Prognosis for horse with torn meniscus to return to eventing?

[JustFive]

My daughters 6 y.o. TBX tore his lateral meniscus in April. It was planned for him to go training at the end of this season. He was stall rested for 2 1/2 months and is now turned out by himself in a small grass paddock. The vet hospital didn't give us a cheery outlook for recovery. The horse still is off at the trot and canter most of the time. He is a big guy, 17.1, but he is still young and a fairly quiet temperament. We know that this could take a full year to see how much he will be able to do. Does anyone have a positive recovery story and have a horse that was able to event again?

[bornfreenowexpensive]

my personal experience is not cherry at all.....

That said, I did hear of a few success stories. Most were not full tears.

It is a real tough one. You should post a thread in Horse care. You may get more responses.

[WldnHrseCrzy03]

I don't have a recovery story for you unfortunately. I just wanted to say that I know how you are feeling and can sympathize. My 8 year old OTTB just recently started having some issues with his right stifle and after almost $800 in vet bills, we still don't know what's going on. We know he has some arthritis so we are seeing if a joint injection helps. But if it doesn't, the vet said it might be a torn meniscus or something with his upper suspensory. <sigh>

So my horse's eventing career is up in the air. . . :(

[CANTEREOIN]

Have you had arthroscopy surgery to confirm tear and extent of tear? I understand that it all depends on how extensive the tear is. Minor tear can be rehabbed and the horse could continue to have a useful life. .

I had a horse that had bilateral arthroscopic surgery to diagnose a stifle condition. The vet, Dr Rick Mitchell of Fairfield Equine in Newtown Ct (of the Bejing Olympic fame), was the consulting vet.

You may want to email them and ask, I'm sure they have an opinion. Or do a google search.

[yellowbritches]

Unfortunately, mine is not cheery either. One of our horses did this a little over two years ago. He DID initially come sound and started jumping (but at a lower level than pre-injury) but an unrelated injury put him on stall rest again for several months. THAT injury healed very well and no longer bothers him, but as we started to put him back in work again, it was apparent the stifle was in bad shape again, and will be. He is retired now. :cry:

[JustFive]

The Woodford Equine Hospital in Lexington did ultrasounds and xrays. After some nerve blocks, they said that arthroscopic surgery was not an option for this injury and that it was simply time that would make improvement if at all. We spent a lot of money to purchase him unfortunately. He was insured for everything but loss of use (wouldn't you know).

[bornfreenowexpensive]

The Woodford Equine Hospital in Lexington did ultrasounds and xrays. After some nerve blocks, they said that arthroscopic surgery was not an option for this injury and that it was simply time that would make improvement if at all. We spent a lot of money to purchase him unfortunately. He was insured for everything but loss of use (wouldn't you know).


Not that it is any comfort. But my guy was only 7.....I ended up having to put him down. He was a grade 4/5 and was only going to get worse with time. It was an extremely difficult decision but the right one for him. Fingers crossed that your guy will make enough of a recovery to have a useful life even if it is not as an event horse. Not the easiest of life lessons, but he will still teach your daughter some important things even if it isn't eventing. Sorry that you are having to go through this. Horses are wonderful....but they can be such heart breakers.

[CANTEREOIN]

The Woodford Equine Hospital in Lexington did ultrasounds and xrays. After some nerve blocks, they said that arthroscopic surgery was not an option for this injury and that it was simply time that would make improvement if at all. We spent a lot of money to purchase him unfortunately. He was insured for everything but loss of use (wouldn't you know).

Ok, not to jump the gun or to be morbid... but you may still have a mortality claim if you have to euthanize because of complications in the rehab process.

My horse had a torn caudal cruciate ligament that the vets wanted me to rehab. The vets said that if during the rehab period, the horse developed arthritis or had some other complications, they could file a claim stating that he had to be euthanized because of the pain (crippling pain).

Ultimately, I made the decision not to wait (since prognosis was poor that he could be pasture sound/safe) through a rehab just to possibly submit a claim under my mortality coverage.

It is complicated but not impossible or improbable.

[Sherri]

Hi - I am currently going through the same thing. I have a 6yo Standardbred mare that I broke to saddle a little over a year ago.

This past June she was dead lame. We brought her to the vet ( a very well respected lameness vet that has been to the olympics and also deals with race horses).

