Posted 2016-10-10 6:31 AM Subject: Calcified Muscle
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 383 Location: Sweet Home Alabama
Anyone running a horse with a calcified hamstring? Or have one who had an injury that caused it and couldn't go back to competing? Basically, long story short, I sent my 5 yo mare to the trainer because we've been having issues. Trainer believes her hamstring has calcified. She's always been a squirrelly, inconsistent mare. She constantly swishes her tail too. I chalked that up to her being a mare..... I felt like I wasn't doing her justice and couldn't figure out where to go from there so I sent her to the trainer. I've even had 2 different vets xray her and regular chiro work done to make sure the mare wasn't in pain. I'm in awe that these "professionals" missed this. Trainer basically told me to pick out a stud for next year. She's getting an ultrasound in the next couple days to see how bad it is.
Had a mare that did it in the mud in the pasture, did the surgery and I think it made it worse. She ended up with more scar tissue. I had to do lots of long trotting and aquatred to keep it stretched out so she could clock close to before. She then tore the cruciate on the other side so she must have been weak there. She is built straight in the hind end but only needed hocks done and never stifles but who knows. She is a broodmare now.
Posted 2016-10-12 9:39 AM Subject: RE: Calcified Muscle
Expert
Posts: 3815 Location: The best kept secret in TX
SKM - 2016-10-10 7:15 AM Fibrotic Myopathy. Surgery can usually correct it. Here's a fairly decent article: http://www.atlantaequine.com/pages/client_lib_fibmyopathy.html[/quo... Surgery did not work on my gelding and was highly discouraged by my vet for the failure rates and price. I did it anyway. It failed just like the vet said it would.
I cannot stress warm up to you enough. Warm him up, keep him warm and keep him stretched out. If he gets warm and then cold you will run into problems. I warmed my dude up an hour before I ran, kept him walking and moving until we ran and then walked for another 30 min. I bought heating pads for his hamstrings and let them cool down gradually as the heating pads wore off. I never hosed his hamstrings off with cold water.
It will affect their run if you let them get cold. The hamstring can't flex like it's supposed to. So if you get it warm and supple and keep it that way, he should make a run no problem.
At home I would walk for 30 min, trot for 15, walk for another 30 and then lope for 15 before I ever worked the pattern. If I breezed him I would breeze him only after I warmed him up with the process above. Then walking for 30 min after. Warm up, keep him warm, run, then eventual cool down.
I also enlisted the help of an equine sports massage therapist. He showed me safe ways to stretch my boy out. I did it while he was eating and he eventually got the routine down and helped me stretch himself out. Stretching each day helped him a lot.
Posted 2016-10-13 9:54 AM Subject: RE: Calcified Muscle
Regular
Posts: 52
I have a 15 year old mare with it. I don't think the surgery is worth the risk. I just keep her stretched and massaged. It really doesn't affect her performance. Just doesn't look pretty when she walks.
Posted 2016-10-13 9:59 AM Subject: RE: Calcified Muscle
Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992 Location: Kansas
SKM - 2016-10-10 7:15 AM Fibrotic Myopathy. Surgery can usually correct it. Here's a fairly decent article: http://www.atlantaequine.com/pages/client_lib_fibmyopathy.html[/quo... I had a mare that had fibrotic myopathy.....my vet said to keep running her. She wasn't in pain it was a mechanical lameness....and she still ran dang good and would still run 1D....I truly regret selling that mare.
Calcified Muscle
