Old Bowed Tendon - Any Advice/Suggestions?

[dance smartly]

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/v147/ ... ew_460.jpg
2] http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v147/ ... w_4608.jpg
3] http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v147/ ... tion_4.jpg
Thanks guys!

[Roger]

Since he got sore in March, I would have him ultra sounded just to make sure there is not another tear. If he has not injured himself again, just take it slow and give the scar tissue a chance stretch with increasing the level of exercise. Most horses that were taken care of early can come back a level a little lower than before. It is really too late to do much for the bow.

[wilf]

It's all relative,I never had any luck bringing them back until a year had passed. I had one that was badly bowed and after 8 months I started him back jogging but he was sore within a week, that was a waste so I gave him another year and during that time he would gallop around when he felt ready and virtually got himself ready in the field. He came back to win 4 more races and enjoys a great second career now as the bow was almost invisible eventually.

[ratherrapid]

the horse in the photo looks to have a very decent trim job to me nice balance, angles and toe length. nice looking horse all around.

bows have varying degrees of severity and states of healing. if you intend to ride the horse you might consider merely progressive exercise. first you determine the horse is presently sound, then try a little riderless work for a time, commence a bit of walking under tack, and progressively increase the exercise as long as the horse remains sound. further clues to the state of the tendon will be whether it shows any heat or swelling pre-and post workout.

after you start galloping you might consider varying a bit from the general rule of equalizing the leads and initially use the good leg in the lead more often and for more time and volume than the healing leg until such time as the healing leg proves sound. this will apply somewhat to the trot if you vary the diagonals.

you said you did not believe the horse reinjured in March. if this is true you may have only a minor problem at that time.

[ageecee]

have a racehorse who has an old bow. He came back a little sore. Took ultrasound and no tear just some inflammation. How long would you give him off?

[zinn21]

Nine months minimum. And if it's inflammation from the same bow good luck.

[ageecee]

[quote="zinn21"]Nine months minimum. And if it's inflammation from the same bow good luck.[/quote]




They told me 2 weeks off and she can go back in training. It does not even look like a bow is there. Theres no tear at all. I was looking at maybe giving her off 2 months then back in training.

[Laurierace]

When you start a horse back into work after a long rehab for a tendon injury its not uncommon to have the horse get sore temporarily as they tear adhesions. If your ultrasound was clean that is most likely what happened. Treat it more or less like you would a fresh bow with cold hosing and bandaging then go back to work as soon as the inflamation is gone. Two weeks sounds like a good average but let the leg tell you when its ready. It could be a month or three or four days.

[ageecee]

This horse last raced in early August. Took ultrasound. No tear just some inflammation. They told me 2 weeks off and you can start back with her. I said i will give her some time off probably 3 months or so and that should do the trick. Is 3 months too short or do i need to give her more time? Shes been in the pasture a month, also put a hard blister on her.

[Laurierace]

That is what I was trying to get at, you have to let the leg tell you when its time. Breaking adhesions is something that is going to happen if you give her a month off or a year off. Its just something they have to go through as a part of the whole rehab process. Some horses never get any heat or inflamation when they do it so you never know, some horses are so lame you think they bowed all over again. Whenever the leg is tight and cool again you can restart.

[ageecee]

Thats what happened to her. She was lame and we thought she had re-bowed again. But then the next day she was walking fine.

Shes cold and tight but im going to give her some more time off because she was needing a break anyway.

[zinn21]

My experience with tendons is if there is smoke there is fire. I would error on the side of caution and give the horse plenty of time even without evidence of tearing..