Tendon Damage?

[rusk]

Anyone have tendon problems? This is a new one on me, I'm afraid. My new boy cut himself coming out of the trailer and the vet wanted to do a scan in case of a damaged tendon, but he is sound. There is a small fleshy lump there but the farrier thinks it's just bruising. I suppose he would be lame if it was any worse, wouldn't he?

[galadriel]

Depending on the horse, they can have a pretty disturbing injury without being obviously lame. One of mine pulled a suspensory without ever being lame on it.

A pulled (torn) tendon will usually be pretty drastic looking. If the area of swelling is minor, it may not be a serious injury. If you have the opportunity, though, it's probably worth having it thoroughly checked out by a vet. Depending on what it is and how severe it is, the treatment for it may be different. There may also be suggestions about exercise, or how long to refrain from exercise.

One of mine has a minor swelling in one of her hind tendons, an area about thumb-sized. I have been pretty much "resting" her--she isn't ridden yet anyway, so I figure I can wait until this has cleared up. It's been there for quite some time, though (about a month and a half). I don't know how much exercise might have aggravated it, if we had been riding her. I also don't know if it will heal tight, or if it will stay mildly swollen forever (a bowed tendon often will not clear up completely, so I don't know hw much different this would be).