Every single day we are busy exchanging emails or talking directly with owners and trainers over the phone about their horse’s health. We are sure to take as much time as we can to answer every question to the best of our ability. It is important to note that NONE of us here at Western Legacy Sales are veterinarians, however, we do have a wealth of knowledge from decades spent working, training and dealing with issues in our own horses. Perhaps more importantly, there is no real way for us to go back and calculate the man-hours we have spent, and continue to spend, working with and learning from some of the best equine vets in the country while developing the Iconoclast Equine Support Boots.
Whenever you have an issue with one of your equine partners we highly recommend contacting your veterinarian first and foremost. The information you find in this blog is what we would call our best approach in a given situation. Every situation is unique and every animal has their own story, so please consider what you read here to merely be advice. An experienced veterinarian is always your best resource so when you find one that serves you well, keep his/her phone number close by at all times because you never know when you may need them!
This week we want to share with you a situation we were approached with recently. The following is the email we received (names have been changed):
Yesterday, our vet was here and noticed two horses with suspensory injuries. We have a Lipizzaner cross gelding that is showing the beginnings of suspensory injuries with a drop of a fetlock of his right hind. He hasn't been lame or showing any signs of injury. I feel completely devastated by this and I'm searching for a way to protect him. Would your boots help him lift his fetlock back to normal position? He is a lesson horse and I refuse to put my horses in danger. Would our horse need to wear your boots all of the time or just while riding?
The second horse is an older mare and our vet believes she had a suspensory tear. She is off a bit off but nothing terrible. Her fetlock has dropped a lot and she does appear to be sore. While she is out in the pasture she looks happy, running around and getting to know our home (she is new-supposed to be an advanced beginner lesson horse). Our vet said she is best for a pasture situation and not for riding. Since she appears to have a tear, which could have been a long time injury, how can your boots help her?
I would love to know a lot more about this. If this can help my two horses then I would love to become a distributor and build a website to get this out to more people not to mention to all of the horses who need assistance in our local area. I love our horses and honestly I'm heartbroken. I don't want our horses to feel pain and if this can fix them then I'm all for it.
~ Sarah
We hear stories just like Sarah’s every day. It is truly unfortunate to feel so helpless, but we are here to supply you with hope! As a matter of fact situations similar to this in our own horses is exactly what led to the development of the Iconoclast Equine Support Boots. The following is our correspondence back to Sarah:
Dear Sarah,
Thank you for your interest in our Iconoclast boots.
I am sure you have a very good veterinarian. I think there are two different issues with soft tissue of the horse’s leg as it pertains lameness. First you can find a strain or second you will find a tear.
The strain is less problematic than the recovery of a tear. The greatest difference is TIME. In the case of a strain, the horse needs to be stalled for a period of time to allow proper healing and function of the tissue in question. In all rehab situations it is very important to know exactly what ligament or tendon you are dealing with and the full extent of damage. There are 32 different ligaments and tendons in the horse’s leg from the knee/hock to the coffin bone. Damage to any of these can cause some degree of discomfort or expression of lameness.
The amount of time the horse is confined will be determined by several factors. Severity of injury, location of injury, modality of treatment and diligence of care givers. Once you have located and identified the injury you will proceed with prescribed methods of treatment (usually provided by the attending veterinarian).
The use of the Iconoclast support boot should be implemented as soon as you identify the injury. If the horse is confined to stall rest, put the Iconoclast Rehabilitation boot on for confident, consistent support. This boot is best used in 10-12 hour sessions, allowing time out of the boot for therapy and freshening.
Remember to always treat both legs the same, save the good leg as it will be under more strain because of the injured leg. Put both boots on and take booth boots off. The recovery of injury is improved if you can allow very controlled motion allowing the ligament or tendon to function but this motion must be properly supported. The Iconoclast boot will provide the necessary and proper support needed to stabilize the injured area. You cannot get proper support from any other device such as polo wraps, splint boots or bandages. As the fetlock is the nucleus of the soft tissue of the equine leg, proper support is the only avenue to recovery.
If you are dealing with a soft tissue tear, treatments are much the same, and motion must be allowed in order to minimize or eliminate the development of scar tissue. If scar tissue is allowed to form in the injured tendon or ligament, re-injury is very likely as scar tissue has little if any ability to stretch. If enough scar tissue is formed or if the injury is of a time past your horse may always exhibit some degree of discomfort.
The Iconoclast boot is the best device offered today for the rehabilitation, recovery or prevention of damage to soft tissue of the horse’s leg. The ability to reduce injury due to hyperextension, fatigue, poor conformation, preexisting condition, improper balance or aging is the hallmark of the Iconoclast boot.
If you would like to view our products please see our web site www.westernleagysales.com. We also have some informational videos about our boots at Youtube.com/iconoclastboot if you would like to learn more.
I look forward to hearing back from you and I wish you the best of luck rehabilitating your horses! If you have further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kindly,
Ward Heid
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