Suspensory lesion - Slow But Steady Improvement Continues - Yay! (#142)

[Lori B]

Horse: Katy, 7 yr. old 16'1" TB mare, very lightly raced, ridden at lower level of dressage and eventing for the past 2 1/2 years. Diagnosed w/ suspensory lesion on left front, high up, in February. Has been stall rested since February.

Treatments:
3x of ESWT (shockwave)
2 PRP injections (3rd was deferred this week because ultrasound was so improved that vet didn't see a place to put the injection)

Current work regime:
Horse is hand grazed from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours a day.
Then horse is either: walked in hand for 30 minutes a day or ridden at a walk for 20-25 minutes a day. Currently only 3 rides a week, the rest of her walking is in hand.

Katy trotted sound at the vet on Monday, both ways. So we are now ready to start integrating trotting into her work. The vet gave me the following schedule for bringing her back:

Week 1:
3 rides a week of up to 30 minutes including 5 minutes of trotting

Week 2:
3 rides a week of up to 30 minutes including 10 minutes of trotting

Week 3:
3 rides a week of up to 30 minutes including 15 minutes of trotting

Recheck at this point to clear for return to turnout.

I rode her last night, and we trotted a few brief straight stretches totally less than 3 minutes. She was lazy as heck, but I had given her a little Ace, and chalked the extreme lazyness to that. She was sincerely confused that I was asking her to trot ("Really mom? Don't you just mean 'walk faster'?"), but was otherwise great.

===========

My questions, for those of you able to stay awake through this novel:

1) I am wondering if the trot schedule isn't a bit too aggressive? According to the Back To Work - Lucinda Dyer book, folks in there were advised to start w/ 2 or 3 minutes of trot per ride, and to increase very slowly from there. Your thoughts?

2) After almost 5 months of stall rest, Katy would obviously be really out of shape. I asked the vet about walking her longer on her non-riding days, and he thought that was a good idea. Again, thoughts?

Thanks in advance. It has been hard getting her back to even this point, and I really don't want to blow it.

[asterix]

Well, I am no vet, but that is certainly more aggressive than the schedule my guy had -- returning to work after bilateral suspensory lesions (hind).
When we began trotting, yeah, we increased it VERY slowly. But they also wanted me to ride him much more than 3 times a week. I rode him more like 5-6 days a week (plus he was also on small pen turnout for increasing amounts of time), adding a very modest amount of trot each time. Added turns and terrain much, much later -- stuck with straight lines on flat ground for a while.

Just something to remember -- she is really weak, so her trot might feel awful at first. It will improve! The first time I trotted my gelding under saddle I would have stopped and assumed he was lame except he had just had a "he's sound" checkup the day before, and been in a stall ever since. He just felt like crap. It got better once we were trotting 10 minutes or so...but that took probably a month.

[BuddyRoo]

You didn't mention footing...one thing that I was told to avoid in a similar situation was deep or uneven footing. IE: We did a lot of road riding on the shoulder.

Another thing I didn't see you mention was straight lines. I was told to do straight line work only for about the first month back under saddle.

As far as the schedule you posted, it does seem a little more aggressive than I'd feel comfortable with. Ultimately, you know your horse and I'm assuming you will back off if you feel that you're pushing too hard.

At this point, you've invested a lot of time and money and if I were in your shoes, I'd be taking it VERY slowly. But I'm not a vet...

[Lori B]

footing: our indoor is not deep, is pretty firm, but I have been doing much of her hand walking on the quarter mile driveway of the farm, because I have read that firmer is better for suspensory rehab.

turns: there's no way to ride in an indoor without turning, but we are only trotting on straightaways, not even a whole long side at this point.

I am just about decided that I am going to go slower than the vet suggested.

And asterix, I was wondering about the number of rides a week too, thanks for bringing it up.

[BuddyRoo]

I figured as much (trotting on straight aways) but figured it was worth mentioning/asking about. With it being a front as opposed to a hind, there isn't as much risk with turns. But I'd still avoid getting into small circles/longing.

Lateral work at the walk was also helpful in my case to help build up supporting muscles without over doing it.

Will be jingling for you!

[Lori B]

Thanks for your thoughts and jingles.

I forgot to add to my list of questions:

Is there any need / value / recommendation about cold hosing after work? The injury itself was pretty silent -- no heat, no swelling, really no way to tell something was wrong there. But I check it most of the time, and lately when I think there might be any slight warmth, I hose her leg for a few minutes post ride. Helpful? Benign? Won't make much difference, but won't hurt?

[BuddyRoo]

I'll be honest--I'm kind of in the habit of cold hosing legs after a workout even on a horse with no known injuries. This became a habit for me after years of playing soccer (and several knee surgeries). Once I started icing down after a workout consistently, I was a lot more comfortable. It just FEELS better and prevents swelling and inflammation.

What are the cons to cold hosing? Time. You're not going to hurt anything.

Pros? Maybe none. Maybe prevent/reduce an inflammatory response.

If it were me, I'd just do it. Here's an article that talks about it: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=485

[Lori B]

Thanks!

Katy doesn't always like the wash stall, and can sorta shift around and be wiggly there, but when I started hosing her leg last night, she stood stock still, which is what she does when I'm doing something she likes a lot. So I took that as a yes for hosing, from her.

[Fharoah]

I recently completed a rehab program for collateral ligament. We did six months total rest. Three months hand walking at 15 minutes a day add 5 minutes every two weeks.

Undersaddle 4 weeks 30 minutes walk, 2 minutes trot
4 weeks 30 minutes walk 5 minutes trot 10 minutes walk
3 weeks 30 min walk, 5 min. trot, 10 minutes walk, 2 minutes trot, 5 min walk
3 weeks 30 min walk, 5 min trot, 10 min, 2 min canter 2 min trot,5 min walk

[Peggy]

The week-to-week schedule (starting with 5 minutes of trot and adding 5 minutes a week) is basically what we did with Star; however, as others have mentioned, we did more rides per week (5-6).

The first week of trot, we were instructed to trot the long sides and walk thru the corners, for a total of 5 minutes (so that 5 minutes included the walking). As we increased the trot, the vet said we could break it up or do it all together. I broke it up, sort of like doing trot sets.

There were no circles, only diagonals, until we finished the month of canter work. OK, I did some walk circles once we were trotting for awhile.

The total length of the work increased as the minutes of trot (and then canter) increased, until we got to an hour total, at which point we started decreasing the minutes of walk to keep the total at an hour.

Star went thru a phase where he would not trot. I felt like one of those kids in the Thelwell books. Enter assistant trainer with long spurs, a whip, and young bones:winkgrin:.

More details in blog. The program definitely worked as we could feel and see him getting fitter, both WRT muscling and respiratory. He gets a visit from the massage therapist once a month and she noted only minimal soreness (and only on one or two visits) and commented that we'd done a great job.

[Peggy]

The cold hosing. Probably won't hurt unless you have a freak horse like mine that gets water under his pads and goes lame from squishy (abscessy?) feet. Tho, in retrospect, that was prior to the collateral ligament diagnosis, and some of the abscessing was apparently a result of the that.

I did ask the vet about cold hosing, wrapping, etc once he was back doing normal work, and she said to treat him like a normal horse. I have poulticed/wrapped exactly once and that was after a harder-than-usual jumping school. Which is something that I would have done normally.

[touchstone-]

Mine was up to 45 minutes of walking under saddle before we started trotting. The vet said, ideally it would be two 30 minute sessions of walking a day, but he said one longer ride was also ok, because that's all I could swing with my work schedule.

We added two minutes of trotting every week and rode every day. I think one day off a week would have been allowed, but I was told consistency was important. I would *think* that if you're doing fewer trot days a week, you might want to increase the trotting time more slowly, since the ligament is not getting as much loading each week of work.

My vet said that it was ok to go around the corners of the ring, but that I should avoid deep footing, hills, sharp turns or any lateral work until we were well into the cantering phase of rehab.

If you have unlimited time or some help, you might want to ask your vet about the wisdom of a second walk a day.

ETA: My horse's injury was in a hind limb, which may account for the more conservative rehab schedule.

[Lori B]

So, tonight I was really brave, but for a good reason.

Riding Katy on Tuesday was like riding a bucket of Jello; she is mostly a pretty quiet girl, and it was hot, and I gave her a leetle Ace so that Trotting Wouldn't Be Much Too Exciting. But she was ... like a horse from the Boneless Chicken Ranch.

So, tonight, it's over 80, so I think, I will take my chances and ride w/o Ace. (she's still on a low dose of Reserpine).

And she was really great! She marched forward energetically at the walk, and was thinking hard about the fact that I was actually asking her to trot, and gee, I must actually mean it. And it kinda got her excited, and I literally saw her think about how bucking might be the thing to do, but then decide that, no, really all that had to happen was a few trot strides down the long side.

I have the best horse ever. 5 months of stall rest, and she is pretty much authorized to have a yee haa moment when asked to trot, and she fights it off, and keeps her shit together. I am so not worthy. She does dance around when I hand walk her after the ride, but who cares? It lasts 4.7 seconds, and is over and she just wants a cookie. Like I said: I am not worthy. Any other horse would be levitating above the ground even with a nervous system full of Ace, and she was good without it.

goooood girl.

[Lori B]

Aaaaaargh. Dang it. Bad words, bad words, bad words.

In ride #3 that included a few long sides of trot, we had a few lame / stiff steps, so I bailed on the ride, walked her in hand for a few more minutes, and checked the leg to find heat! Yikes.

I left a phone message / e-mail for my vet detailing exactly what work we've done this week and what I saw on Saturday. I cold-hosed her leg on Saturday, and yesterday after our hand walking and grazing there was a distinct heat on that spot, so I put a frozen gel pack on her leg, inside a neoprene / velcro jumping boot. The gel pack stays squishy when cold, so it molded to the back of her leg and she seemed to like it, which I take as a sign that cold is a welcome treatment.

====

Just got off the phone w/ the vet's secretary. Vet's gone on vacation all week. I'm going to stick with handwalking until there isn't any heat post-walk, and then start riding her again, and check with him when I get back.

Can't we catch a break?

[asterix]

I'm so sorry! Unfortunately, this is the life you have now. Every time you hit a funny step your heart will drop through the floor. I'm not sure it EVER goes away, but the beginning is the worst.
Just get through the week and see where you are when the vet gets back....try not to overthink it, impossible I know, but focus on HER improved quality of life and just get the days over with until you have more info...

[LDavis104]

Lori B - I've been kind of following your story (in the once in a blue moon I'm on COTH these days!), since my horse tore his suspensory in February as well (his is a right front high suspensory mild tear).

Anyways, I thought my vet's recommendation for rehab program was way too fast. Here's what I'm doing/have done and my guy hasn't taken a lame step. Although I know they are all different...

