Hello everyone! I am throwing my situation out for any opinions/advice/experiences of your own you may be able to share with me.
I am purchasing a 3yo OTTB – rescuing him from slaughter, actually. I go to college in NY and we have a racing program where we break & train TB’s. This horse, who’s name is Chicken Tango (lol) was donated to us by a NY trainer after he suffered a mid bowed tendon (aka, its neither high or low, per se, but instead right in the middle). I will include photos that were taken 8 months after the bow. Anyways, he had a ton of stall rest and at about the 8 month mark we returned him to LIGHT training, or, *I* did, as he was my horse for the semester. I had him on a training regimen of basically walking and VERY light trotting. Well, one day our professor had the rider canter him WAY too much in an arena (I couldn’t ride him at the time, as a different horse in the program had broken my leg a couple months before. D:..) anyways… He soon came up SLIGHTLY lame. I do not think he tore the tendon again, but had we continued, he most likely would have.
All of this happened in March. I had him turned out in a very large pasture with about 4 two year olds for the summer. He went out there in May and will come in in August when I get him. Here is the concern… The bow is approximately a year old, actually, possibly a little older. He hasn’t been ridden since March’s incident, however during the stall rest following that I would put SMB boots on his front legs along with bell boots and wrap his hind legs with polos. He ran around but never pushed himself too hard, I think he knows his limit.
As I mentioned he’s now turned out in a pasture WITH HILLS which I heard was good for bowed tendons.
Have any of you ever dealt with an old bowed tendon? If so, what kind of a training regimen did you put them on when the bow was this old? I am thinking some SLOW hill work for a couple months, then move to trotting, then to cantering depending on his progress.
If anyone has ANY advice on this issue to share I would really appreciate it. I am doing a lot of research before I get him so that I can take the best care of him I can, and allow him to live the happy life he deserves, hopefully pain free. (=
Also, any nutrition and shoeing/trimming advice would be excellent. In the photos, note how badly trimmed he is. When I get him this will be fixed. I have a wonderful farrier but any advice/suggestions are great!
Here are the photos; mind you, they were taken in April 2008. He appears moderately light due to the healing bow, we didn’t want to add too much weight too quickly.
NOTE: It is his RIGHT FRONT. The left front is shaved as he had a small splint which is now simply a blemish.
1] http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v...rrent=ChickenTango_Legs_RightSideView_460.jpg
2] http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v...rrent=ChickenTango_Legs_LeftSideView_4608.jpg
3] http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v...rrent=ChickenTango_LeftSideConformation_4.jpg
Thanks guys!
I am purchasing a 3yo OTTB – rescuing him from slaughter, actually. I go to college in NY and we have a racing program where we break & train TB’s. This horse, who’s name is Chicken Tango (lol) was donated to us by a NY trainer after he suffered a mid bowed tendon (aka, its neither high or low, per se, but instead right in the middle). I will include photos that were taken 8 months after the bow. Anyways, he had a ton of stall rest and at about the 8 month mark we returned him to LIGHT training, or, *I* did, as he was my horse for the semester. I had him on a training regimen of basically walking and VERY light trotting. Well, one day our professor had the rider canter him WAY too much in an arena (I couldn’t ride him at the time, as a different horse in the program had broken my leg a couple months before. D:..) anyways… He soon came up SLIGHTLY lame. I do not think he tore the tendon again, but had we continued, he most likely would have.
All of this happened in March. I had him turned out in a very large pasture with about 4 two year olds for the summer. He went out there in May and will come in in August when I get him. Here is the concern… The bow is approximately a year old, actually, possibly a little older. He hasn’t been ridden since March’s incident, however during the stall rest following that I would put SMB boots on his front legs along with bell boots and wrap his hind legs with polos. He ran around but never pushed himself too hard, I think he knows his limit.
As I mentioned he’s now turned out in a pasture WITH HILLS which I heard was good for bowed tendons.
Have any of you ever dealt with an old bowed tendon? If so, what kind of a training regimen did you put them on when the bow was this old? I am thinking some SLOW hill work for a couple months, then move to trotting, then to cantering depending on his progress.
If anyone has ANY advice on this issue to share I would really appreciate it. I am doing a lot of research before I get him so that I can take the best care of him I can, and allow him to live the happy life he deserves, hopefully pain free. (=
Also, any nutrition and shoeing/trimming advice would be excellent. In the photos, note how badly trimmed he is. When I get him this will be fixed. I have a wonderful farrier but any advice/suggestions are great!
Here are the photos; mind you, they were taken in April 2008. He appears moderately light due to the healing bow, we didn’t want to add too much weight too quickly.
NOTE: It is his RIGHT FRONT. The left front is shaved as he had a small splint which is now simply a blemish.
1] http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v...rrent=ChickenTango_Legs_RightSideView_460.jpg
2] http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v...rrent=ChickenTango_Legs_LeftSideView_4608.jpg
3] http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v...rrent=ChickenTango_LeftSideConformation_4.jpg
Thanks guys!