had his left vocal cord removed and his left flap tied back. He can still whinny just fine.
Tie back is not a cosmetic issue, it is a quality of life issue. Think of horses out on a field…if they get to running and acting silly…think of the lung capacity needed for that.
For my guy, I am glad I did it and it greatly improved his quality of life. Would I go through it all again, for the right horse, sure.
I’ve had several that have had tiebacks done (some while I owned them) and have known many more. Don’t know where all these bad experiences are coming from because I know many, many good outcomes – no special hay/grain management, no coughing, treated like a normal horse once two months post-op. Most compete at a much higher level (eventing) after it’s done and I’ve never known a single one to have to have the surgery re-done (though, failure is a risk).
Aftercare was simple. Monitor tracheotomy hole and sutures. Keep horse in low-dust environment. 6 weeks off work. None of these should be difficult tasks for any barn with decent management.
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