1 -4 WEEKS

  • Box rest/Confinement to small yard
  • Bandaging
  • Anti –Inflammatory medications (Bute/cortisone/topical treatments)
  • Hand walking/out for pick for 10 minutes daily
  • Cut out the hard feed and increase roughage component of diet

4 – 8 WEEKS

  • Begin with 15 minutes regular walk on a firm or not too deep arena surface
  • Increase the exercise time by 5 minutes every week
  • Encourage horse to get into a rhythm and stretch and lower head and neck
  • 10 minutes of cold hosing/icing/ poultice or tuff rock after work
  • Monitor the tendon for any increase in swelling or pain on palpation
  • Confine to small yard or paddock, and ensure is relaxed and happy
  • Low energy diet with plenty of roughage

8 – 12 WEEKS

  • Introduce 5 minutes of trotting exercise into the program, increasing by 5 minutes each week
  • Trot in a rhythm on a firm, not too deep surface
  • Straight lines or large circles, with no deep corners or small circles
  • Monitor tendon for any increase in heat, swelling or pain on palpation
  • Cold hosing/ice/poultice or tuff rock
  • Small yard or paddock
  • Low energy diet with plenty of roughage

12 – 16 WEEKS

  • Ultrasound examination of tendon to assess healing progress
  • Start to incorporate more schooling exercises into the exercise program in a gradual progression
  • 30 minutes of regular walk to be maintained as part of the exercise programme each day, with trot for 30 minutes
  • Monitor tendon for any increase in pain, swelling or heat
  • Cold hosing/ice/poultice/tuff rock
  • Regular paddock turnout
  • Low energy diet with plenty of roughage

16 – 20 WEEKS

  • Start to incorporate small periods of canter into the exercise program, initially starting with 1-2 minutes and gradually increasing each week to a maximum of 5 minutes
  • Continue to incorporate 30 minutes of regular walking into the programme each day
  • Schooling exercises at the trot for 20 minutes
  • Canter in both directions ensuring horse is on the correct lead and balanced
  • SPEED + FATIGUE KILL so keep the canter regular and on a long straight line or a big circle or track surface
  • Monitor tendon
  • Regular paddock turnout
  • Low energy diet with plenty of roughage

20 – 24 WEEKS

  • Walk 30 minutes, schooling at trot 20 minutes, canter 10 minutes
  • Ensure canter is still performed on large circles or straight lines
  • Monitor tendon
  • Low energy diet

24 WEEKS +

  • Commence normal ridden work, remembering to monitor tendon for any signs of pain, heat or swelling
  • Gradually introduce any jumping/fitness/speed work and remember to incorporate plenty of walk periods between any periods intense training so that muscle fatigue does not result in the horse placing more strain on the tendon
  • Ride the horse over a variety of terrain, remembering to manage speed on any deep, irregular surfaces
  • Introduce a higher energy diet if required