He xray'd her and ultrasounded her. She has a torn meniscus on her left hind. She has had 6 weeks of in stall, then 6 weeks of hand walking 2x a day for 15 minutes and then turnout in a flat pasture by herself.

I just took her for another ultrasound on Monday and he was less than enthusiastic with the prognosis this time and my results were devistating to me.

His answer to me was that these type of injuries do not tend to just heal. He also said that surgery is not an option (even though I have insurance). There is nothing that can "sew or glue" the meniscus back together and in their experience, surgery hurts more than it helps. The motion of the leg and the horse getting up and down is detrimental if they have surgery.

My mare looks great in the pasture but when I sit on her, that knee gives out and cannot support the weight. Eventually, she may be able to learn to accommodate me riding her. But we still have to wait another 4-6 months to find out.

For those that have posted about ligament damage and putting their horses down - where I ride, we rescue horses and specialize in "fixing" damaged horses and we have had horses with torn stifles/ligaments etc... that because we did the correct exercises and injections these horses go on to lead extroadinary lives. We had one horse they wanted to put down and at 24 she competed in a 25 mile distance ride and did amazing. We do not give up and use Jean Luc Cornille for advice and he has helped almost all our horses.

That being said. I am beside myself trying to figure out how we can try fix my horse. I have found a type of rear knee boot that goes around the horses back like a pair of suspenders and we are going to try putting magnets on the bad knee to see if perhaps it will somehow help heal the area.

I dont think Ive stopped crying since my visit on Monday. I welcome any information as well. :cry:

[Quinn]

Sherri I just wanted to send big hugs to you and jingles and best wishes. I too am a "whatever it takes" kind of person and that's not always a good thing. That said however, I still respect your views and truly hope for the best for you and your mare.

http://community.webshots.com/user/ballyduff

[Sherri]

Sherri I just wanted to send big hugs to you and jingles and best wishes. I too am a "whatever it takes" kind of person and that's not always a good thing. That said however, I still respect your views and truly hope for the best for you and your mare.

http://community.webshots.com/user/ballyduff

Thanks Quinn. I too respect everyones views but want people to know they dont have to give up and to fight with all they have.

I just wish this injury was one I could adapt that mentality to. Im running into brick walls every where I turn. She is my first horse and I cannot afford another. She's all Ive got. :(

Thank you for the hugs.

[Eventingjunkie]

My daughters 6 y.o. TBX tore his lateral meniscus in April. He was stall rested for 2 1/2 months and is now turned out by himself in a small grass paddock. The horse still is off at the trot and canter most of the time. We know that this could take a full year to see how much he will be able to do. Does anyone have a positive recovery story and have a horse that was able to event again?


My daughter's horse didn't have a meniscus injury, but had a very positive outcome from a lacerated tendon. He was able to have surgery, but was given less than a 50% chance of recovering to be comfortable enough to walk/trot/canter out in the field. The horse was on stall rest for a year and almost four months of walk rehab. Fourteen months after the injury he was competing very successfully at Training Level, qualifying for the AEC's (unfortunately he had a mistep and is back on stall rest for the next six weeks).

The key to recovery was the stall rest and waiting for the vet to say when to let him get back to work. We had ultrasounds every two months letting us know how well he was healing. He seemed sound almost right away, but if we had turned him out or ridden him, the injury could have become unreparable.

Talk to your vet, but 2 1/2 months seems early to be turning the horse out at all, and trotting and cantering at this stage could do even more damage. Ultrasounds are very helpful in diagnosing your horses stage of recovery...put your insurance to work and have your vet come out regularly to check things out. Resist the temptation to work the horse too soon.

Good luck with the recovery, injuries like this often result in incredible bonding between horse and child. My daughter sheds tears of joy every time she rides cross country on her wonderful horse.

[CANTEREOIN]

[QUOTE=Sherri;3540839]For those that have posted about ligament damage and putting their horses down - where I ride, we rescue horses and specialize in "fixing" damaged horses and we have had horses with torn stifles/ligaments etc... that because we did the correct exercises and injections these horses go on to lead extroadinary lives. We do not give up and use Jean Luc Cornille for advice and he has helped almost all our horses. QUOTE]


Sherri, I feel for you and hope it all works out for you... I really, really understand what you're going through.

