Suspensory ligament injury?

Question

I've been working with a tb mare for almost a year. We have started having lessons for jumping and dressage. She had been on the track when she was younger, didnt do well. Went through some auctions and went to a jumping school. Went through more auctions. Ended up with her current owners who hadn't worked her for about 3 years and now I'm working with her. We have been doing this with the aid of a trainer. So the other day her owner found the horse lame in the pasture. That night walking into her stall she was almost on three legs. Next morning fine....Its been on and off really bad ok and just a little limp. She had her farrier look at her, she doesn't have an absess and the vet says its the suspensory ligament. She has a tight knot like spot by her hock, when the farrier touched her she kicked out and bit the women holding her (she is never mean or kicks or bites). The vet is comming out but does anyone have any idea how bad this can be, what the treatments might be, and what her life might be like after and injury to this ligament.

Answer 1

I think it best to rest the mare until the vet has given proper diagnoses and treatment...you wouldn't want to make the injury worse...I wish you the best of luck for this horse. I've known some nice horses that were finished as performance mounts but made fine pleasure/trail mounts after treatment for this injury...Good luck and let us know how she does and what the vet says.

and Sweet Potato, how is it that you're in college and have trained so many race horses and cutting horses and have all this fame and nobody knows who you are? oh and it's not spelled *steaks* races..it is *stakes*.....I'm a spelling freak...

Answer 2

Sounds like suspensory desmitis.  Usually treatment starts with a long rest period and see if that helps.  If that doesn't work usually the vet cuts the nerve to the ligament or/and cut some tissue around the ligament. A surprising number of horses go back to work at the same performance level, but there is always a chance they don't.   Other treatments can be shockwave or stem cell but they don't always help.

Here some more info:

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index....

Answer 3

The other answer is good.  It will depend on the extent of the injury - strain, sprain or tear.  Probably not torn.  Ligament injuries usuallyl take a minimum of 8 months of rest to heal.  The vascular supply to ligaments is not very good.  It doesn't usually return to 100%  This may be why she kept ending up in auctions.  Hope for her sake that you'll keep her if she can only be ridden on the flat.  It sounds like she's had a rough life, poor girl.

PS  What color is she, how old is she, and what's her tatoo number ?- just curious.

Answer 4

well the best treatment they go in the chamber and it's all fixed in two hours, problem is that it costs 100 000 dollars (US) and therefore we only do it to the nicest horses

your vet should know the best thing to do, there are several things that can be done, i'd just give the horse a few bute everyday and let it alone

bute is a pain killer / swelling reducer