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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 878
  
Location: "...way down south in the Everglades..." | Well it's been 7 months of my one mare being off. She has the approval from the vet, farrier, and chiro to get back into to training. Obviously everyone agrees with start slow and gradually increase the time and intensity, but looking for personal strategies and approaches that have worked for those of you that had a horse that needed to be brought back to the barrel pen after a long lay-up. I certainly don't expect it to be a quick process but interested in seeing opinions on this topic (ie: fan of long trotting, prefer cantering over trotting, only walk for "X" time frame, etc.)
Mare in question is 8 year old who hyperextended her front leg (tearing muscle around girth / chest area) and then a month later got her other front leg hung up in fence and ripped the majority of her heel off. She was on stall rest for most of the summer with hand walking and then small paddock. She has been out in the pasture now running and being normal for the past 2/3 months while we awaiting her hoof to grow back enough to start exercising. Ready to get her back to work now.
Thanks all for any input :-) |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
 
| It all depends on if she was on stall rest for the 7 months or if she was in the pasture and could move around for the past 7 months |
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 Bulls Eye
Posts: 6443
Location: Oklahoma | I started off on a mare rehabbing her after a 22 month layup. We started off by 10 min a day of under tack walking, and over the course of 4 months, had her loping. She was a western pleasure mare. We iced her with the Ice Horse evandura and big black hoof boots after every single ride for 30-45 minutes. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 878
Location: "...way down south in the Everglades..." | cheryl makofka - 2016-02-09 1:41 PM It all depends on if she was on stall rest for the 7 months or if she was in the pasture and could move around for the past 7 months
She was on stall rest for first 2 months, small paddock for roughly 2 months, regular turn out for past 3 months. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 639
Location: God's country...aka TEXAS | Swimming.... this will get her air and muscle built back up without putting stress on her body. Then you can start riding. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| JLBerry - 2016-02-09 1:15 PM
Swimming.... this will get her air and muscle built back up without putting stress on her body. Then you can start riding.
Swimming doesn't help bone density.
When I rehabbed mine, the ones on stall rest, they started hand walking 1/2 mile for a week, then riding 1/2 mile a week at a walk, 1/2 walk, 1/2 trot, 1/4 walk week 3, week 4, 1/2 walk 1 mile trot, 1/4 walk, week 5 1/4 walk, 1 trot, 1/4 lope on one lead, 1/4 lope on other lead, 1/2 trot, 1/4 walk. Week 6-12 1/4 walk, 1/2 trot, 1/2 lope on one lead, 1/2 lope on other lead, 1/2 trot, 1/4 walk.
I do straight lines till week 8 then introduce circles in.
If my horse has been turned out in the back forty for 3 months, then I skip to week 5 progress to week 6 and do this for 10 more weeks.
My vet said research shows for exercise 2 miles is the ideal amount, less then that no benefit, more then that excessive. He also says 3 months of legging up is required to get tendons, ligaments, and bone density to be fit.
When I am legging up they get two consecutative days of rest off |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 878
Location: "...way down south in the Everglades..." | JL - I definitely used swimming for myself as rehab after a car wreck and believe in the benefits of it, but unfortunately I don't have that as an option for my mare at this time.
Cheryl - Thanks that's great input and I appreciate how you broke down the work outs by week as it gives me a much better frame of reference than what I had been in my head. Interesting on the 2 mile research, too...I'll definitely have to read up some on that.
Thank you both for responding! |
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 Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | Just got the OK to start bringing my guy back from 6 months layoff after soft tissue injuries in hoof. Horse has been out on pasture the whole time. Vet prescribed:
30-45 minutes walk with tack & rider for 2 weeks
30-45 minutes walk & 5 minutes trot with tack & rider for 2 weeks
30-45 minutes walk & 10 minutes trot with tack & rider for 2 weeks
Re evaluate after six weeks. If at any time any lameness or soreness appears then stop and reassess. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 612
| I am also bringing a horse back after a 7 month layoff from a soft tissue injury. I am following something similar to what Cheryl said. This same horse had a torn tendon 6 years ago. I followed a similar process and he came back successfully. If you are interested, I think that I have an article written by a Vet about rehabbing a horse after a tendon injury. I followed the information in this article. If you are interested in it, send me your email address and I will see if I still have the article. |
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