RE: Suspensory ligament

["Snodgrass, Bonnie" <snodgrab@ncr.disa.mil>]

I've had two different horses with suspensory ligament injuries plus two
friends horses also injured their suspensorys. Three of these horses were
diagnosed by the same track vet who used an ultrasound machine to view the
injuries. According to to Dr. Ruth, a suspensory injury may show little or
no noticeable lameness within a few days of the injury. It's not healed, it
simply fools you. The ultrasound will show the injured tissue for months. My
one mare still has a thickened area of scar tissue from an injury over a
year ago. The other horse I owned in Hawaii was "treated" by a vet sans
ultrasound who really did us no favors. The horse had an on again, off
again, problem for 18 months till I finally was able to utilize a CA vet
over for a short visit. The damaged tissue can remain unhealed and be retorn
over and over and over and over again if you leave your horse turned out
where he can run, slip, spin, etc. A period of confinement with controlled
exercise is the best bet for recovery. Strongly suggest you go find a
clinic/vet with an ultrasound machine. Lower leg injuries are ideal for
ultasound utilization.

Bonnie Snodgrass

-----Original Message-----
From: sherman [mailto:shermano@prodigy.net]
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 1:03 PM
To: ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject: RC: Suspensory ligament


Hi all:
   Can someone tell me what is the function of the suspensory ligament?  Do
humans have a similar device?  what does it do on us?  My 22-yr old, unshod,
Morgan gelding did 35 miles (yup) of the Osceola 25 miler, in January...and
ended up with a swollen suspensory.  That has been 3 months now and the
swelling hasn't gone down, but he never did favor the leg, as in no head
bobbing.  He doesn't appear to be lame, but his 2 front legs are different
sizes now, at the suspensory.  The Vet gave me some DMSO gel with cortisone,
which I rub in once a day.  That is his only medication.
  Can anyone suggest why he does not seem to be lame, yet has this obvious
problem?  His leg is sensitive to bending as I noticed the vet experimenting
with him.  He doesn't like to have his leg bent up tightly.  I wonder if
this could be an older injury that has resolved itself, and that is why he
doesn't seem to be lame.
  Anyway, we plan to give him another 3 months off; that will take us
through the Florida summer.
  Thanks for any replies.
   Sherman, driving my other Morgan through the backwoods of north Florida.



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