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Post by WPCASectionDHELP on Nov 25, 2014 9:42:20 GMT
Hi, my section D mare has previously slipped in the field causing her to pull her hind suspensory ligament. I have cold hosed the leg 3-4 times a day as advised by my vet and kept the leg bandaged for the first 2 weeks. My vet has now advised my to have the leg scanned to see the extent of the damage. However to have the leg scanned I have been told the leg and feather will have to be completely shaved off for the scan to work effectively. My mare competes on the HOYS/RIHS WH & flat circuit so I am trying to put off doing this due to the age of her (12) I have been told the hair/feather may not grow back as well if not at all. We will have to carry out the waiting game either way due to the injury so do not see the point in doing this as it will be the same outcome whether it will get scanned or not. I am aware the horse will not be jumping for a long time now but would like to at least get her back riding and possibly in the ring on the flat. (I am aware there is no quick fix and this will take time). She is unsound on the leg but does not seem unduly uncomfortable on it at all and is happy turning on it and putting her weight on it. I have been advised 2-3 months box rest for the horse, then dependent on the level of soundness, start very light hand-exercising her on hard, flat ground for 10 minutes a day gradually increasing this to strengthen the tendon. I have been advised to use ice boots/horseware icevibe boots by my friend who owns a race yard and sees this type of injury a lot. Has anyone used these before? Does anyone have any experiences with this type of injury? How long is the average healing time? Does anyone have any tips/advice to help the healing process? All advice greatly appreciated! I am aware this will take time to heal and am not going to rush her as there is no need and it is not worth it. Thanks a lot! (Sorry for all the questions!)
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Post by LizaR on Nov 25, 2014 12:05:23 GMT
Hi. I am sorry if this is going to sound a little harsh but, your post, although asking for tips comes across as if you are putting doing qualifiers above your Vets professional advice and opinion. Now I am sure this is unintentional and you are thinking ahead, but for now I would be following my vets advice. You cannot see exactly whats going on inside or how it is healing. I think the question you need to ask yourself is, is his longterm happiness, comfort and longterm welfare more important than some feather and qualifier placing? I hope it all works out for your D and you
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Post by shazbat500 on Nov 25, 2014 12:27:17 GMT
My section D mare had both her hinds scanned and all feathers clipped off due to annular ligament syndrome, she is 15 and ended up having surgery to rectify in July. Her feathers are growing back nicely. I don't mean to be harsh either but agree with LizaR you cannot see what is going on inside and I'd rather know whats going on as my mare's injury was far far worse than vet suspected before the scan. she is doing really well now back to being hacked out and slowly building her up. I'm sure it will all work out well for you and you mare. wishing her a speedy recovery
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Post by Been there on Nov 25, 2014 13:56:42 GMT
I wouldn't worry about the feathers being clipped off....it's more important you get an accurate diagnosis/level of injury as a lesion to a ligament can occur in varying degree's and the treatment/length of rehab will depend upon the result of the scan. Your horse will also need to be rescanned every 8 weeks or so to monitor progress - this is the only way you can possibly know if it's healing correctly or not and whether you can progress to the next stage of rehab safely. My horse had a lesion to a hind suspensory ligament at the start of the season in 2013 - I asked if it was possible to scan without clipping (at the point of first diagnosis) my vet obliged as a first scan (they can soak the leg and scan - but with full feather I imagine that would be impossible), obviously saw something, then said she would need to clip to get an accurate picture - at that point she said he wouldn't be in the ring that season anyway, so we clipped.
We had PRP injections into the injury site, one just after diagnosis and then one two weeks later (and a further scan) - my vets highly recommended this treatment as they have had great success with it - but it is expensive - about £800 for the first injection, then with harvested platelets frozen, about £500 for the second injection. He was then scanned again about 2 weeks later (so we're now at three scans in 5 weeks) then he started walking. Walked for 6 months before he took a stride of trot - and all his scans were good with progression as hoped/expected. He then trotted in straight lines for 10 weeks before he started trotting circles/cantering in straight lines and after 9.5 months, normal flat schooling . I did a 10% increase in work every week (after first 4 weeks of walking for 10 minutes twice a day, I then started a 10% weekly increase, calculated to the second and stuck to it religiously, including counting the number of strides of trot we were at etc) Scan every 8 weeks. Box rest ended up being almost a year - but the weather played a part in that - mine was injured early May, cleared for turnout November, but we had a very wet winter last year and no way was I risking him on wet/boggy ground, so I had no choice but to keep him in - it wasn't easy but it was necessary. So there is a lot more to it than just waiting for it to heal. My horse was sound throughout - this was all for a mild-moderate lesion.
I used the Ice Vibe boots religiously, at first, they went on four times per day. (2 x walking per day) - boots went on without ice for 20 mins before walking and 20 mins WITH ice after walking. Then when the walking dropped to once per day (when we reached 20 mins each time) the boots went on 20 mins before without and 20 minutes after with ice. After 3 months, I dropped the ice as by that point, the injury is no longer "new" and cold isn't so beneficial as it is in the early stages - I still used the boots for 20 minutes (without ice) before work. I used them for a whole year in this way. I also didn't miss a single day of walking though the whole process - it's so important for the rehab - even in horrendous weather, we did it.
My horse was in the ring at HOYS 2014, so with lots of dedication it is quite possible to get them back, but honestly, do it thoroughly and properly, forget about the hair, get the scans - knowledge is power!