Feb through May - stall rest w/ 30 mins handwalking in indoor once a day
Starting in May - stall rest plus tiny paddock off stall door (paddock is twice the size of his stall)

May - start walking under saddle. Walked under saddle for entire month

June week 1 - trot down a long side once a ride
June week 2 - trot one lap around ring (your ring size may vary)
After that, I've added about one trot lap around the ring per week. We're up to 6 times around in each direction.

During this whole process I have sustained one broken bone (hand) as a result of crazy rearing horse.

I ace every time I ride, and ride only in the indoor.

Good luck - I feel bad for you because yours seems a lot worse (except for maybe my broken hand part ;))

[Lori B]

LDavis, thanks for the support! Asterix, too, yes, you are right, I'm just a bit stressed by this.

As you see in this thread, like you, I was thinking that 5 minutes of trot to start was way too much also. We were doing more like 3 minutes or so, which amounted to about 6 or 8 'long sides' of the arena. (we don't trot anything but straight segments at this point, will add turns much later).

But whatever we were doing, it seems to have been too much too soon.

Adding one trot segment a week. You are an amazingly disciplined person.

LDavis, how many times do you ride them a week initially? (at the walk, as you are starting to add trot)

The thing that is killing me is that I am boarding someplace where she is either in a stall, in a small paddock that is near the turnouts but isn't like an outdoor stall -- she could definitely trot or even canter a couple strides in it, or completely turned out. And I am paying a daily markup for stall board which I understand and think is fair but which is nonetheless a big expense over time (22 weeks). And since she's in her stall, I, or the girls who help me, have to hand graze her every. single. day. And so days off from the barn for me cost even more money. So the thought that this could go on in this totally unresolved, eeny teeny squeeny incremental adjustment way for another 6 months is killing me, because the vet doesn't want her turned out until she is trotting under saddle for 15 minutes or so.

If I could find a way to get her outside without having to be on a lead rope attached to moi, I could tolerate a year long rehab schedule where we add 3 strides of trot every 47.5 days. But the fact that stall rest hell seems like it's infinitely telescoping into the future is really a problem.

[LDavis104]

Lori B - I ride/rode him almost every day. He had a break for a couple of weeks when my hand was newly broken, and there are days here and there where he has a day off too. When I was on vacation someone hand grazed him for me for the week. So I guess he did have some breaks here and there from being ridden... You are very nice to hand graze your horse, mine only gets grazin' while I'm waiting for the Ace to kick in or if I have the extra time. We're talking 15 mins. Otherwise he's eating hay in his stall/paddock.

[atr]

Biggest deal for us was staying out of the arena and doing our rehab work on hard ground. I moved barns so we could have packed dirt roads to ride on.

[Peggy]

Not much to add but a lot of empathy.

My initial tack walking was a mix of hard ground and ring. I was instructed to stay the heck out of the "dressage" ring which has deeper footing, but wasn't given specific instructions WRT ring vs hard dirt. I told the vet what I was doing and it met with her approval. My motivation for walking outside the ring was also to provide variety and to avoid having to deal with horses coming towards us (which caused spinning).

Once we added the trot we did basically what you described for your first week. There was one re-check (IIRC, the one where we moved from cantering to regular flat work) where Star was a tiny bit off at first. The vet said to proceed but to stop at the first sign of true lameness or any swelling/heat and call her immediately.

[purplnurpl]

sucks. I'm sorry.

But I will say that slower is better and I usually double the time the vets give me.
So I would have not started trotting until Nov or Dec. 6 months is not very long for a tear.
Pretty much a suspensory is a full year if not longer.

And then I would start walking walking walking walking. Walking for months.
You give her 18 months now and have a horse for life.

My horse had two tears last Aug. He's just walking. And I plan on walking him until ?. Once he's sound for two or three months he's going to the aqua tred for a month. In Jan he can supervised start turn out again and then he's doing only dressage for his first months back. Then I'm going to do some low level hunters.
So maybe he might hit a novice HT next summer. (We had entered our first Intermediate HT when he injured himself)
If he's sound then he can do some trainings. ...If he's sound :lol: then he can do some Prelim. ...if he's sound:lol:


If she was lame when you started trotting, personally I would do another full month of walking every day under saddle. And when I start trotting I would do 30 secs. adding one or two minutes a week. Straight.

[Lori B]

My footing options are:

1) indoor arena -- not particularly deep or soft, rubber / dirt mix, 80 x 160.
Pros: I feel safer here. I have been bucked off once, hard, during this rehab (in April, the last time we thought she was sound), and I need not to repeat it if possible. Cons: harder would be better for Katy and of course in an arena you do have to turn. We make our turns as wide as we can, and have only trotted long sides, not corners, of course.

2) outdoor ring -- sandy and much too deep, totally out of the question.

3) outside of rings: barn's driveway that runs between 2 hay fields is 0.25 miles long and flat and blacktopped. Shoulders either side are grassy, not quite as wide as I'd like, but it's very quiet and gets only the barn's traffic.
Pros: optimal surface, working on the drive means not having to deal with many turns (just at the ends), flat as a board. Cons: I haven't walked her under saddle out there yet, and I don't want to get dumped or run off with on a bad hair day, and it's wide open. If I got dumped, she could run out to a busy road in just a couple minutes, if that was where she was headed. Of course, if I fell off, she is most likely to stop and graze. Still, I am thinking of having my trainer out to give me a hand with testing this option, to see how she reacts to being outside under saddle for the first time since January.

4) dirt road to the trails: nice and hard, not perfectly flat, but runs along side the mare's turnout, which can create a great deal of excitement when the girls are running. Right now we walk there in hand, but only when the girls aren't in the field.

Can you tell I've been thinking about this, just a little?

[Lori B]

You mean everyone doesn't hand graze their stall-rested horses from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours a day?

???

Really????

We have only missed, like, 3 or 4 days of grazing since February. I am afraid that if I didn't graze my girl, she would kill me. With grazing, she is a love. Without it, she is a very unhappy tense pony.

Yesterday I bathed her as soon as I got there, because she was very dandruffy and had been rolling in her stall, which sort of inevitably gets icky. Which put off the Happy Grazing Time for about 35 minutes. I thought she was going to come unglued. When I went to get some sunscreen for myself and fly spray for her, she was whinnying in her stall, thinking that grazing time was cancelled.

My weeknight routine is something like:
get to barn, curry & pick feet, graze horse for 30-60 mins. Then either do 30 minute walk ride or handwalk on the driveway. Then a little more grazing & put her away.

Weekends: Always 1 hour plus of grazing, then any care, like mane or a bath, then walking or a walk ride, then a bit more grazing.

When I short her on grazing, I feel like a sadistic prison guard.

[Peggy]

You mean everyone doesn't hand graze their stall-rested horses from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours a day?

???

Really????


I don't think there's enuf grass on our entire property for that:lol:. Star mostly had to be satisfied with picking scraps of hay off the ground. At times I felt like I was walking a vacuum cleaner as he would walk along with his nose literally scraping along the ground looking for food. I will confess to letting him pick scraps of hay off the feeding cart as we walked.

[Lori B]

Well, as a contrast, in Maryland, there are turf grass farms. So we, like, grow grass professionally. And Katy would like a job as a taste tester at the turf grass farm, particularly if eventing is out.

[Lori B]

Oh, and fyi, the injury to her suspensory wasn't a tear, it was called a 'lesion', and was more of a case of small holes in and general weakness of the ligament. Don't know if that makes any difference.

[JLR1]

Any damage to the ligament whether it be a lesion or a tear means the area has been compromised. It sounds like you have done a wonderful job treating and rehabbing your horse and would echo the sentiments that taking it slow is the best schedule. I think it was Pharoah's schdedule that looked similar to what mine was. The plan your vet gave you is far too aggressive. I have also heard that front suspensory injuries have a much more favorable prognosis than hind legs, so that is a positive. When I brought my mare back there were days when she felt "off" and we just backed off the schedule. You will just have to use your best judgment. It is a slow tedious process, but so well worth it in the end. Deep footing is the enemy and you will need to become a fanatic about riding only in good footing. I would try to trot only on straight lines and avoid tight corners or circles for awhile. Good luck, your horse is lucky to have you as an owner.

[Peggy]

Star's were (and that is meant to be plural b/c we had both the high suspensory and the collateral), I believe, described as "strains." Not sure where the lines are drawn b/w strain, lesion, and tear. For the suspensory, there was an area on Star's ultrasound where the fibers weren't as straight, aligned, and fully there as they should have been.

If you were to try under saddle walking outside, maybe you could try having a friend or your trainer walk her. Maybe start with an area that she is familiar with (near mare pasture without mares there)? I have been helping with a friend's horse who is rehabbing from a tendon injury. Said horse is four, fairly green u/s and vet's instructions were to walk on hard ground for 30 minutes, progressing to 60 minutes. Hmm--4 y.o., not all that broke to start with, time off, hx of being a bit broncky after time off, hard ground:eek: So person A sits on horse and person B leads horse (halter over bridle, chain over nose of halter). On good days, it progresses to person A sitting on horse, holding shank attached to chain (and reins, tho he reacts better to discipline via chain than via rein), perhaps with person B walking alongside for company at first. On really good or very busy days, the process has started with a trainer sitting on him and going solo from the beginning. We have thought about trying to pony the horse off another horse, now that a suitable pony horse arrived at the barn. Being person B is not much fun on 100+° days (person B often = Peggy).

[purplnurpl]

Oh, and fyi, the injury to her suspensory wasn't a tear, it was called a 'lesion', and was more of a case of small holes in and general weakness of the ligament. Don't know if that makes any difference.

Na, not really.

Yes, I do graze my horse. lol.
Actually I'm kinda lazy so I sit in the golf cart and yack on the phone while he wiggles around on the end of the lead. :yes:
I'm right there with ya!

[touchstone-]

The thing that is killing me is that I am boarding someplace where she is either in a stall, in a small paddock that is near the turnouts but isn't like an outdoor stall -- she could definitely trot or even canter a couple strides in it, or completely turned out. And I am paying a daily markup for stall board which I understand and think is fair but which is nonetheless a big expense over time (22 weeks). And since she's in her stall, I, or the girls who help me, have to hand graze her every. single. day. And so days off from the barn for me cost even more money. So the thought that this could go on in this totally unresolved, eeny teeny squeeny incremental adjustment way for another 6 months is killing me, because the vet doesn't want her turned out until she is trotting under saddle for 15 minutes or so.

If I could find a way to get her outside without having to be on a lead rope attached to moi, I could tolerate a year long rehab schedule where we add 3 strides of trot every 47.5 days. But the fact that stall rest hell seems like it's infinitely telescoping into the future is really a problem.

