How do you tell if your horse has suspensory injury?
Horse suspensory injury can limit exercise and reduce their quality of life. A sprain of the horse suspensory ligament is usually restricted to one of three areas:
1. Injury to the upper third of the ligament that is common in horses in all disciplines. In this case, you can notice symptoms as:
- Lameness varying from mild to severe.
- Heat.
- The vein which runs down the inside of the cannon region may be enlarged.
2. Injury to the middle third, or body, of the ligament, is easiest to diagnose, but least frequent. National Hunt racehorses and point-to-pointers are most likely to suffer this injury. You can observe:
- Swelling both the inside and outside of the leg.
- Heat.
- Lameness.
- Softer ligament than normal.
3. Damage to the inside or outside a branch of the suspensory ligament that is also common, particularly in horses that jump. You can notice symptoms like:
- Swelling on one side of the fetlock.
- Mild to moderate lameness that may improve within days.
Most horses are able to return to some level of work, but there is also a big chance of reoccurring injury. Therefore, it is crucial to use the right treatment. One of the most effective advanced treatments is Stem Cell Therapy. It can not only decrease inflammation and pain but also improve a horse’s mobility and promote that injuries won’t reoccur.