Bringing back into work after muscle injury...

RubyTuesday

Hi, newbie here looking for a bit of advice (and I love looking at this forum..)

I have a horse that has been recuperating from pulling her back lumbar muscles and wish to have some advice on bringing her back into work without putting to much pressure on them and re-injuring them.

Some background (pls bear with me):
Ruby is a 5yr old 16.2hh mare I purchased in Nov last year for dressage. Completely fell in love with her as she has the sweetest nature . She came from an eventing yard and had been competing 80cm at ag shows. 1 day after she arrived she threw a front shoe. The farrier came and found she was extensively bruised on all 4 hooves. She was then lame on the off fore and required 3 weeks off work.......ahhhhhh.......(and no, I was incredabily silly and didn't get her vet checked)
She then came back into work and we got to know each other - walk transitions were fine but I was having a problem with her frame at a trot. She tended to hollow and throw her head up. My instructor was working with me and she was beginning to come down and engage. Then she got a massive fright late Jan when she was turned out in our SJ paddock and 4 dogs rushed her. (owners daughters dogs that have now left property, I was so so angry ). She panicked and was racing full gallop at fences, around paddock, through poles...it was horrible. I went in caught and calmed her and moved her back to her back to her field. Only injury I could find was two minor cut marks on her front legs.

Two days later she was lame - short in her off hind. The chiropractor found her very sore in her lumber and did an adjustment. Gave her 1 half weeks off but was then still short at the trot on the lunge. Called vet - he found she was still very sore both sides of her lumbar/lower back (nowhere else) and advised 6 weeks rest (he has found if muscle injury dosn't heal in 1 week it needs 6) and 8 days treatment with bute. Chiropractor saw her a week later as he was in the yard and he was very happy with her - felt she was much better than when he first saw her and I could ride her sooner but I thought I would wait. She has been very happy eating her head off and looking longly at everyone else being ridden. Is tracking up beautifully at the walk (but always has). This weekend I can gently bring her back into work but I am a bit unsure of the best program. Some info I can find say 1 month walking, 1 month trot, then canter etc but this seems like such a long time.

I really want to do the best by her and build her muscles correctly. She needs more muscle on her hindquaters and I think she may have been a bit sore there before the 'accident' pulled them badly. I would like to start back at the beginning a build her up......so I know no lunging initially as it will put lots of pressure on her back but 1 week walking, then trot? Pole work? She is going to be so perky!

Thanks for your help! (and excuse the essay)

KC Quarter Horses

Ok I am going to say what I think and probably get shot down in flames for it but here goes LOL

I do not believe doing nothing is the right treatment for sore muscles. I believe work is.

We have had horses here of our own and for others that have had sore muscles or done some damage and needed rehabilitation.

In every instance we work the horse.....different if its tendon or ligaments etc but with sore muscles or adhesions we always work the horse.

Lunging is something we will do to start with.....even if it is only 3 minutes each side, daily, in a Pessoa.

Each day we add an extra minute or two each side. We build up from there and once the horse is moving easier they go back under saddle and get worked even more.

We get our vet to go through the issues and work out a physio treatment plan and then work them.

I cannot say there are not times that horse will play up and not want to go forward or buck etc but Skito just keeps riding them forward and keeps them moving.

I will use this analogy....if you decide to take up running and go for a 5 km run the chances are you will be sore the next day but if you go out again and keep doing it you work through the pain and eventually that 5km is very easy.

As long as you remember to treat the horse as you would yourself..... warm up, cool down and make sure you stretch. I also use massage gels/ oils, wheat packs etc if needed and we do rub down and massage.

Jessica Blackwell was an excellant product with arnica in it that I use all the time. I can also reccommend her services in regards to treatment and diagnosis. The information you can get from her will tell you what muscle groups that need working on and I am sure she could give you exercises and stretches to help those areas.

So while we always work our horses through issues and sometimes this does cause pain and reaction, we do take the time to do the whole process..... ie the warm up, the exercises, the cool down, the stretches and the massage.

It is time consuming but the horse ends up more flexible and has a wider range of movements......yoga for horses LOL

Because we take the time we have even had horses sent here now just for physio.... usually because owners do not have the time or expertise .