At this point, I would really look into buying or renting a roundpen. It would allow you to build a stall-sized turnout so your mare could get out without you having to make such a huge time commitment. And you could even move it around from place to place, so she could have a fresh patch of turf to sample every day.

This made all the difference in the world for my most recent rehab horse. No turnout=dangerous, miserable beast. Tiny turnout=happy, cooperative horse. Plus, it didn't cost me much extra in terms of time or paid labor. I was lucky that someone at my barn had one i could borrow. But I looked into buying, and it looked like I could have gotten my own for about $500. That's not nothing--but if you're looking at months more, it might be worth it.

I'm really sorry this is taking so long. I know what a drain these kind of rehabs can be.

p.s. Not to be discouraging, but I've had several vets tell me no turnout with soft tissue injuries until the horse is well into the cantering phase of rehab. If the horse can't do it in a controlled atmosphere (when you're riding), you don't want to risk them doing it when free.

[Lori B]

touchstone --

I am thinking about that, or perhaps using panels to cut one of the existing paddocks in half, so that it's closer to an outside stall size. You're right, at this point, a few hundred dollars would be cheaper than continuing stall board because of how long this could go on.

I am going to talk to my BM today. I hope she's amenable. I think they don't like doing too much that is out of line w/ the general regime, because it sets a precedent where anyone and everyone would be setting up things like pens.

[Lori B]

Ok, where does one acquire fence / round pen panels? I couldn't imagine where to start shopping, and would of course love to know where to find such a thing used. If I could persuade BM to consider it, I wouldn't probably need more than 30-40 linear feet to cut one of the existing paddocks in half.

Thoughts, oh clever COTHers?

[BuddyRoo]

Craigslist. Seriously. Post in the farm section that you're looking to either buy or rent priefert panels. Or, throw in some capped T's and some hot wire.

[Lori B]

Well, I spoke to the BM, and this is what we've come up with:

We are going to try turning Katy out in the small paddock tomorrow a.m., aced w/ galloping boots (bubble wrap optional). If she is chill, we are going to put her there in the a.m. for a few hours every day, weather cooperating (not when it's crazy crazy hot).

BM didn't like the temporary fencing idea to reduce the size of the paddock, was concerned that it wouldn't be safe. The paddock in question is probably 35 ft. square, and since Katy is going to be out in the a.m., she won't see other horses running (the rest are turned out overnight, come in at 7:00 a.m.) BM didn't want to turn Katy out overnight, said it was too long for her to be unsupervised, and I definitely agreed. I think this could work.

Since the riding rehab is going to have to be on a sloooower schedule than the vet has initially recommended, I think this makes the most sense. Re-introducing this small, half-day turnout now, when the weather is warm and she is lazy, will be less risky than waiting until October (which is when we will have enough trot going to earn real full turnout). when it's cooler and the weather is changing she will be up up up.

I'm going out there to supervise the test tomorrow a.m. w/ the BM. I am hopeful that this will work out, and be easier on both of us for the long haul of rehab ahead of us. She needs to be outside and I need not to burn $$$ and my other responsibilities. Cross your fingers for me, and don't flame me for trying this. If she is a nut, we will catch her in the paddock and haul her silly TB butt back into the stall. But if she is good, I will be so relieved.

No, I didn't ask the vet, because 1) he's on vacation, and 2) he can't help me solve this problem. I know that it is his preference that we wait for full turnout, but I think that this could work out fine, and I'm the one at the end of the lead rope for 6 hours a week and writing the checks and I feel confident that trying this isn't irresponsible or crazy.

[atr]

I think that's a very sensible option to try. Best wishes that it's a no-brainer and it eases your life a bit.

[Lori B]

So, this a.m. went to the barn to see if Katy can handle the small paddock turnout. Put on front boots, gave her a little Ace, and grazed her until the BM was done bringing at at the other barn on the property.

It was a total non-event. She grazed her way into the paddock, kept grazing, and I unsnapped her lead, and she kept grazing. After I stepped back a few feet, she looked up, as if to say "Hey, whatcha doin?" Then back to grazing. She'll be out just an hour or so today, but will get up to 4 hours a day in this small paddock. Her buddies are in during the day, out at night, but she can see fields w/ other horses and cows, on the other side of the farm, from the paddock. She was completely relaxed and sensible.

I am hopeful that this will work to make her (and me) happier without costing us any rehab progress, and ideally, I will now be free to focus on the right work schedule without feeling under pressure to get to the point where she could be turned out again.

[asterix]

Lori, this is GREAT news, and I think it will make a HUGE difference in her mental status (and yours!).

I just want to warn you -- and I don't mean to be a downer, I really don't, and don't take it that way...there may still be blowups to come. We started my gelding (aced of course) on small paddock turnout and gradually worked him up to medium paddock (like, still a paddock, but big enough for 2 or 3 quiet horses to go out in on a regular basis) with a quiet buddy over what seemed like a long time. I continued to ace him for a week or two each time we changed something.
During that time, he had 3 or 4 (that I know of) SPECTACULAR blowups. Twice with me standing there, pleading with him to stop (this is a very gentlemanly horse who is very bonded to me). At least once with ZERO provocation. Something just clicked in his brain, ace or no ace.

It did NOT set his recovery back AT ALL. But it wigged the heck out of me.

So, just know that this is part of the process. She may be like, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, OMG I'MFREE, ok, ok, ok...etc.

Take a deep breath. It gets easier every day that they are out at least some of the time, and they are getting back to normal life as you allow this to happen.

[Lori B]

Yep, asterix, I totally expect her to take leave of her senses from time to time. But the fact that she found the first time out to be such a non-event was very encouraging. Heck, she has those occasional brief meltdowns in the current regime, and I strongly believe we will have fewer, not more, with this management plan.

To my mind, the occasional 10 second nutter is far less damaging than a horse who insists on tensely trotting the fenceline 10 minutes at a time.

This also makes it so that I can go on vacation in 10 days without paying half the teenaged girls in Howard Cty to graze my horse. I figured out earlier in the week what I've spent, not on vet care, but on stall board markup and helper time, and it was not a small number.

[BuddyRoo]

Glad to hear that it went well!

[Peggy]

Good news! That should be good for everyone's mental state.

I've been experimenting with "turnout" for Star as well. Still too chicken to let him out in the arena-sized turnout area, but I did put him out in a small (18'x60'?) paddock normally occupied by a horse who was away at a show. Equally a non-event as he mostly looked for food (after all, he's not named "Star"-ving for nothing), a harder task in a dirt paddock than in turf-laded MD. There were no issues with the horses on either side (both 18+ y.o.) and only two wheel-and-bolt incidents. He does look a little silly out there wearing his extensive collection of personal protective equipment while all the other horses are naked or wearing fly clothes, but I figure both the roaming and the socialization will be good. Horse is gone again this week and after that I'll try to work something out where maybe I can swap him with a paddock horse for an hour or so a few times a week.

[Lori B]

Peggy, if I thought it would ship well, Katy and I would send Star a square foot of heavenly MD turf for his delectation.

I had to restrain myself from bubble wrapping Katy. But really, all she needed was galloping boots, even though there ain't gonna be no galloping in that paddock.

[Lori B]

So last night when I got to the barn, Katy met me at the stall door, looking perky and alert. This is noteworthy because lately when I get to the barn she has her head stuck in her hay, and won't look around at me until I come into the stall. She jogged sound in hand, then we did a walk only ride for 25 minutes -- she was pokey but got less so through the ride -- it was almost 90 and muggy yesterday before the weather broke.

No heat no swelling after her turnout in the a.m. or after the ride. So today she gets 4 hours in the small paddock.

What a relief for both of us. Thanks for the encouragement and support. It was really hard for me to decide to do this, because the vet would rather she was still fully stall rested. If she continues to be sound for our very gradual rehab work, though, the improvement to our mental health is worth the risk.

[Lori B]

Another good day. Katy was turned out for 3+ hours in the small paddock. There was grass on her back when I came to the barn, which means she was rolling, which is so good for her.

It was warm again, and Katy seemed fine, so I skipped the ace. See, here is my dilemma. With Ace, she is sloooooow. Without, she is forward and happy moving at the walk. Without the ace, there is the risk that she'll have 'a moment', but she hasn't had a meltdown under saddle since April, though, so things are going well, and I now have a very good idea when she needs ace and when it's unnecessary.

I decided to ask her to trot in hand to see if she was doing better, and she did perfectly. And during our ride, we trotted exactly one long side. She fussed briefly at being asked, but trotted sound. And after our 20 minute walk ride, I walked her in hand 1/2 mile.

[Peggy]

Yeah! Glad to hear the good news about physical and mental soundness.

WRT the ace, I'd play it by ear. If there is something that makes you think you're going to need it, go ahead. If it seems like you won't, try without but don't be too much of a hero if things go bad--there's always another day.

[Lori B]

So, last night I got out to the barn after missing 2 nights because my car got hit in a parking lot (:mad:). Katy seemed happy to see me but not nutty, since she's out a bit every day now.

We went into the arena w/ a horse that, up to now, I've avoided sharing the arena with -- an adorable little gray arab whose preferred gait is a tail in the air canter -- I have been afraid that he would stir Katy up and get me dumped on my fanny. But it was hot, and she seemed very sensible, so I said, Ok, time to see if we can do this.

And she was great. She had a couple of 'moments' -- she squealed and scooted big once, but I kept my composure and my seat, and she had 2 other small startles / outbursts -- but every time she came right back and went back to work, walking and bending and listening. I didn't get stressed about it, but mainly it was all her. Every time she put herself back to work, I praised her to the skies. I think she honestly just didn't want to dump me, even though she clearly felt good and wanted to trot more than a couple of long sides (still sound, trotting better and better).

I am so thrilled that she is clearly feeling better physically and mentally, and now is the challenging part for me, when I have to rate her without pissing her off. I'm getting my trainer out later in the week to ride her once and to discuss strategies for containing her energy.

Up until now, I preferred her to be really pokey and tranquil. Now that I want her to do a little work, though, she is waking up, in every sense, and I have to learn how to ride and handle her when she's not totally pokey and disengaged, which I think was the mental effect on her of stall rest.

But in the meantime, I'm in awe of what a kind and sensible girl she continues to be.

[Peggy]

Hey, that's great news. And I know exactly what you mean about that transition between poking along and staying tranquil and then asking for more and getting a bit more than you really wanted:uhoh:.

[BuddyRoo]

So glad to hear about the continued improvement! Whoot!

Sorry to hear about your car.

[Peggy]

But at least the cars seem to be more reliably fixable. A PITA, but fixable. And yet another frustration. Tho there is that saying about if it has tires or testicles it will eventually give you trouble.

[FlashGordon]

Lori I am so glad to hear Katy is improving... back to turnout... hooray! I am sure it is a relief for both of you!

