Surviving Your Horse's Rehab Sentence

When my horse, Bogart, tore his branch suspensory ligament in 2022, I had hoped it was a one-and-done injury. Following 12 weeks where he was only allowed turnout in a small individual paddock, we began our under-saddle rehab program and he was back in full working condition after about six months.

Imagine my disappointment and frustration when he reinjured the same ligament in 2024. The tear was higher up on the leg and not as severe, but it would require the same painstaking rehabilitation routine to get him back on track. Fortunately, since the severity of his reinjury was less than the first, I was able to start under-saddle rehab at the walk immediately, but it was only walking for the first three months. Bogart was allowed individual turnout as well.

Depending on the injury, some horses require stall rest for a period of time, followed by hand-walking before under-saddle rehab can begin. For safety, your veterinarian may suggest a mild oral sedation, such as acepromazine (ACE) to ensure your horse is quiet and doesn’t bolt, buck or do anything else to reinjure itself – or you.

Scroll to continue with content

My under-saddle program with Bogart began like this: 10 minutes of walk for two weeks, followed by increasing the walk time by two minutes every two weeks until eventually you reach 20 minutes. Trot is introduced at the six-week mark, but only in two-minute increments every two weeks as well.

Suffice to say, all that walking can be a bit dull. So I spoke with my veterinarian, Dr. Samantha Molson, who works at McKee-Pownall in Campbellsville, Ontario, about how to make such a rehabilitation program more interesting for horse and rider without stressing the original injury.

For starters, you can forget about lungeing. “Generally, we try to avoid lungeing horses with tendon injuries, as the smaller circles can overexert the tendons and most horses can be quite excitable and fresh on the lunge line, which we are often trying to avoid during these rehab periods,” Dr. Molson explained to me.

Here are some other general ideas and guidelines Dr. Molson recommended, specifically for tendon injuries. But make sure before you attempt any such program that you consult with your own vet, as each injury, horse and situation is unique.

Horse Canada: Why is walking so helpful to build back strength in a horse with a tendon injury?

Dr. Samantha Molson: It is quite common to start a rehab program with gradual periods of walking, often increasing by a few minutes every one to two weeks to slowly load the soft tissues (tendons, ligaments) and bones (bone edema, fractures) in a controlled manner while also promoting circulation and limiting scar tissue. In-tack walking can also be mentally stimulating for the horse and often safer for the rider compared to hand walking, and ear plugs/soundproof bonnets can be used for these walking rides to minimize excitement. Daily walking exercise is also beneficial to minimize the risk of other ailments such as colic and exertional rhabdomyolysis (“tying up”).

A person riding a horse in an indoor arena.

If riding indoors in the winter, it is a good idea to use earplugs or a soundproof bonnet on your horse to avoid spooking if snow slides off the arena roof! (Seventyfour – stock.adobe.com)

People sometimes assume these walk sessions have to be on a free rein – is that true? Or can we “work” our horses to some extent during this phase?

I think it is very beneficial for the horse to work correctly at the walk both in terms of a “marching” walk and with the rider asking for the level of contact that is typical for that horse depending on the discipline. I discourage clients from ambling on the buckle, as this type of walking is not as useful for the horse’s conditioning and can be less safe as well if the horse were to spook or bolt (both common occurrences during the early rehab phase).

What about small patterns such loops to the centre line and back or shallow loops along the long side to break up the monotony?

Depending on the horse’s injury, it is quite useful to encouraging walking patterns such as large circles, shallow loops, walk/halt transitions, a few steps of leg yielding, etc. when indicated in the rehab program based on the injury and the discipline of the horse. We tend to avoid tight circles (less than 20m size) in the rehab period and good footing is important even at the walking stage. Incorporating various exercises is also more mentally stimulating for the horse and can help pass the time for the rider.

What about walking over poles?

Incorporating walk/trot poles (ground and raised) can both have a useful purpose in the rehab program, but it is important to follow vet direction as to what stage poles can be incorporated based on the specifics of the injury. The proper time to incorporate poles can be vary quite drastically between horses.

Once you move into trotting during the rehabilitation, at what point can you do similar circles or loops and poles?

In terms of incorporating exercises at the trot, this is very horse and injury dependent. We have some types of injury (soft tissue especially) where we may only trot the horse on the long sides of the arena and walk the short sides initially before progressing to trotting the entire arena. There are also horses that we will start back trotting large circles almost immediately in order to keep their attention and help them to become more supple through their body.

Quiet hacking can gradually be introduced if appropriate. (NoName_13 / Pixabay)

You mentioned footing earlier; what kind of footing is safest, let’s stay, with tendon injuries like Bogart’s?

Footing is an excellent question and a hot topic among veterinarians, farriers, trainers and researchers. There is not a “one size fits all” option for every horse and the best type of footing for that specific horse often is affected by the type of injury and discipline. For example, horses with soft tissue injuries (suspensory ligament, deep digital flexor tendon) should avoid deep, uneven footing, while horses with foot soreness and bone bruising should avoid firm footing. Most Western horses are also more used to working in deeper footing when compared to English riding horses. One general rule is that proper footing maintenance (regardless of the type of footing) is always recommended.

What about hacking during a rehab program?

I am a big supporter of hacking during the rehab period to minimize boredom, provided the horse is safe and the footing is reasonable and without excessive hills. Most of our horses that have been resting due to injury are going to be much more excitable on the trails compared to the arena and I always reiterate this to owners (ed. note: ride with a super quiet trail buddy, not alone). Weather is also an important consideration, and we definitely recommend riders avoid hacking in the snow and ice early in the rehab period.