Hope it works out well for you

** Edited to add......Welcome to Stockyards !!

smash

well said KC.

__________________
not quite as sexy as Babe and thanks to BEAGLE i now wear nappies taming Ash Lovers hair and TROJANE ate MY dictionary

KC Quarter Horses

Gee thanks Smash..... I was waiting for someone to have a go at me because we will work our horses even when they are in pain.

smash

ha ha ha, no bites from this chair
muscles WARM UP
BONES DONT.
thats my saying LOL
i think the hardest part is working out WHAT is actually sore
but if it is just muscles, well exercise is the best medicine, just like you discribed in your post (warming up, stretching, cooling down and massage) this helps the muscles amazingly.
BUT if it is skeletal or ligaments/tendons, then this is the worst thing you can do.
it is why it is important to find out what you are treating first.
cheers

__________________
not quite as sexy as Babe and thanks to BEAGLE i now wear nappies taming Ash Lovers hair and TROJANE ate MY dictionary

MinninupRoad

i did a lot of walking on roads, bridle paths etc with my horse when i bought him in from spell to combat muscle probs. I led him off a friends horse so the muscles built up before riding him, after 2 weeks of that i did lots of lunging in the pessoa for 2 weeks (only 10-15mins) and walla, he was perfect when i rode him =)

KC Quarter Horses

Exactly.....which is why we get them throughly checked over by an equine vet. Sometimes you find that its a case is needing orrective shoeing, or they have had bad saddle fit, or hard hands and ridden the horse with their head up in the air hollowing their back. Usually the horse gives the rider plenty of indications that all is not well for along time BEFORE they loose it and buck someone off.

So, we get everything checked first. Quite often they have muscle soreness from travelling wrong because they are compensating for something. ie and issue with the offside hind foot will eventually manifest with soreness in the nearside shoulder, then tension in the neck which progresses to the back etc.

So fixing the issue in the offside hind, followed by physio to bring back the balance and even up the way the horse moves eventually gives you a supple balanced happy horse.......its find the first cause and then working through the issues. However it is important to make sure it is not tendons, ligaments or bone first.

The thing is it is time consuming but if you do it properly you get better faster results and less pain for the horse in the long term.

I also have a product that I got from a chinese acupunterist, first shown to me by a vet who spent allot of time at looking at dynamics and preventitive medicine. It works just like laser that you get used on you at the physio but have had some amazing results with it. Very alternative I know but for muscle issues, especially tears, works a treat

RubyTuesday

Thanks so much everyone - I did think that gentle work would help but people where I agist had different ideas
Will follow your advice KC and start lunging, building up as I would do if I was running (analogy makes sense!) and build up to riding at walk, road rides and then trotting.
Will let you know how she goes!
I was worried initially it could have been an issue with the SI joint as the lack of muscle on her hqs made it seem she had 'hunter bumps' but both chiropractor and vet have ruled that out.

Will stretch her before exercise and after but only know carrot stretches for neck, foreleg stretches and belly 'lifts' (scratching her tummy , the chiro AND vet weren't keen to show me hindleg stretches, chiro said I could hurt myself?! Vet said she was too sore to demonstrate.....and carrot stretches would do. Any suggestions?

smash

have a read of this RT, i think this may help you a LOT with your horse, right down the bottom, it explains how to do the psoas muscle release stretches.
it REALLY HELPS !!!!!
Horses for LIFE - Online Horse Magazine - Natural to Classical Dressage - Educated Horsemanship
i hope this helps RT
cheers

you are to be congratulated on this KC, as this is the ONLY way help a horse to full recovery. it is never just one thing, but a snowball of effects that you are having to deal with, and one treatment alone will never work.
good on you KC
cheers

__________________
not quite as sexy as Babe and thanks to BEAGLE i now wear nappies taming Ash Lovers hair and TROJANE ate MY dictionary

Cornflower

That's a great link Smash. Will have to read that whole thing when i have more time.

And yes, as long as you don't do too much too early, but pick the work up gradually, then i agree with KC and Smash regarding work.

With lunging, i always do large circles. Especially with sore horses, as this puts less strain on everything. I wouldn't be doing anything smaller than 20m, simply because it requires an already fit horse, especially if you're asking for forward, and engaged and a little bit of a frame.