Looking forward to hearing how things progress. Hopefully you'll be able to enjoy lots of hacking this fall. :)

[Lori B]

Peggy -- so true re: tires or testicles. So true. Although, Mr. LB is saintly and mostly low-maintenance.

So today I got back from a week of vacation, and found a still sound happy horse -- yay!!!! She felt so good, in fact, that upon asking her to jog with me when we were walking on the driveway, she tried to pick up a canter. Uh, no. She's not supposed to canter yet, and I can't keep up with a canter on the ground. !!!! Silly girl. Fortunately she was persuadable that we were only walking and trotting today.

All hail my trainer and the other folks who took care of my girl this past week. Still trotting sound!!!!!!!!!! (happy dance)

[Lori B]

No, I'm not trying to canter, but Katy did, twice today. (Yikes!!) Yes, she was aced, and yes, we had already walked around politely for 20 minutes or so, and had done a few trot segments down the long sides of the arena. She was a bit balky and lazy, but it's hot, so I chalked the lazy / balky to the heat and to being ring sour. ( I totally understand why she would be ring sour, after the 100th walk around the arena ride....) I asked her to trot, and she shook her head and picked up a canter. After about a dozen strides, I persuaded her to slow to a walk, and got off, and checked her leg (no heat, no swelling, no lameness), and got back on and walked her a bit more, and wanted to see if I could get a short polite trot from her, and again, she picks up a canter, and I get her back to a walk very quickly, and get off and call it a day.

1) If your horse in rehab (sounds like bad E! television show) is balky and lazy but not unsound moving, do you push them through their seeming unwillingness to march forward at the walk, or do you say "gee, she might be sore" and call it a day?

2) What do you do about ring sourness when you don't have anyplace else suitable to ride where you don't feel like you are taking your life in your hands?

3) Please knock on wood that she didn't injure herself.

Katy was not tense or wound up on the ride, or even when she was cantering. She didn't buck, she didn't fling her head around, she didn't try to get rid of me. She just didn't wanna do the same mostly walking w/ short stretches of trot ride that we've been doing for weeks. And who can blame her?

Part of me says, "hey, she must feel good enough to canter, and the other rider in the ring said she didn't look lame either!" The other part says, next time, she could toss you in the dirt just on principle, or she didn't want to trot because trotting was in some way uncomfortable, and that's a source of concern.

AAAAARGH. I am so close to just turning her out and releasing myself and her from rehab jail for a while. But if she reinjured in turnout, I would be horrified. We are still barely trotting about 4 minutes, and at this rate, I don't see how we'll be cantering before Halloween. (authorized cantering, that is.)

I am going to have my trainer get on her a couple times a week for the next few weeks, because I think she can dissuade inappropriate cantering better than I can, and if Katy continues to be a little pissed off and ring sour, she sticks better than I do. And I will keep hand walking her outside of the arena as much as I can, to make it more bearable. But this is so nerve-wracking. Guh.

[Peggy]

We had a few unauthorized canters during our "month" of trotting. I was really torn between "we're not supposed to be doing this" and "gee I've really missed this horse's canter." Star seemed no worse for wear after these. Probably no worse than some of the spinning and leaping episodes we also had.

When we went back to trotting (recall, we had one day of trotting and then he colicked) he would not trot. I felt like a kid on a really bratty Thelwell pony. Enter assistant trainer with dressage whip and spurs. He trotted and looked quite sound. The forward thing continued to be an issue for awhile, partially b/c he was bored I suspect. He was so awful with other horses for awhile that they were banned from the ring while we were riding which made things really boring (but safe).

I tried to do a lot of my walking outside the ring. Typically I'd get on and do the first walk set mostly outside the ring, then enter the ring and walk around once before trotting. Then I'd walk him out at the end outside the ring. He was used to being ridden outside the ring so he was generally good (actually better than inside the ring at times). Definitely noticed a more forward walk when he was walking outside, as compared to inside.

One thing, aside from a nice young assistant trainer, that helped the trot was, duh, really making him walk out beforehand.

[FlashGordon]

AAAAARGH. I am so close to just turning her out and releasing myself and her from rehab jail for a while. But if she reinjured in turnout, I would be horrified. We are still barely trotting about 4 minutes, and at this rate, I don't see how we'll be cantering before Halloween. (authorized cantering, that is.)



My first inclination when I heard balky/lazy and then head shaking and cantering was something is sore. Seems the TB way to act out when they are ouchy in a vague way, at least, in my experience.

That said, I've never had to rehab a horse off an injury like that so it MAY just be her saying "MOM THIS SUCKS I'm bored." Which may very well be the case.

Not a bad idea to have your trainer hop on, and keep an eye on her leg, but probably most likely she is just.... bored.

(and I bet you are too.....! ;) )

[Peggy]

Just remembered something that a vet told me years ago about mares vs geldings and rehab. Vet said they were more apt to remember that something had been painful in the past and be reticent to try it again, even once it didn't hurt.

[Carolinadreamin']

Hang in there and knocking wood like crazy for you! Alas, it didn't work in my case.

[inquisitive]

Glad to hear things are going well!

[Lori B]

Thanks all!!!

Peggy, hearing that your horse was balky in a VERY similar way is comforting. FG, I was of the same conflicted mind -- "Is she sore? Or is she just grumpy?"

My indication that she was being balky / grumpy is this: before I tack her up to ride, I ace her and then hand graze her for a few minutes. And while I did that on Saturday, I jogged her up and down a nice flat firm dirt path next to the barn. And she was GREAT -- forward but not stupid, nice active trot, I had to work to jog alongside her.

Then a few more minutes of grass, then I took her inside and tacked her up. Then we go to the indoor, and bleh: slow lazy balky walk, a few decent trot stretches (assisted by other horse in ring who she like to trot after), and then she gets balky about trotting at all, then she tries to canter.

So I gave her and me the day off yesterday (too hot, and I had to do mega housecleaning), and tonight we'll see if she seems in any way harmed by her exuberance on Saturday, and how she goes generally.

[Lori B]

So, that would be, "Ring sour stall-bound horses for $50, Alex!"

Tonight my plan was to walk her all over, the driveway, out through the hacking fields on the flat parts of the trail, and do our trotting in hand, outside. She was sound, forward at the walk and trot, and very sensible, even when we walked down the loong dirt road next to the mares' field, where I thought they would heckle her or she would have a moment.

We walked for over an hour, w/ many pauses for grazing, and her trotting on the driveway was great. Tomorrow my trainer will get on her, and remind her of her job, trotting in the indoor.

If she gets balky again, I'll declare a Ferris Bueller Day for us both and go for a long brisk walk in hand outside. I know it would probably be better to ride, but I am not comfortable hacking her so far from the barn, at dusk, when no one can see me fall on my head, so I'll do it in hand. I need the exercise.

[Peggy]

Well that's good news!

The two things that convinced me that Star's unwillingness to go forward was more mental were 1-he walked much more briskly outside the ring than in (much as you observed) and I didn't think it could all be attributable to the harder footing outside and 2-I had several pairs of good eyes watching him and assuring me that he looked sound.

[Lori B]

Well, it was so hot yesterday that Katy did her ring work (in the shade, never fear) for my trainer on the buckle, w/ only a 1/2 a cc of ace, which was probably unnecessary. It continues to be a swamp here in Maryland, so she'll likely be the same tonight, at least I hope so.

[Lori B]

Another poky night in the heat, and I was (inadvertently) dehydrated and feeling crummy. Dreaming of a break in the weather....

At the advice of a barnmate, I finally wised up and got a crop, and with just a couple of sharp taps, she was trotting politely down the long sides.

It is so nervewracking to do this right -- make sure and trot forwardly so you can really see that she's not lame. Make sure not to trot too long or she'll reinjure. Don't get her too excited, or she'll take off cantering in the arena. I dream of this being a recreational activity again someday.

And the thing is, she didn't put a foot wrong last night. Once I gave her a good tap with the crop, she was just great, if a little lazy in the heat. Which I was too, heaven knows.

I think I need to get on a different horse and just go for a ride for fun, and get used to riding forward again. 7 months of walking and tiny dabs of trot aren't exactly making me a better rider.

[Lori B]

So, since I stopped being afraid I was going to break Katy by asking her to work a little, we have had wonderful rides. And last night we moved up to 5 minutes of trotting in a 35 minute ride, the rest walking.

She was really great. No scooting, no being silly, relaxed, happy working. At one point when we were trotting nice and forward, she very gently picked up a canter, and I let her canter for a few strides and breathed her back to a trot. It felt great, and she was so polite about it, it didn't worry me in the least.

Next step will be a week of 5 minutes trotting, then 6 minutes the week after. She has been authorized to trot since July 13, but we started really really slow, like a minute or 2 or 3, for a couple weeks. I thought we were trotting longer than that, but wasn't really timing it. But it turns out that one long side of the arena takes only 15 seconds, so 5 minutes is 20 long sides.

If anyone is still awake at this point, when is it safe to start trotting around the ends of the arena? I'm not talking about tight corners, but it's hard to keep the momentum of working when we have to walk the corners and short sides, and only trot again once we are at the start of the long side.

Thoughts? Advice?

[Peggy]

Congratulations on your progress!

Star was authorized to trot thru the corners of the ring after a week of 5 minutes of trotting (the week that we started 10 minutes of trotting). It might depend on the width of your ring. Ours is probably on the order of 30 meters(?).No actual circles until we were done with the whole process, including working up to 20 minutes of canter. I did start diagonals in the third week of trotting. Note that those are the "weeks" as they were supposed to play out. It started to rain, we don't have an indoor, and I had to keep repeating various weeks.

I definitely had to time it b/c it does seem endless, as if there is some sort of bizarre time-space continuum that is making time march backwards.

Star is clocking around 3' courses pretty consistently and we even did a 3'3" oxer the other day. He's also become more civilized with other horses and can now participate in actual group lessons. We are trying another show this weekend.

[Lori B]

I think the ring is 85 x 160. So it wouldn't really constitute a tight turn, I don't think. She's done it a couple times already, but unauthorized.

I'm also starting to dream about turning her out at the end of September........

[marta]

and to trot and canter. vet gave us a schedule for trot work (i don't have it here with me). but she didn't tell us to walk the corners of the arena (which until now i've been doing.

good luck to you!
isn't it a great feeling???:)

[Lori B]

The best thing, Marta, is having the clear sense that I have my horse back, mentally. Now that we are trotting an appreciable amount, and she's turned out in the small paddock a few hours a day, she clearly feels more like herself. She sees what her job is and seems pretty happy doing it, even though she'd like to do more, and to be back out with the girls. Seeing her not be anxious and fussy, seeing her not be a dingbat when handgrazing -- makes me so happy.