Please don't judge those of us who chose to euthanize our horses rather than rehabbing before you know the specifics of the situation. Sometimes euthanasia is the kindest thing to do. I checked with two of the top vets in the country and one of the top vets locally about my horse's case. I did the right thing for him.

[San Pellegrino]

CANTEREOIN is right about the arthroscopic surgery.

Coming from a biomechanical perspective the meniscus are the shock absorbers of the knee. In humans when there is a tear rarely do they "heal" spontaneously. They do not have sufficient vasculature for repair and the ligament structure that holds the meniscus to the bone can sometimes be torn and cause similar symptoms - rarely regenerates as well. Unfortunately, in humans a tear will cause "catching" and "locking" of the knee, and in horses can seriously cause problems. I would never feel confident his leg wouldn't fall out from under him one day with a sustained injury. In humans we can "unload" the limbs to allow for appropriate rest and decompression of the joints and horses cannot.

Ideally I would say returning him to work that increases the wear and tear on the joints will increase the injury and exacerbate his problems. I'm not sure on the research but a repair might be necessary to have him return to work if possible. I wouldn't hold out too much hope for it to "heal" on it own since it cannot nourish itself and avoid constant biomechanical stressors. :(

Do some research (Google - Scholar is ideal). I'm sure they have options for you, if you can financially afford, them to determine the extent of his injury as well as possible solutions.

[purplnurpl]

this thread is a heart breaker and I would just like to extend my heartfelt hugs to JustFive.

[gottagrey]

Several years ago my horse had torn his cruciate stifle ligament. Initially we did very little in terms of diagnostics as vet was certain of injury. Put on stall rest for several months; healed enough to a point where he could be turned out and no longer cantering on 3 legs. Then we determined to just let him be for about 6 mos to a year. Fortunately or unfortunately, I worked part-time at a tack shop and during quiet moments I would read up on the injury in the various VET/Lameness books in the store. Most pretty much confirmed what I'd feared but was in denial about. We took him to Morven Park for further evaluation - I think I got out with a record "low" fee as once the initial ultrasound was done, nothing else needed to be done as the diagnosis was pretty obvious. My horse's particular injury was not really going to get better, might not get worse. Surgery was given to me as an option but at that time the success rate was barely 50/50 chance of improvement so I opted to retire him. Now my situation was about 7-8 years ago and it could be that surgery has improved things dramatically.

From my experience it seems that a ligament injury of the stifle is just not good news. I did not insure my horse for loss of use either; but I did end up finding him a place in a University program where he could live out his days. That sad that can also be a very very difficult decision - and one has to be prepared for that when making a decision to donate a horse to a vet school. While it was a difficult decision for me to donate him, knowing that the study of his injury might help other horses w/ similar injuries in the future gave me some solice.

My heart goes out to you and your daughter and I do wish and hope your horse makes a full recovery.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

For those that have posted about ligament damage and putting their horses down - where I ride, we rescue horses and specialize in "fixing" damaged horses and we have had horses with torn stifles/ligaments etc... that because we did the correct exercises and injections these horses go on to lead extroadinary lives. We had one horse they wanted to put down and at 24 she competed in a 25 mile distance ride and did amazing. We do not give up and use Jean Luc Cornille for advice and he has helped almost all our horses.

That being said. I am beside myself trying to figure out how we can try fix my horse. I have found a type of rear knee boot that goes around the horses back like a pair of suspenders and we are going to try putting magnets on the bad knee to see if perhaps it will somehow help heal the area.

I dont think Ive stopped crying since my visit on Monday. I welcome any information as well. :cry:


My horse fully tore the meniscus in his stifle. He already had significant arthritis in the stifles and hocks....as a 7 year old. This indicated to my vets that he had probably had a partial tear for some time (probably racing on it). He was never 100% sound when I got him off the track (had won over 100K in only 4 races over 2 years....that should have been a red flag for me but he needed to be saved). I had tried everything with several of the top vets in the county, including those at New Bolton. I had already resigned my self that he was only going to be a trail horse or pasture puff and I was fine with that. He was a very neat horse. But then he came in from the field with the full tear.... We tried to see if we could get him pasturn sound at least....but even on significant amounts of bute and some time with the rehab, he was a grade 4/5.....walking lame. That is VERY lame. Given his already advanced arthritis, according to the vets, he was only going to get worse and in more pain with time. I spoke two respected rescue organizations and both told me that in this situation, they also thought that putting him down was the right choice for this horse. It was still a hard thing to do.....but I know it was better to not let him suffer. He was a very stoic horse and a cool one (had a really noble air about him that really attracted people to him) and I really loved him (he really got under my skin).....but I made the decision for him, not me.

