Thursday, November 14, 2019
Today we are going to share the experience of one of our users, Juliette. Thanks to regular use of her Seaver strap protector and a keen eye, she was able to anticipate a possible tendon injury.
The bane of every rider, especially competitive riders, tendonitis often means a long period of recovery and rehabilitation. Unless it is too severe and ends a horse's career for good.
Recognized as one of the most common injuries in equestrian sports, we will explain, through the experience of a user, how it is possible to suspect this injury before the actual symptoms (lameness, hot and painful swelling) appear. Please note that in the case you are about to discover, it was a fatigue injury. Unfortunately, Seaver cannot yet anticipate all types of injuries or contexts in which the injury occurs. Your girth (or girth guard) will be useful in supporting the veterinarian's protocol for rehabilitation and identifying possible post-traumatic pain.
First, let us recall that tendons are fibrous structures that act as shock absorber role between muscles and bones. With poor vascularization and limited extensibility, they are considered one of the weak links in the musculoskeletal system of horses.
As in humans, tendinitis is a partial or total rupture of the collagen fibers that make up the tendon. Tendinitis is often detected at a stage requiring rest, which can last between 3 and 15 months depending on the condition. A engorgement, more or less warm, with tenderness on palpation and lameness , particularly on so-called "soft" ground, are characteristic of tendonitis. The veterinarian makes a diagnosis based on a clinical examination and ultrasound scan. The animal's athletic career therefore depends on the severity of the injury and the tissues affected. But also, and above all, on compliance with the recommended care and rehabilitation.
The problem with this type of injury is that it can recur. Scar tissue is not the same as the original tissue. Although it is stronger, it is less elastic, and the transition zone between the two types of tissue is fragile. It is therefore important to minimize the risk of further injury. It is therefore important to regular monitoring and care after exertion.
Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure at this time. However, there are a few important factors to consider that can help help limit the risk :
Please note that there are three types of tendon injuries:
With regular use and careful attention to the data collected and your horse's overall condition, Seaver technology can help you anticipate so-called "fatigue" injuries. For the other two types of injury, your sensor helps you detect inappropriate exertion and/or pain in your horse.
Juliette owns an 8-year-old sport mare that competes in 1m30-1m35 show jumping events. She acquired her when she was 3 years old. Juliette has always paid particular attention to her physical condition and well-being. That's why she turned to the Seaver girth protector. It allows her to monitor and understand her mare more accurately.
The girth guard has been in use since July and is used for each of the mare's outings, even when lunging. As a result, Juliette has average data on her cardio, trot symmetry, bounce, etc.
However, the data she looks at most is cardio and symmetry when trotting. Here, for example, is the symmetry data she provided us with after her first month of use:
We can therefore see that the data is regular and consistent. The rider's questioning began on August 11. This followed a slight change in the balance between the two diagonal bipeds :
Nothing alarming, but this user told us she pays close attention to detail. She therefore decided to spend a week alternating light work and rest days in the paddock.
A week later, she asked a professional rider to ride her mare. She wanted to see whether the data from the previous week was worth considering or not. And it certainly was:
After a long period at a walk, the rider decided to break into a trot. But the mare decided to break into a gallop to the right. Juliette immediately saw that something was wrong with her mare's reaction at the start. So she asked the rider to return to a walk and stay there. The graph above shows a peak in heart rate corresponding to the moment the gallop began.
Once back at the stables, the mare is checked by Juliette and her rider, who detect no pain, lumps, or lameness (on hard and soft ground). The mare was as "feisty" as usual at work.
The rider continued to work the mare over the following days very lightly. Still no signs of a possible pathology appeared. These are the data on symmetry when trotting and cardio showing initially significant values when galloping to the right and then, during the next day's session, high figures when trotting and very high figures when galloping which were the warning sign to call the vet for a check-up:
Juliette clearly stated that when the veterinarian examined her mare, there were no signs of tendon damage: no lameness, no swelling, no pain when touched, and no change in the mare's behavior. While waiting for the vet to arrive, the mare was led by hand and allowed to graze, with simple bandages applied to the front legs (suspicion of injury to the right front leg based on previous data).
On the day the vet arrived, horror struck: when the bandages were removed, the right front leg was very swollen and painful. The vet arrived a few minutes later and noticed no lameness on hard or soft ground, only what Juliette had already noticed when she removed the bandages.
It's time for the ultrasound to come into play... After many minutes of searching to try to find the cause, which appears to be a tendon injury, the diagnosis is made: a micro-lesion of the right anterior suspensory ligament. The veterinarian recommends three weeks of rest with bandages on the front legs, accompanied by an anti-inflammatory herbal lotion. A gradual return to work thereafter with a follow-up ultrasound after convalescence at a walk. The veterinarian is not concerned, he does not really mention actual tendonitis given the early detection, which pleasantly surprised him.
Although we all prefer to have a healthy horse, Juliette was delighted with this diagnosis because without Seaver, she would have continued to work her mare normally, asking her to exert herself in ways that would certainly have led to a more serious injury and therefore at least three months off followed by a period of rehabilitation. Since then, the mare has resumed work and the rapid treatment of this early stage of injury has reduced the risk of further injury.
Thanks to this user feedback,regular use of your Seaver product can indeed help you prevent certain types of injuries that we want to avoid and that are unfortunately very common in sport horses.
Please feel free to send us your feedback on how you are using your Seaver ☺
See you soon,
the Seaver team