It's so cute; after our 10 minutes of initial walking and the first trot, she will pick up the trot with almost no asking once we get to 'the spot'. And as we get to about minute 30+, she looks at the arena door like "Ok, I know we're done now." She's very smart.

[marta]

we only did the long sides of the arena. and my mare quickly figured it out so she'd go back to walk before the corners...
they are so clever. but i agree with you, work is the best thing for their mind. my mare was never on stall rest so we had that going for us, however, she's been such a lunatic on trails (this is a seasoned trail horse) that i'm upgrading my bit so that we can safely venture out without her taking me on mile long gallops!

[asterix]

The best thing, Marta, is having the clear sense that I have my horse back, mentally. ... Seeing her not be anxious and fussy, seeing her not be a dingbat when handgrazing -- makes me so happy.



Yep, that's it! When my guy was getting turned out and ridden more, and suddenly stopped being a complete snark to every other horse (we still have the impressive hole he put in the barn wall by doublebarrelling it just because...because...I don't know, some horse 30 feet from him looked at him wrong. poor guy was at the end of his rope by then!)....
it was the greatest gift, really. To see him return to his sweet self.

Having done this rehab thing several times now, I always have to remember that the tough feelings you have at the beginning DO get replaced, eventually, with these small victories, and that you do learn to appreciate so much the horse you have as things progress.
Congrats and enjoy!!

[Lori B]

Yes, exactly, asterix. Just enjoying seeing her be her usual happy relaxed self is just a gift. She is, in ordinary circumstances, a remarkably quiet horse -- a child could lead her, she is gentle, she goes XC in a happy mouth french link -- but without turnout and her buddies, she's the hot grumpy TB mare from central casting.

I am now letting myself imagine hacking out soon, and maybe some local dressage shows after xmas.... and back to jumping and local events (BBN) in spring 2010.......

[Lori B]

Yesterday evening it was lovely and cooler here, which could make a silly horse. But she has been so good for 2 weeks, I decided to brave it, and we worked w/o Ace for the first time since.... April?

She was foot perfect. Alert, nice active walk, responsive, and just as good as could be. :D:D:D:D:D

I'm sure we will have need of it again now and then as we get back to work, but I'm so happy to report that she seems to be fine without it right now.

[marta]

so awesome!
doesn't trotting for 5 minutes feel like forever? i think back to the days before the injury when we used to trot for miles and never gave it a thought. now 4 minutes feels like an eternity ;)

so what are you working on? are you just trotting around the outside of the arena or are you working on smaller circles, too?

[Lori B]

marta -- we mainly still do long sides and go all the way around the arena maybe 2 or 3x per ride. She still is not that strong, even on a long, gentle curved turn, so I'm not pushing it. Sometimes we do a diagonal of the arena, just to trot in a straight line a little longer. She seems to need the arena wall to move in a straight line. It's all about rebuilding strength and balance, so I'm being patient and going slow.

[FlashGordon]

Lori when you guys do get back to competing I am so coming down there to be your groom for the weekend! ;) And to have some congratulatory drinks! You've done such a super job with her rehab.

[Lori B]

Awwwww, that would be so cool. You have plenty of time, I think, til that happens. I think the challenge now will be making myself be patient with very incremental progress -- she is a TB, in spite of having the personality of a fluffy bunny most of the time, and just because she thinks she's ready to rock, doesn't mean I don't have to be vigilant not to let us overdo.

She was a very good girl last night, and very relaxed and friendly. Which is what thrills me right now. I don't feel like a jailer anymore!

[Hilary]

Excellent! When my guy was recovering I started doing turns at the trot in a big field - so I wasn't limited to the ring. You might not have that option, but just a thought.

My ring has fairly deep sand so I didn't want to go there anyway for a while - he progressed as follows: walking on pavement, walking on grass, trotting on pavement, trotting on grass in straight lines, then big curves. Then cantering on grass in straight lines, then big curves. then smaller curves.

I don't think I put him in the ring with the deep footing faster than a walk until he was doing normal work on firm footing.

Good luck with the rest of your recovery.

[Roxx]

I have been following your progress and am so glad to hear your mare is doing so well :)
My mare is just coming back from 3 mths stall rest for bruised feet and swelling in the medial collateral lig of the coffin jt. She is still on stall rest until mid Oct. I am starting 3 mins of trot tomorrow but I did a couple of straight lines today and she felt like a lump of blubber!! I know I read somewhere far back in this post that that might happen because they have lost muscle and have basically not trotted since beginning of June. Also Lori B I'm wondering how much ace you gave your mare when you started trotting? Mine is a TB but also has a very sweet (lazy) temperament (most of the time).

[Lori B]

Roxx -- re: drugs -- my mare is on a low dose of liquid reserpine every other day, has been since March. That won't change until after we turn her out for real.

The most Ace I have ever given her at once was 1.5 cc. Really. Lately, before Monday, it was usually 0.75cc, which is enough to prevent random scoots when someone kicks a handful of footing into the metal arena walls. :-)

I thought this was a lot, until someone told me that for firebreathers, much higher doses are common -- 3 or 4 cc. As always, get your drug advice from a professional, not me. But judiciously used, as part of the "keep your horse's 4 feet on GROUND during rehab" program, I find Ace invaluable.

Hilary, our indoor isn't deep, so that's where I ride. Outside, things are ... a little too wide open for me and her right now. Mainly me. But we do walk up and down the nice flat driveway, and will do that under saddle soon too.

[abv1269]

Hi. My mare did not have a suspensory issue, but my vet has us rehabbing us as if she did, so for what it's worth here's our schedule. I did read the rehab book, but am very comfortable with my vet as she's highly regarded around my area, specializes in lameness + does work for a lot of the BN horses/trainers.

All of this assumes good footing and that the mare continues to be sound....

Week 1- walk under tack in good footing 20-30 min
Week 2 - add 5 minutes trot (total) if horse sound and comfortable ( We just started this, and thankfully the mare is sound! She's been very eager to jump into the trot, and more forward than i remember her, but tires quickly.)
Week 3 - 5 add 10 minutes trot per week until we reach 30 min total
Week 6 - 8 add 5 minutes canter each week

Week 8 -- re-evaluation and if all is well, resume low jumping. She also mentioned possibly doing hills at a local place with good footing, but again, we'll see about this when she comes back out. I'm not taking any chances.

My vet told me cold hosing was not really necessary, but heck, if I have the time I do it. Nice bonding time with my girl, and if it does make her feel better on any level, great. Makes me feel better, so that's a plus!

Again, I'm only in week 2, so we'll see how this regimen stands up.

[abv1269]

that we've not used any drugs. Maybe i'm too stupid to walk upright and breathe at the same time, but my girl is normally very level headed and generally not inclined to self motivate, and it just didn't seem like a place we'd need to go. That being said, the other day we were walking and she decided to spook at the same 4 deer that always graze outside the arena and nearly dumped me flat on my a**, but she came back right away and no harm done, thankfully.

[marta]

we trotted yesterday for 7 minutes. it nearly killed me. trotting in the arena is so much more work than running around on trails ;) but she remained nice forward and round throughout the process:)

[Peggy]

Star's rehab schedule was supposed to go something like this, starting 2-3 weeks after ending shockwave/IRAP for a collateral ligament strain (more details in blog linked in signature line):
Tack walk one month for 30 minutes, IIRC, increasing to 40 minutes by the end. Hard or reasonably soft footing or mix OK.
Month of trotting, starting with five minutes (no turns) and increasing 5 minutes a week to twenty minutes. Turns OK after first week, but no circles. OK to break up into sets. Turned into three months with impaction colic and then rain
Month of cantering, starting with 5 minutes, increasing 5 minutes a week to a total of 20 minutes, subtracting 5 minutes each week from trot work so total work = 60 minutes. That ended up being 6 weeks, with rain delays.
Month of "normal" flat work, gradually incorporating circles, figure-8's, lateral work, counter canter.
Start jumping, taking a month to get back to previous height (3-3'3"). We took a LOT longer to work up to that
.

WRT drugs we used IV or oral ace as needed (introducing something new and exciting, distractions in ring, cold brisk day) thru the beginning of the trot work. I think the most I used orally was maybe 1.5 cc.

[Roxx]

Thanks for the replies!
My mare hasn't needed any tranq while on stall rest but when we started walking 2 weeks ago my vet suggested ACE. She suggested 2cc and I found that to be too much for my mare so since the 2nd ride we've been doing 1.5cc. I was thinking of going down to 1cc for our ride tomorrow because we're doing 3 min of trot. 3 mins...that's going to feel like forever!!

[asterix]

Just wanted to tell everyone to hang in there!
My rehab case (bilateral hind suspensory TEARS, yes, TEARS. Surgery, etc.) got the green light to jump again about 11 months after his injury (rehab was delayed by about 6 weeks due to an unrelated issue).

I took it really slow with the jumping.

Two days ago I finally had my first cross country school with my trainer. Horse was a fire-breathing dragon (not his normal mode -- seems to have been sheer glee :D) but jumped well.

It was the most he'd done since, well, since the injury.

Yesterday I took both horses out for a hack with a friend. Watching him trot in front of me on the trail, ears pricked, sound as a dollar, bursting with energy...

Yeah. That was really, really the bomb.

Just sent in our first competition entry since May 08.

Hang in there!

[marta]

what a great feeling that had to be.
congrats!

[asterix]

It was. Amazing, such a small thing, but it made my week.

[Lori B]

So today, Katy clearly felt good. Jumping bean good. Sassy little brown mare good. We did our jogging up and down the driveway in hand warmup trick, for her loosening up and mine, which seemed to settle her down.

I didn't give her Ace. I said to myself, "time to learn to ride your horse when she's energetic, Lori B."

We had 20 minutes of a completely reasonable ride, with a couple of unauthorized cantering moments. But I had the distinct feeling that she was going to 'pop', and I was right. As we trotted down the long side of the arena, she tossed her head, and I half halted very gently, but she was not havin' any. So she takes off cantering, and gathers herself, and gives me a lovely leap buck canter away combination that felt distinctly like taking a jump, minus the obstacle. I sat up and said 'dammit, I am not coming off', grabbed the breastplate, jammed down my heels and looked up, so I wasn't dislodged at all by her silliness. After I got her back to to a trot, I decided that this was an excellent time for a brief longe session. (Don't worry! It was brief and at maximum circle size!!!!!)

She had one moment, to the left, where she was a bit hot, and she dug in, took three "I am about to explode" canter strides, bucked once, then settle back to a trot. Can't tell you how glad I am that I wasn't riding then. Then she settled back to working politely from voice commands both ways walk and trot. She would pick up the canter when trotting seemed like a lot of work, but she didnt' take any lame steps in either direction.