I do not envy anyone having to face those choices. Every case is different....put putting a horse down isn't always the wrong choice. I hope that in the OPs case, they will not have to make that choice.....but these can be very serious injuries. I have heard of a few success cases were the horses did recover enough to have a good life (especially the ones that had surgery...and NO other complications)....and many that were only pasture sound.....and some, like my guy, where the right choice was fairly clear.

Horses need to live like horses.....and when we are responsible for them, that means some times making a very hard decision. I hope that some one will some day make that decision for me as well.

[Derid]

I can provide you with a little hope........

My mare, Clio, now 7 yrs, tore her left medial meniscus and associate cruciate ligament as a 5 year old. It took us 9-months to confirm the diagnosis. She had slight changes in her hock and the vet school and subsequent graduates of that university refused to believe the problem was in the stifle. Finally, I got smart and took her up to someone that specialized in lameness only! Again, worked for our Olympic team in Sidney. He diagnosed and began shock-wave therapy immediately. The idea is that scar tissue will develop over/on the tears. Three treatments, 3 weeks apart, stall rest, stall rest, hand-walking. Three weeks after the final treatment she went out into a small paddock by herself. I bred her and turned her out with my other two broodmares. She delivered a spectacular foal in July 08 by Rapture R.

I have not ridden her since the injury was diagnosed, but she is definitely moving freely in the field with the other mares and foals. She never did show obvious lameness at the canter or walk, only at the trot and especially when she made the downward transition to walk. Now, during periods of extended trot, working trot in the field there is no sign of weakness. However, occasionally I will see her take a few short steps prior to the transition to walk. But, nothing like before. I've since moved across the country, but I do plan to have her ultrasounded after weaning the colt in a couple of months.

Do I have hope that she will return to her former potential --- of course, but I don't think this will happen. Lower level dressage, trail riding, I'm keeping my fingers-crossed that this will happen. If not, she is very happy being a mom, and my Clio is still lovely and everyones favorite........

Good luck and I hope this helps a bit.

[Duramax]

A student's horse tore hers in July of last year. They treated it successfully and she went to her first event in August. They did IRAP & Shockwave on it.

[gottagrey]

I wanted to add that when my horse tore his cruciate ligament he was on 3 legs. It sounds like from some of the other posters that the injury may have been more vague in presentation. Mine was quite obvious right off the bat. And again, my horse's injury was 7-8 years ago and I think they had some success w/ shock wave therapy but surgery was still touch and go - and probably dependant on the degree/size of tear.

Again, my best wishes to you and your daughter, and of course the horse

[CANTEREOIN]

There is a big difference between a torn meniscus and torn ligaments in the knee. Rehabbing a torn meniscus could be possible if the tear is small and the flap does not interfere with the joint.

Arthroscopic surgery can absolutely tell you the extent of the tear and can clean up the joint. Read San Pelligrino's post. He/She is right on when it comes to this injury.

A complete tear of one of the ligaments in the knee can't be repaired... again read San Pelligrino's post. The knee is a major weight bearing part of the limb. It can not be immobile. If a repair was done and could get to the point of movement again, a reinjury would destroy the limb. (I'd have to pull out all of my research to give you the specifics but if you do a google search... you will find the same information). A partial tear is an accident waiting to happen... but may take years if the tear is minor.

I would want to know as much as I could about the extent of the injury so that whatever path I chose to take - rehab, pasture pet or euthanasia - is decision made fully informed.

[Sancudo]

My sister's eventer is going through this. He's being Irapped and stall rested.

He was never 3 legged, walked and cantered fine, but at first would show some "snapping" of the leg when first asked to trot. It got worse to where he was maybe a 3-4 lame, injected and rested and was sound until started jumping again. We ultrasounded and discovered the tear, and have just started Irapp. He was in a small paddock and was seen trotting soundly, but unfortunately with the cool weather started some hijinx and got more fluid in the joint, and is now on stall rest.

