Rosie’s Rehab (so far!)
At the end of April, my own pony Rosie was unfortunately diagnosed with acute tears of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFTs) in both her front feet. Only 6 days before this we were competing at the British Dressage Nationals, so it was a complete shock and definitely took some time to sink in.
After a discussion with our vet (and lots of research!) we decided we wanted to manage her conservatively, so we are doing everything we can to aid her recovery;
Whilst Rosie has been on box/pen rest for the past three months, we’ve been doing lots of hand walking and grazing. I’ve increased the duration of the walks very gradually each week to steadily increase the load on the tendons.
During the first couple of weeks I applied ice compression boots for 20 minutes several times a day to reduce the acute inflammation and improve her overall comfort.
I’ve treated Rosie with physiotherapy every 3-4 weeks to reduce the chances of any compensatory issues occuring, and to maintain her general musculoskeletal health.
She’s also been receiving weekly INDIBA treatments with Calli from Vet Physio Phyle to reduce the inflammation and optimuse tissue healing.
Hopefully, in a couple of weeks time when she has her next MRI we will be able to gradually increase the rehab even further. But most importantly, Rosie will have all the time she needs. I think everyone who knows us knows just how special she is to me. She’s worth it all and so much more ❤️.
If you are in a similar situation and think you and your horse could benefit from physiotherapy, please do get in touch.
Ellie x