Tomorrow: a little Ace, but I am going to insist that she work through her moment politely, if she's having one.

Unless the vet recheck shows her suspensory looking re-injured, I am going to turn her out very soon. I really think she is ready, and she needs an outlet for her yayas that doesn't involve me having the trainer get on her 4x a week.

[pharmgirl]

Congrats on all your progress (and surviving :)), Lori B!! It really is the little things in the rehab process that make it worthwhile.

While reading your last post, I am having a flashback to Moose's rehab when we basically decided he needed to return to the hayfield. He had been cooped up a lot b/c of the turnout situation being whacky due to the horse trials, and I had been sick so he didn't have much outside/ride time. When it was time for the vet to recheck him that week, I could tell tacking up that there was NO WAY I was getting on. We barely got a few strides of normal gait (in between bucking, flailing, etc) for the vet to evaluate him!

The last straw was when I got on for a light hack with some others, which included his rehab buddy/big brother-for-the-time-being Piko. Piko and other rider went trotting away across the dam, and I felt prancing, head tossing, etc and before the riding buddies could come back he let out one big buck (which I stayed on!) but then another right after (which I didn't!) and ran across the dam straight for them! A friend of mine and I swapped horses and it was clear that Moose was showing off for his Big Brother Piko. After that, he went right out into his hayfield for 24/7 turnout!

I think they sometimes have to "yell" at us for us to know when they are ready ;).

[Lori B]

So, today I rode Katy for my vet to re-evaluate her, and what I thought was a bit of stiffness under saddle the vet said, "She's still off." Ultrasound confirmed that the suspensory has deteriorated markedly since July, when we were cleared to start trotting again. She is sound jogging in a straight line in hand, but not consistently sound at the trot under saddle.

I was afraid that things weren't going as well as her enthusiasm would have me think.

Options at this point: Vet is going to pass Katy's file to someone named Jennifer Barrett (at EMC in Virginia -http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/emc/welcome/bios/barrett.asp?), who is doing research into stem cells and growing ligaments and tendons outside the horse and injecting them at the site of injury.

If Katy is an excellent candidate for this (still experimental) treatment, I'll consider it, but the cost will be a factor in my decision, since insurance doesn't cover any more treatment of this particular injury.

Meanwhile we are going to turn her out for a year and see if time will heal what vets, treatments, and very carefully controlled exercise under saddle has not succeeded at.

I am pretty tired and disappointed.

Does anyone know anything about this vet, or treatments for suspensory injuries that don't want to heal / stay healed? The precipitating injury in our case took place in (we think) December 2008.

[FlashGordon]

NOOOOO.

I don't even know what to say Lori. I am sure you are hugely disappointed and frustrated at this point.

Having never dealt with this type of injury I can't offer any good suggestions, just sympathy! I am so very sorry for you both!

Maybe the turnout for a year is not a bad option?

[Lori B]

FG, thanks, yeah, I'm kinda sick to my stomach right now. It's just been this intense slog of trying to do the right thing all the time, and thinking we were on track, only to find out that the suspensory heals very slowly and when apparently healed, won't stay healed with even a very conservative course of work.

I think I need to get her evaluated for this potential treatment before I turn her out, because I think that letting her back with her girls and then bringing her back to stall rest for some treatment or other would be just cruel to everyone. :no::no:

[FlashGordon]

FG, thanks, yeah, I'm kinda sick to my stomach right now. It's just been this intense slog of trying to do the right thing all the time, and thinking we were on track, only to find out that the suspensory heals very slowly and when apparently healed, won't stay healed with even a very conservative course of work.

I think I need to get her evaluated for this potential treatment before I turn her out, because I think that letting her back with her girls and then bringing her back to stall rest for some treatment or other would be just cruel to everyone. :no::no:

That certainly makes sense. Especially given that you've invested a lot of time, energy and money into her rehab thus far, and if the treatment has any chance of improving things, it may well be worth it.

Oh geez I just feel so terrible for you both. You have been so dedicated to her rehab, and she has been such a good girl.

[marta]

i'm so sorry!
i just got sick to my stomach when i saw you changed the title of the thread.
i've been following your progress and cheering for you and your mare. rehab is so draining even when things go right and when things don't it's just awful.

(((hugs)))
i don't know anything about the vet you mentioned.
i believe my mare is much older than yours. i didn't do any of the invasive procedures, partially due to cost, partially b/c i didn't want her laid up in a stall for a long period of time. if she didn't continue improving i was going to do tendon splitting w/ plasma injection. i'm still keeping that in the back of my pocket in the event the scar tissue doesn't hold with work increase.

[Perfect Pony]

I am so very sorry :( I have reading this thread and rooting for you. My mare had stifle surgery 5 months ago and it's been stop and go too. I have no idea what I might find any given day. Just thought I would pop in and send my support your way.

[Carolinadreamin']

Oh no, Lori. I am so sorry. Hopefully, just a minor setback? I know our vet was really positive about the stem cell treatment.

As for us, our gelding reinjured himself over a month ago after his initial suspensory tear back in May. With a broken heart, I signed over his papers last month to a wonderful horsewoman who has her own place and has known him all his life. She is giving him about a year of turnout and then will see how he's doing. He is blissfully happy. I know my trainer has had horses with the same injury and not having money for all the expensive treatments, time and turnout have done wonders and they have become sound again.

I wish you the best with your mare. You've been through so much.

[Lori B]

Thanks, Marta & PP. Yeah, Katy is only 7, so it feels crazy to even contemplate that retirement is on the table. She was not raced hard or long -- 7 starts in her 4 & 5 year old years. Shrug?!!!? I just don't know.

[Lori B]

The thing is, CD, Katy's had significant improvement of her suspensory ultrasounds 2 times in the past 10 months, only to have them deteriorate on the reintroduction of really moderate conservative work under saddle. Once back in April, the ultrasound looked better and she went sound briefly, only to backslide. Then she was much better in July, and we've been very very slowly adding trot to our walk rides since then, only to find that -- again -- ultrasound looks wore and trotting under saddle is not consistently sound. She is trotting sound in hand, that the doctor agrees, and I can hear when we go up the driveway on our walk / jogs. It won't stay healed.

[marta]

it seems to work for so many horses. she's young. one year is nothing in her life. and it may be the best thing for her.

[FlashGordon]

Lori, maybe Win is e-mailing her and telling her how good life is as a Pasture Maintenance Engineer. I'll tell him to knock it off. ;)

[Lori B]

Yeah, I am ready for her to do some Pasture Maintenance. Really, I am.

Marta, I'm basically thinking that I will have her evaluated for this other treatment, and if she's a GREAT candidate, and it's not so insanely expensive that I will have to drive my 10 year old car 10 more years, then we'll consider it. If the stars don't align for this other treatment, then out she goes to turnout for a year. I'll come out and brush her and feed her carrots a few times a week, but other than that, she is likely to be a lady of leisure until fall 2010.

[marta]

remember how long the rehab ahead seemed when she first got diagnosed? and then somehow days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and the next thing you know all this time passed. so while a year may seem like a long time initially, it'll go by fast. and you can still pamper her and give her lots of love. and w/ an OTTB she may really appreciate that time off for other reasons, unrelated to the injury.

i'll be jingling for you guys regardless :)

[pharmgirl]

Oh No! So sorry, Lori B! :(:(:(
No advice here, just lots of hugs for you!

[Beethoven]

Ug that sucks!

Today we did my boy's 5th shockwave treatment. We have been shockwaving him every 2 weeks or a little more depending on when the vet can get out. I even got to do some! It was cool. I am in training to be a vet tech, so the vet lets me do various things espically on my own horse. He lunged almost sound today!! Hurray! I was worried cause I caught him running around in turnout a couple days in a row. :no: I found a quiet buddy for him so he was no longer lonely and he has not been running since then. He has never been on stall rest. We kept him on his regular schedule which was out all night and in during the day. I did move him to private turnout but then he got lonely so now has a pony buddy. I started putting surpass on him after about 4 weeks as the vet wanted to wait. I put it on daily for 2 weeks and now if I see any inflammation in the area.

We are rechecking him in a week and if he still looks good then I am gonna start bringing him back into work. I am allowed to get on him and walk him right now, which I am planning to start doing as he is starting to lose muscle since he has been out of work for about 8 weeks now plus he is 18 so gettig him back in shape is gonna be harder. So I think we will start doing some walking!:)

[Go Fish]

So, today I rode Katy for my vet to re-evaluate her, and what I thought was a bit of stiffness under saddle the vet said, "She's still off." Ultrasound confirmed that the suspensory has deteriorated markedly since July, when we were cleared to start trotting again. She is sound jogging in a straight line in hand, but not consistently sound at the trot under saddle.

I was afraid that things weren't going as well as her enthusiasm would have me think.

Options at this point: Vet is going to pass Katy's file to someone named Jennifer Barrett (at EMC in Virginia -http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/emc/welcome/bios/barrett.asp?), who is doing research into stem cells and growing ligaments and tendons outside the horse and injecting them at the site of injury.

If Katy is an excellent candidate for this (still experimental) treatment, I'll consider it, but the cost will be a factor in my decision, since insurance doesn't cover any more treatment of this particular injury.

Meanwhile we are going to turn her out for a year and see if time will heal what vets, treatments, and very carefully controlled exercise under saddle has not succeeded at.

I am pretty tired and disappointed.

Does anyone know anything about this vet, or treatments for suspensory injuries that don't want to heal / stay healed? The precipitating injury in our case took place in (we think) December 2008.

I had a cutting mare with a history much like what you are going through. After a year, we were back where we started. In frustration, I bred her and turned her out in the broodmare band. Weaned the foal and the mare was sound. She never ever took another lame step. She's hauling around a kid in the novice now and doing great. So, turning her out may not be a bad decision. We try our best, but sometimes time and Mother Nature is the best medicine.

[Lori B]

Every story like your, Go Fish, is very encouraging. I'll skip the breeding part, though :eek::eek:, becuz I can't even contemplate being responsible for the expenses associated w/ another hoofed critter right now. Heavens, no.

[Peggy]

Oh crap:mad:.

Before we had all this fancy-smanchy diagnostic stuff and people couldn't figure out what was wrong with their still-lame horse, they often got turned out for awhile. And sometimes it worked. I can even thing of two more recent ones where the owners did go thru the fancy diagnostics, found nothing, and finally in deep desperation turned the horses out. In each case, someone noticed one day that each was sound, and both were eventually returned to work.

I think your plan to look into this further treatment and try it if it seems a good match is a good plan.

The fact that there is a positive correlation between lack of soundness and not good changes in the ultrasound makes me think it's pretty likely that whatever is going on there is indeed causing the problem. I guess there could be some weird other thing going on that manages to mess up what you're looking out without showing itself otherwise, but that would be more of a zebra than a horse (violation of Occam's Razor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor)).