[Sherri]

Thank you everyone for your replies and input. It definitely helps to hear what everyone has experienced.

One thing I must say is please dont take my previous post about not giving up hope the wrong way. Canterone I know each case is different and each decision is personal and I WAS NOT implying you or anyone else was doing anything less than what was best for their situation. I was merely stating that the barn I ride we have made miracles happen and sometimes people need to hear there is hope for specific situations. I really cannot imagine what you or anyone else went through and feel for anyone that has been through this.

I have not heard about the IRAP or shockwave therapy. I'll have to do some research on it.

Thank you everyone so much for all your posts and information. Good or bad, at least their are others who have information we can take something from.

Big hugs - thank you.

[kiwifruit]

I wish I could give you better news but....

My 10 year old event horse was diagnosied with this after doing about 6 months of stall rest, injections and shock wave. After seeing little to no improvement (sound at the walk, 3/5 at the trot) I decided to put him on the table at Mid-Atlantic. The news was not good. Along with a torn meniscus, he also had a partial tear of the cruciate ligament. From what I was told, usually a torn meniscus is a secondary injury to a torn ligament. And since the joint is so big, it is really hard to see via ultrasound. I was happy to have a final diagnosis but also sad that this was an injury that would end his career, and possibly his life as well. A riding career was over for sure, but even being happy in the pasture was questionable. My horse was insured and the vets as Mid-Atlantic said this injury would qualify for a catastrophic injury but I decided my horse gave me too much of his life to be put down. I was told that it would not be the torn meniscus and ligament that would eventually do him in but the tremendous arthritis from the lack of stability of the joint. I took him home and turned him out. At first it was very difficult to see him trot around with such a limp but I did use daily bute to get him through the first month or so. Then I moved him off of bute totally. It has been over a year and a half since the initial injury and he is still off. I jogged him out for my vet since he said most people who have this type of injury put the horse down so she was curious to see if any progress was made. Sound at the walk but jogged 3/5. I still don't know if I made the right decision to keep him alive, some might think of me as selfish but I'm willing to give it a go for awhile. I'm glad that I could be able to provide him a forever home for all of the joy he has given me. He took me from beginner novice all the way up to the training three day which was his last competition before the injury. That day on cross country will always live in my mind and I'm very thankful for that. To be, it was worth it and I owe it to him to give him some sort of life. I'm sure that in the future that the arthrtis will get him but in the meantime, he is living the life of ryan on his private five acres with his girlfriend, Ginger the pony. I spend over 20k to bring him home with fencing and a small shedrow barn but it was well worth it. My husband thinks I'm nuts to spend so much money on a horse I can't ride but he does not understand the bond between an event horse and his rider. They give you everything and more. So as previous posters have said, I think this is a career ending injury for your horse. I personally would not waste time or the money on IRAP, stall rest or stem cell therapy which I looked into very thoroughly to bring him back to competition. For pallative care, then yes, go ahead. I'm very sorry and totally know how it feels. It just sucks. Oh and how did he do this injury? At the boarding facility that I kept him at turned him out after an ice storm where he started to run and then fell, splay legged on the ice. When he got up, he was immediately three legged lame. The barn manager saw this but did not tell me until a year later and after she left the boarding facility. Oh well. Again, very sorry.

[RunForIt]

Here's my story and it has its highs and lows...but does have a happier tale to tell. In 1997, I put all my money together and bought the cutest TB/WBX mare from Stuaart Black...Murphy Brown. She was going to teach me to event (notice the was) - cute gaits, loved to jump, 15.3...and in spite of being a chestnut mare, was - is so sane, IF she loves you, and miss Murph loved me. Somehow, some way, one night in her paddock, Murphy managed to tear her meniscus. We did the same as you: stall rest for 3 months, gradual return to turn out, S-L-O-W rehab, teeny bit of improvement, but canter - particularly to the right -would never be comfortable for her. So Murphy became a cute, much loved pasture ornament.

