RE: [RC] Suspensory ligament problem - Linda Cowles
>> Commit yourself to a religious and
anal-retentive fervor of following the exercise program your vet will give you
to the letter, and you have a decent to good chance of returning to work at one
level or another, depending on the severity of the initial injury.
Figuring out how the injury occurred is a good idea,
too, even though it may be a wild goose chase. Shatirr had an upper suspensory
injury that my vet said was almost always caused by an accident, trauma, and I
remembered that he'd banged his inner leg several months before in a creek
crossing gone bad (he slipped off a rock).
These aren't always caused by an accident, though;
they may be triggered by saddle fit or shoeing problems. An acquaintance's
horse, an Arab mare, had repeat lower suspensory problems, even though
the woman religiously followed the recovery instructions. She had saddle fit
problems at the same time, but she kept trying to pad her way through them,
trying shims and miracle saddle pads. Her vet finally realized that the
suspensory problems were a result of the terrible saddle fit; palpating the
mares back took her almost to her knees. She was being ridden in a very
narrow tree and had very broad shoulders.