Star was NQR Sunday. Periodically and for about 4-5 steps each time. So, I poulticed, wrapped, packed feet and called the vet. It was better today (less often and 1-2 steps at a time) but I'm keeping the vet appointment.

[Lori B]

My sentiments exactly, Peggy.

Agree w/ your analysis regarding Occam & his razor. Unless I have a reason to suspect a zebra, I'll keep looking for a horse. :-)

I really hope Star's NQR is a minor / non-event type thing. I have to think that you (and I, someday) will always be hypervigilant about the slightest gimpy steps taken by our steeds. I remember those carefree days, when horsey would occasionally take a bad step, and it would go away, and I didn't lose much sleep over it. THAT isn't going to happen again, for a while. :-\

[EventerAJ]

Sorry to hear your setback, Lori. I've been down a similar path with a bowed tendon...spent a year doing All The Right Things and precise physical rehab...only to have the horse bow again (come to find out much later, an imbecile let him loose on the farm and watched him run the ky derby 6 laps around the entire property).

This time around, we kicked him out in the back 40--gasp, horror, this horse who hadn't ever been in a field larger than 2 acres, and certainly never 24/7, in real WEATHER! He adapted incredibly well, never a single moment of wild crazy silliness. Took up responsibility as Herd "Stallion," dutifully led the herd to water and feed twice daily and kept everybody in line. It was hard for me to let go of "my" tendon and succomb to watching helplessly as he healed himself with good old-fashioned time. But it WORKED, and that horse would later take his rider (not me, I'm just the groom!) around many advanced events and two four-stars. :)

Currently, I'm rehabbing a very severe suspensory injury on a 5 y/o OTTB. Track trainer complained "I don't know what's wrong, he ain't right" (:rolleyes:) and when I removed the horse's wraps after the trailer trip, his LF was HUGE and hot. You can not define the suspensory ligament below 2" distal to the knee. It was a large fibrous blob all the way to his inflamed ankle. A Very Well-Respected Vet came and ultrasounded it; following exclamatory expletives, Vet proclaimed the suspensory more or less "destroyed" with a thumb-sized lesion spanning a full 5" of the ligament's vertical length. Horse is pasture sound, and may be (eventually) riding sound after 18 months off. After 30 days stall rest, he's living outside, being a horse, walking himself but not overstressing the leg. I might get on him late next year, if things go well.

Taking a step back is often the way to take a leap forward, in the long run. :)

[Fharoah]

I am so sorry to hear this Lori B. I have been reading your threads, and was really hoping your mare would stay sound. My deepest sympathies, I went through a simular rehab with Fharoah who has since had pastern arthrodesis surgery. I know one horse who did very well with four months stall rest, one year turnout. I really hope stem cell can help!


Best Wishes!

[inquisitive]

So sorry to hear this Lori. Keep us posted and best wishes!

[Lori B]

Thanks, all.

Of course, all the while that I am so disappointed and frustrated, she is still her same charming and pleasant self. While the vet ultrasounded her leg, she rested her chin on my hip and was lipping my hand all the while.

I think tonight when I go to the barn I'm going to groom her, put her bridle on, and take her for a walk out in the hacking trails. She'll be happy to get out of the danged indoor, and we can check out the new XC fences the BO just built. Katy is just going to become the world's largest labrador retriever for the next year, minus the barking. I almost feel guilty for being stressed about not being able to ride her, since of course she's happy to just hang out. It's not like she's deathly ill, she's just a ferociously expensive pasture ornament right now. It's hard to know how much to be invested in hoping that the year off is going to heal her injury, that's all.

[Fharoah]

So sad for you! Was bone marrow not an option? http://www.horsebc.com/kvs/bonemarrow_atcl.htm

[Lori B]

Fharaoh, I am just now investigating next step options w/ a specialist at the Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, and stem cell is one of them. I need to get Katy's records to this specialist, and then get an appointment for her to be evaluated. We might not necessarily be looking at turnout for a year just yet, based on a very informational conversation I had with the doctor earlier today. Will update when I know more.

[Penthilisea]

I also highly reccomend pasture rest, although based on what you've said here, I would mix in some walk work in the ring and on the trail for both of your mental health. My 16 year old TB fractured his ilium (the bone between spine and pelvis). Vet said stall rest was a 50/50 shot for soundness. I opted for 24/7 turnout and he is going really well, sound, comfortable and happy. We did do walk work after the first few weeks, but that was also because we don't know for sure when the fracture occured (was only diagnosed with a last resort bone scan).

[Dirty Little Secret]

stem cells without a doubt. Getting them from the fat rather than the bone marrow is less invasive and has great results too. Definitely worth a look at this point.
Good friend had a big boy with a lesion that he'd had for months and had it injected with stem cells. Did the rehab thing and he's completely and totally sound less than 1 year later.
I just did them for a SDFT tear and mine has been sound since month 1.

[touchstone-]

I almost feel guilty for being stressed about not being able to ride her, since of course she's happy to just hang out. It's not like she's deathly ill, she's just a ferociously expensive pasture ornament right now. .

I am *so* sorry about this bad news. You must be so frustrated and disappointed.

It is worth reminding yourself of the above as you go through the next few months. I keep telling it to myself about my horse, who recently reinjured a nearly-rehabbed soft tissue injury. At least the horse doesn't much care! I'm sure your girl will be perfectly happy munching grass, getting groomed and gobbling loads of guilt carrots while she convalesces.

[atr]

I'm five weeks into re-injury.

I'm sorry this happened to you--I've been following along and so hoping that your tender loving care would do the trick.

I brought him home, and once he was sound w/t in hand (oh, maybe a week later--I think this was more of a warning than a disaster,) I turned him out in my half-acre paddock, which is on a slope. He's on his own, but surrounded by my other horses, so no shenanigans. I spread his hay out all over the pasture so it keeps him pretty well occupied for at least half the day--and moving, which I think is important--and he looks to be doing really well so far.

Vet is coming to recheck him on Saturday. I think he'll probably give me the green light to get on and walk him, so that's what I'll do for the next 8 weeks or so. He's lost so much muscle and is a bit of a lard-butt anyway, so I think some careful work might be a good thing--and running him in hand up my driveway is about killing me :) Then I'll make a decision as to where we go from there--rest of winter off, or back to boarding barn and further rehab. I can't work him at home through the winter--the snow and ice get too intense.

Then I have to decide where to go. Long story that could go in the nutty BOs thread, but I've just been excommunicated by my trainer, so I have to find a new barn, new trainer... argh.

[KobeTrixie57]

Lori, I'm so sorry to hear about the backslide. We PM'd each other a month ago when my mare was just diagnosed. We are at week 6 of stall rest and waiting for the re-ultrasound on Friday. Two weeks ago the lower tear was almost normal but the high one was "not quite as good as hoped". It appears to have happend before due to the signs of scar tissue. Ugh! I had enjoyed your posts so much. Please try to keep your spirits up whatever path you choose for your mare. Jingles!!!!

[asterix]

Lori, I feel your pain! Before my current rehabbing boy I had another who was a 5 year terrible emotional roller coaster of multiple soft tissue injuries, rehabs, turning out, getting fit again, etc. That story did not end well and I do not think it is relevant here, but just to say, trust me, I have so been there and done that years before I even bought this horse.

I understand how this feels. Really and truly.

You have two good options here, getting an expert opinion on next steps and potentially turning her out for a year.

None of us can tell you what the right thing to do is; but if you decide to turn her out, please don't think you are somehow making the lesser choice for HER. SHE will have a great year. You will have to find a way to make peace with where she is versus where you want to be as a rider. That's a different thing, and can be very frustrating, but if you can learn to separate the two it will make the emotional journey a bit easier.

Keep us posted!!!

[Lori B]

Thanks asterix. I am definitely going to get a second opinion, and evaluate our choices from there, one of the choices being a year of turnout. I don't know what I think right now, it's hard not to think that doing something isn't better than not doing something, but it really depends on what we hear from the specialist.

She's so young, I really hate the thought of her being done as a riding horse at 7. Seven! 15-20 years of pasture ornamentation is hard to contemplate. Crossing my fingers that I'm not there yet.

[Lori B]

So, Tuesday I wrote an e-mail to my claims adjuster at Great American, updating her on Katy's condition. It was my not-fully-up-to-speed understanding that further treatment of this injury was not covered by the policy, because it's been longer than 6 months since the injury.

I just got an e-mail from Heather, my claims adjuster (love her!), saying that the 6 month limit is on NON-SURGICAL treatment of an injury, and that stem cell and the other surgical options are in fact reasonably likely to be covered.

So this next round of care, which is going to be in the $3k+ ballpark if Katy is a good candidate and we decide to do it, isn't going to have to come completely out of my hide.

Excuse me while I dance around like an idiot in my cubicle (insert appropriate stick art of Lori B dancing like a frog in blender here).

Yay!!!

[Peggy]

Yeah!:D. My vet says that Great American is one of the better ones to deal with.

[Addison]

Very good news! Good luck to you and your mare. Please keep us posted.

[Nicki's Mom]

Hi Lori,

I have been following your saga recently and finally decided to offer you my tale, some hope, and some suggestions.

Here's the highlights/low lights of my suspensory:

June 2007: I take off the boots after a XC school to find some filling in the left front. Horse not lame, but it turns out to be a grade 3 out of 5 lesion in zone 2, so up high. Just like yours. I have a high energy guy and we have issues so I had to keep riding him but as slow as possible. So we mostly walked with many spooks, spins, bolts mixed in. Like your grazing, eating was very important in controlling blowups.

At three months the ultrasound showed significant improvement and I thought "Wow this won't be so bad. Another three months and we'll be back". Boy was I wrong!! After another three months, there was no change. I asked why? The ultrasound specialist (she's been doing this for 30 years) said that this is the frustrating stage of suspensories. You'll get improvement early, but then it slows way down. She said don't even think of this as healed until AT LEAST A YEAR. My vet, who also does chiropractic and acupuncture, said we also had to look to why he broke. We think it is because of his lazy/weak right hind that he overloads his left front. So part of our recovery program was to really strengthen the right hind.

So I kept riding and slowly incorporating trotting. But I added poles. I started with single poles at the walk. I would make courses of poles and pretend that they were jumps. I helped my horses attention. Then trotting. Slowly built up to four poles. Then raised the trot poles. Ingrid Klimke's Cavaletti book was a real help. Eventually we cantered cavaletti. He came out of this work much stronger overall.

We had lots of setbacks as he jumped out of his 20' x 30' paddock. Dumped me while riding. Every time I was a wreck fearing tearing more of those precious fibers. The worst was in January 2008 he bolted during a hand walk, dragged me, and took off galloping to the next town. That act created a new lesion above the original. :( So now a year from that!!