Chapter 2: In 2002, a student teacher of mine asked to come visit my horses, which of course I agreed would be just fine. Jennifer and Murphey were instantly big buddies and over the course of the time Jennifer was in my classroom, she came out several times a week to groom and fuss over Smurf. Happily, Jennifer was hired at our school for the following school year and continued coming to be Murphy's buddy. Finally, she asked me if she could ride Murphy sometime. Well, I thought...maybe, just maybe if I rode her first a few times as it had been so long since we'd asked her to do anything - remember her breeding and her chestnutishness. So, it happened, and much to my surprise, Murphy DIDN'T object to being under saddle again, and seemed delighted to spend hours walking around the field each week. Slowly during the next year, Jennifer began trotting a bit - learning to post...Murphy tolerated it well. So well, that when Jennifer and her husband made the decision to move back to Alabama, Murphy went with her...and now is living at Ft. Rucker! She trails rides, jumps the tadpole and teeny BN XC jumps, and does low grid work with Jennifer. Jennifer has been able to show her in low level dressage schooling shows - the canter to the left is nice, the canter to the right is stiff but she is now strong enough to use that lead.

No, Murphy couldn't return to eventing, but thanks to luck and someone's need and devoted work, Murphy is going strong at 18. Good luck with your boy. I do know how it feels to put your hopes and money and love into one and not have it work out. Thankfully, our Murphy is very happy, healthy, and has an important job. :cool:

[wishnwell]

I stumbled across this forum when trying to determine what is possibly wrong with my daughter's 7 y.o. Arab/QH. He is a low level eventer with Pony Club. During a recent lesson that I did not attend, I guess he did something according to the instructor where he jammed his rear leg into the ground. It wasn't during a jump, but after a bit of a buck. He immedietly became lame, the vet came out, was rated a 2/5 at the trot for lamness but could not determine exactly where the pain came from in the leg. Gave us Butte, and a week off. We have seen some improvement, but there is still a slight lameness at the trot and it's now been almost 4 wks. We aren't riding him, only hand walking but he's out on pasture and on no meds. I'm curious on a couple things after reading through everyones posts.
1. Does a meniscus tear happen with this type of trauma- didn't seem like much of anything according to accounts.
2. What did everyone else's horse do to get this damage

Now, he's had back/hip trouble in the past ( tilted pelvis ) that he sees a chiropractor for, but I'm not convinced his discomfort is related.
I was planning on calling the vet back out, what is your recommendation to do next? Try Chiropractor or just vet, I have limited budget and no, no insurance to cover this stuff. :no:
I'm not a hugely experienced horse owner, as I state, "I'm just the idiot along for the ride!".

Please advise.
Thanks

[Sherri]

I am sorry your daughters horse is injured. She must be devastated.

I highly - highly recommend having an ultrasound done. Without knowing what is wrong, you cannot treat the injury. Your horse could have something minor or worse case - something major and treatments could vary depending on the injury.

Our vet charged $160 for the ultrasound. Im sure it varies by area and faclities. Perhaps you could work out a payment plan.

My horse is green and I did not jump with her, she's only been under saddle a year. She didnt do anything except rough house in the pasture with her pasture mates. We think she did it running & bucking, etc....

My injury was diagnosed the 1st of June and I was given 6 weeks in stall no turn out, 6 weeks of hand walking 15 min a day 2 x a day and then full turn out on a flat ground with no pasture mates.

She was given adequain immediately and now I am giving her hyaluronic acid in liquid form daily to stop any joint degeneration.

She is trotting in the pasture w/o any signs of lameness, but when I sit on her is when she shows the lameness from the weight on that knee.

I had another ultrasound the end of September and my prognosis is the same. A completely torn through meniscus (not a partial tear).

I am still going through this so this is all the info I can give you. But my best suggestion is to get the ultrasound. You dont want to do more damage and then have an horse you cant ride because of guessing at the injury.

Let us know what happens. Best wishes and hugz.

[eventersmom]

Like another poster I found this thread by "accident". We are going through something similar with our 6 year old TBx. She was going great at BN/N and schooling Training effortlessly when she came in from the pasture 3 legged with a swollen left stifle. Having been through a sequestrum on that same stifle when she was a 3 year old we immediately thought it was a complication from her surgery.