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Post by Been there on Nov 25, 2014 14:05:35 GMT
I forgot to add, he was also bandaged until the July (so two months) when it simply became too hot for him to wear them, so I stopped at that point.
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Post by pipandflo on Nov 25, 2014 14:34:39 GMT
Our pony did this, first time it was 10 months, he was sound for a year and then did it again, he was clipped and scanned and we gradually saw the black hole fill in, the second time was adjacent to the first. I hand walked for miles, gradually increasing time and then I drove him for miles in walk in a bitter winter. We had LOU and qualified for HOYS the next season so don't rush it and do the walking. We wouldn't have known where we were without the scans.
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Post by lalalaa on Nov 25, 2014 20:36:48 GMT
Our dales did this in April on the beach. We had 2 scans and haven't had another one due to him being back sound and his feather finally starting to nearly look normal again. He is turned out everyday and has been from about a month in however he was on his own at first so he wouldn't run around. We were told box rest was a bad idea and to keep the injury moving. He was walked twice daily starting off at 5 mins to 45 mins. We started using the ice vibe boots which could be helping, we still use them now at least 3 times a week. He's now back fully sound so it's just trying to get all the muscle back he's lost and will hopefully be back in the ring next year
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Post by lalalaa on Nov 25, 2014 20:41:11 GMT
There will be a post in the equine health somewhere I started there might be more info on there
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Post by same problem on Nov 25, 2014 23:19:56 GMT
Seems brutal but I just clipped all four legs so it won't stand out growing back. Like other comments until scans clear not in work then 6 mths til in the ring so not really a problem. Good luck. Mine having mad moments in her box so having problems testing ?
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Post by Philippa on Nov 26, 2014 7:17:47 GMT
My friend qualified her D for the dressage regionals and stripped him out completely, feathers, mane & tail. All of them grew back in time and fullness ready for the following season.
Think you are going to have plenty time for them to grow back, my pony was 11 month from injury to 1st completion back in the ring after doing a front suspension. He had a strict exercise routine which we stuck to reliquary, it made all the difference in his recovery rate I'm sure.
Good luck, I kmow how gutted I was when mine did his.
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Post by sundance20 on Nov 26, 2014 7:44:12 GMT
My old cob had his feathers clipped off after doing his anular ligament, his feathers grew back fine (and huge) at 19 years old
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Post by not-a-charity on Nov 26, 2014 10:24:12 GMT
rest then lots of walking on hard ground when sound- build up to trot after a while - get him on equiform equicell nucleotides - specifically for suspensory damage, and keep him on it for a while after recovered it's amazing and helps recovery, keep off soft ground, no sharp turns or lungeing for quite a while. Magnetic boots on as well. It's boring walking up and down but believe me it's worth it eventually if you want him to recover fully.
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Post by Philippa on Nov 26, 2014 12:52:45 GMT
Crikey 2 weeks then introduce trot is quick. We walked for 9 weeks in five minute increments to 45 mins before introducing trot.
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Post by ScanNow on Nov 27, 2014 21:50:50 GMT
Echo 'been there'. All very good advice.
I've had two welshies have their feather clipped off for scans, one at 17 years of age, hair grew back just fine, and by the time the injury had healed the hair and feather had grown back fully. One pony had a ligament injury out hunting around about this time of year; he was back in the show ring with full feather by the following May in hand and then later that summer back in ridden qualifiers.
Act now to get the scans done, so that the feathers can be growing back while the leg is healing. With good veterinary care and possibly some PRP or IRAP, depending on the nature of the injury, you could be back in the ring around about the middle of next summer. Without, you could be looking at long term off and on lameness for ever more, and without knowing what the underlying issue is you won't know whether you risk more damage by showing on wet ground / hard ground / whatever...
I know how horrible it is to see all that feather fall to the floor and to realise that you really are not going to be showing for a while, but it is definitely for the best.
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Just gone through this
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Post by Just gone through this on Nov 28, 2014 11:46:05 GMT
Having just gone through this with my section C- both his hnd suspensory ligaments needed operating on and then we went through the rehab you described... having gone through it, whether his feather grows back would be the LEAST of my worries... it may sound harsh but I would put ridden work out of your mind let along any competing, this is a long road to recovery and will be very time consuming and you may not get the result you want full stop.
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dis
Junior Member
Posts: 82
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Post by dis on Dec 1, 2014 20:39:14 GMT
Get it scanned. Severity of lameness doesnt always match severity of damage.
box rest as needed per scans, get healing checked by scans. Walking at least six weeks, firm ground no turning if possible. Build up trot after that as long as scans are ok. the walking is the most important partas with any fitness program. Id walk an unfit horse for at least 4 weeks if it was injury free before starting trotting
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Post by muggley on Dec 1, 2014 20:53:15 GMT
You will not be riding or showing your cob for at least 6-9months so clip the leg - it's only hair! Hair always grows back! You need to know the extent of the damage. You say the racing yard recommended IceVibe boots - I too recommend them but I would also recommend you ask them about how to rehab these injuries as they will have been there, seen it, done it, got the t-shirt and got the horse back racing again. Their knowledge will be massively valuable to you but you do need to know the extent of the damage first.
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Dawnie not logged in
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Post by Dawnie not logged in on Dec 1, 2014 22:55:02 GMT
I have a section D who is trimmed up as a show cob. I didn't bother keeping on top of trimming over the winter last year and he had full feathers come beginning of March without any help. To be fair I would be more concerned with getting a scan rather than the cosmetics of feathers.
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