Your Katy has a good mind. My guy became dangerous and I could not ride in the indoor with anyone else. (still can't!) Ace was my friend. But we have survived. This year 2009 (yes two years later!) we finally got the all clear and started jumping again. My trainer actually suggested competing this fall.:eek: This of course was the kiss of death. Just three weeks ago my guy was wild in his paddock ( we had worked up to 30'x60' ) and he has a small lesion on his check ligament, so we are back to walking with a bit of trot.:( I cried for a while saying I can't go through this again. I abandoned him for 10 days (only brushed him once during that time). I couldn't face him. But we will get through it and compete in 2010. My guy is only 7 too.

So you can do it!! These things do heal. I realize she keeps reinjuring it whenever you get going a bit, but that means you have not found out WHY she overloads that left front. I slacked off the strengthening of the right hind over the summer thinking it would stay strong, but I think the cavaletti work really helped. It will now be part of every dressage ride (once we're allowed to do that).

My suggestions:

I'm not a fan of just turning out a horse. That is truly a lost year. Even if you spend a lot of time at the walk there is a lot to do. Practice straightness, turns, transitions from halt to walk to free walk. Use those walk/trot poles and create courses to practice all that. Perfect your position too. My guy has gained a lot over the two years.


Keep the shoes on. If you get ice, only borium will prevent a major slip.


Most importantly find out WHY she overloads that left front and keeps tearing the ligament. A good chiropractor should be able to help you there.

Sorry this is long. I hope it helps. Do hang in there and I'll see you out on XC some day!! ;)

[Lori B]

very interesting re: loading. No one has said a peep about that, it's all just been a discussion of how some suspensory injuries don't stay healed.

Right now, my vet doesn't want me riding her at all, so I'm not, and am taking her to a specialst (Dr. Jennifer Barrett in Leesburg, VA) on this coming Friday.

I would take 'no change', because what we seem to get, after each of the 2 times we have started to re-incorporate trotting, is re-injury.

Right now, if I jog her on a hard straight surface, though, she does appear sound.

Thanks very much for your story.

[marta]

if you're considering exercise during the lay up, i would suggest ground driving. it allowed me to work my mare in frame, we worked in the arena (no tight circles obviously), we worked on trails. it gave me something to do with her and it certainly kept her mind busy.

[Lori B]

So, today we took Katy to the DuPont Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, to be evaluated for further treatments for this hard to heal suspensory, and we got better than expected news.

Dr. said that while she is lame 1/5 on the left front, she's still clearly better than she started at the beginning, ultrasound wise, and she ended up recommending that we keep her in her paddock (yay) but cease riding (already did that, last week) and even not do any additional handwalking except for grazing, and that after 2 months of this more strict rest, she wants to re-evaluate her for surgery, but that she didn't think it was necessary at this time. Not even stem cell.

She just thinks that Katy's post-PRP rehab needed to be slower, and said that PRP can make a horse feel much better and have better ultrasounds, but not at all be ready to be back in work yet, that she is still remodelling the ligament, and we just need to give it more time.

So while we are back to resting, it seems that with luck, we could be starting back to work in late winter, if she responds to this approach.

So for now, no surgery, just keep on keepin' on and see if stricter rest and a bit longer before we get back to work is the ticket.

I am very impressed w/ our doctor, and am quietly optimistic. Yay. (only a small 'yay', no exclamation point, I know better by now.)

[marta]

So happy for both of you.

[atr]

Well, that's positive. Good.

And Nicki's Mom, thanks for that. Some very good food for thought.

My vet is coming out tomorrow to re-evaluate Walker after 6 weeks of hanging out in my little paddock at home and going on hand walks and trots. Seems solidly sound in hand--has done since he came home. And he's looking and feeling really heathy after 6 weeks of all-day turnout and mommy watching his diet like a hawk and fussing over him. I suspect the vet will tell me to get back on him. Which will be good. He's like handwalking a shark. Thinks it's a game...

So now I'm scrutunizing boarding situations for him for the winter so I can find somewhere where he will get the same kind of routine. I'd love to keep him home, but it gets a bit gnarly up there in the winter to be able to continue rehab riding safely, and the whiskery old boys are bunked up together at the moment and they really need their individual residences once the snow starts to fly.

[Lori B]

Handwalking a shark

Snort. Giggle. I totally get that.

Thanks all! Now must go home and sleeeeeeep.

[Peggy]

That sounds like good news. My understanding of the PRP is that it makes for better healing, but not a faster return to work?

But handwalking a shark adds upper body exercise, thus providing a full-body workout. :lol: No need for the gym, which you can't afford after paying your vet bills anyway.

I think I'll take a shark over a kite tho. Walking Star is more like walking a vacuum cleaner as he spends a lot of time with his nose literally on the ground, searching for something edible.

Vet came out last week and injected Star's coffin joints. He was amazing (per trainer and assistant) on Tuesday of this week for the first ride. Then he developed something in the LH (abscess?). Poulticed foot and leg for two days, he jogged out sound today, and I actually got to ride my horse today, for the first time in almost two weeks. He felt great and was quite the gentleman , especially given that it was his second ride in not-quite two weeks.

[Lori B]

Peggy, glad that injections seem to be good for Star. There are so many horses who get as much as 10 more years on their working life from them, they are kinda amazing.

Last night Ms. Buglet was grumpy, grumpy. When I went to get her, she wouldn't look up from her hay til I asked her about 5 times from the door, and at one point she came over, checked my hands for treats, found no treat (am trying to cut back a little). She then sighed dramatically and lumbered over to her empty feed pan. Drama queen!

I hand grazed her for nearly an hour, since her paddock is pretty grazed down by now. At one point she dropped to the ground as if to roll, and instead, dragged her belly back and forth, trying to get to an itchy spot!!! Next time she does this, I swear I'll be trying to get a picture, it's so silly looking.


After she got back up, I scratched her belly for her, which eased the crankiness somewhat. She must despair of every teaching the Food Lady anything, the Food Lady being so dim....

And I'm still laughing at the visual of hand-walking a shark.

[Lori B]

Well, Katy is doing much the same in her paddock. We finally bit the bullet a gave her a touch more reserpine, because her random rearing / bouncing around was slightly dangerous to barn staff, as well as me, and with the adjustment, she is less airborne, and we don't give her ace at all, even for hand grazing. Her paddock is grazed down to dirt and giant alien weeds, so she gets some hay in there every day, but handgrazing time is clearly the hightlight of her day.

I'm going to schedule her re-check at Leesburg for right before Thanksgiving. If she looks improved, I'm not sure what will be the recommended next step, but I would guess we'll be instructed to start handwalking at that point.

[inquisitive]

Glad to hear things are improving Lori!!!

Please be careful though. Even with reserpine, my guy was a total idiot every once in a while and it got pretty dangerous. Please try not to graze or walk her outside of an enclosed area! And don't relax too much, even if she's being good. I did that and let my guy get a little in front of me grazing, so when he decided to bolt I had no leverage and my hands were shredded :no:

[Lori B]

inquisitive, in all the time we've been hand grazing, w/ drugs, w/o drugs. She has not bolted or tried to bolt at all. She's trotted in a circle around me, with half the steps in the air, she has reared about 100 times, but never really tried to take off and go. Since we increased her reserpine almost 3 weeks ago, she only danced around once, Tuesday evening when the wind was up, and that was because all the other horses were spooking and dancing around as they left and entered the barn. But I am careful and attentive, and I finally started using a chain shank threaded around the noseband of her halter and snapped up on the opposite side 'ring' inthe halter. She is mainly so focused on grass that she doesn't pay attention to much else, which is fine by me.

Of course, when the weather gets breezier, I'll probably go back to my longe line / gloves safety combo. I need to get a shank that can be attached to the longe line, since the one I have now can't be detached from the lead rope.

[Lori B]

So tomorrow Katy goes back to Leesburg (VA Tech vet hosp.) for a recheck. In Sept., the specialist there evaluated her injury (see above) and said, give her 2 more months of rest and then we'll see if she's on her way back or still needs surgery. So tomorrow is D-Day for us.

I am dreading the prospect of surgery/stem cell / months more rest and handgrazing. I have been handgrazing her since February, and she is clearly so over the whole routine, but is very well-behaved, if a bit exasperated at times. She has a paddock, so she's outside most days, but it's all dirt now, and if I don't graze her, she gets no grass, which makes her bonkers. A friend at the barn took a picture of her on his cell phone -- she was all stretched out trying to get her head and front legs under the fence to reach some grass in the adjoining paddock. (safe fencing, she won't actually get under or hurt herself)

Her favorite place to graze is along the very edge of the indoor arena. "Mmmmm, tasty weeds." So last night, it's really dark, and she's just weed whacking the edge of the indoor to her heart's content. Then, she sorta startled and trotted a few strides. I think she must have found a mouse or other critter with her nose, and scared herself. I couldn't stop laughing at her. Best thing about her, she just went back to grazing and settled immediately.

I can only cross my fingers at this point. I know there are people with multi-year lameness sagas, but I really really don't want to be one of them.

[eventgroupie2]

Jingles for a good vet report tomorrow. I know how scary those rechecks can be!

[Fharoah]

Best Wishes! I really hope your girl becomes sound!

[FineAlready]

I've been following your story with great interest, as my horse has a similar injury. My horse's recheck is coming up next week too, so I know how nervous you must be. Good luck to you and Katy tomorrow!

[Roxx]

Good Luck Lori B :)

[Peggy]

Sending positive thoughts for tomorrow's outcome!

[FlashGordon]

Words cannot describe how hard I am jingling over here!!!!!!!!

Big hugs, lots of luck, and a few virtual martinis headed your way.....

[Lori B]

Dear kind COTHers:

Katy continues to progress well but slowly. Vet says: 1 more month of paddock rest, then 2 months of turnout, another recheck to confirm her progress, and if all goes well, we will be walking under saddle in February. Only one more month of hand-grazing!!!!! Hallelujah!

She thought Katy had improved significantly, she just says to gradually introduce her back to the big field and the girls in mid-December, keeping an eye on footing and using a little Ace as needed to minimize any YeeHaa tendencies. We are going to start walking in hand again a few times a week too.

I am so relieved, I think I need to go home and have a drink now.

[Addison]

Good News!!!!!!!Have a drink for me too!

[Peggy]

That's wonderful!:)

[Lori B]

Thank you all so much for your kind support. I am always afraid I sound like a big whiner on this thread, but it has just been so freaking long. If Katy were any less charming and personable this would have been nearly impossible.

[pharmgirl]

Congrats on the good report!!! :)

Don't ever feel like a whiner. I think many of us have been in very similar shoes, and understand what you are going through.

[asterix]

Go have that drink!!! Congratulations, the next phase is in sight!