We did x-rays and ultrasound and she's currently on stall rest, hydro, bute and Surpass. Our vet thinks its a medial collateral ligament injury but because the swelling was severe we couldn't get a definitive diagnosis. We should know more next week when he comes back out for repeat ultrasounds. This thread has been helpful and disheartening. This horse is a really talented jumper, lives to jump actually, and hates flat work. If she's not able to event/jump again it would take the life right out of her.

[wishnwell]

I'm beside myself if this is the end to his career. He loves to work and be out there. He's so cranky right now because he's a pasture pet. Because of him, we switched to eventing, he hated the hunter ring. In his short time in the Pony Club eventing world locally he's done wonders, and we just started. My daughter will be devistated and we really haven't discussed this further. I have the vet coming out next week. I could have someone come earlier but the best vet with soundness issues is booked.
I wish everyone in this situation the best of luck and I thank you for your support. I'm only self diagnosing at this point, but everything has lead me to some type of tear.

[eventersmom]

I'm beside myself if this is the end to his career. He loves to work and be out there. He's so cranky right now because he's a pasture pet. Because of him, we switched to eventing, he hated the hunter ring. In his short time in the Pony Club eventing world locally he's done wonders, and we just started. My daughter will be devistated and we really haven't discussed this further. I have the vet coming out next week. I could have someone come earlier but the best vet with soundness issues is booked.
I wish everyone in this situation the best of luck and I thank you for your support. I'm only self diagnosing at this point, but everything has lead me to some type of tear.

Hang in there. If it is a tear it could be a long, slow road but it sounds like many of the posters have had some success getting their horses back. Maybe we'll be two of the lucky ones!

We're having trouble with the no work thing too. Our mare is cranky and acting out. She's on stall rest and we've tried multiple things to keep that mind occupied. Believe it or not, she LOVES NPR. :yes: We're keeping the radio on 24/7 and it has calmed her down tremendously.

Good luck and let us know what your vet says.

[Arcadien]

Maybe a ray of hope - I damaged my meniscus (falling out of bed - yep, couldn't be a lamer reason for the worst injury of my life to date haha - I had the alarm across the room and tripped on my dogs foam "ramp" to the bed).

I was devastated as at the time I was training for my 3rd marathon and quite addicted to running. My knee blew up the size of a basketball and everyone said my running career was over.

I swallowed hard, tried to accept it, and went on with life. Got back to riding, then 8 months later, decided to try an aerobics class at the club to get fitter for riding.

While the knee was sore after workouts, it held up. I decided to do the unthinkable and start running again. The knee held up! It was sore starting out, and after, I always iced it aggressively, or even took ice baths (ouch!) But I was actually able to train for and complete a 4th marathon, after the injury.

And now, I'm fitter than ever - were it not for my latest booboo, a sprained ankle (at least this one was caused by a respectable bucking off, not (cough) falling out of bed)

To sum up, time off, lots of time off, out on "Dr. Green" when he can, and you may see a miracle. The body can do amazing job of healing itself sometimes if just left alone!

Good luck,

Arcadien

[JDufort]

<<I have the vet coming out next week. I could have someone come earlier but the best vet with soundness issues is booked.>>

as another "idiot along for the ride", but all important keeper of the checkbook - I can assure you that you are wise to wait for the best in matters of sporthorse lameness.

you can waste a lot of money (albeit in small increments) with a well-meaning general equine practice vet unused to the specific issues of lameness in sport horses. on the other hand, in my experience the best are not necessarily the most costly. But they are people who understand equine athletes and how to diagnose, treat, and rehab.

[Sherri]

<<I have the vet coming out next week. I could have someone come earlier but the best vet with soundness issues is booked.>>

as another "idiot along for the ride", but all important keeper of the checkbook - I can assure you that you are wise to wait for the best in matters of sporthorse lameness.

you can waste a lot of money (albeit in small increments) with a well-meaning general equine practice vet unused to the specific issues of lameness in sport horses. on the other hand, in my experience the best are not necessarily the most costly. But they are people who understand equine athletes and how to diagnose, treat, and rehab.

I totally agree. Well said.

Also - a horse's torn meniscus although much like a humans is much different than a humans when it comes to recovery. We as humans can adjust and take weight off of that leg whereas a horse does not have the options that we do. It would take forever to post about it. We also do not carry the extra weight that they do when we ride them.

The whole thing just sux for all of us.... ugghhh.....