Back at the start of July, Jaxs, a 21-year-old appendix at my barn, was walking with a slight hitch, which alerted my barn manager to take a closer examination of his legs. Jaxs had some heat and swelling on his front left leg, right below his knee. What could it be? My barn manager reached out to our vet to schedule a time where she could come and look at him. Later that week, the vet arrived and took out her ultrasound machine. Jaxs had torn his check ligament.

While it is unknown exactly how Jaxs managed to pull off such an injury, we all knew he was potentially looking at months of rehab. Despite the severity of the tear, he was sound at the walk and presented a slight lameness at the trot. Jaxs’ personality is quite large, and he’s always been the type of horse to never show his age, so the thought of him on restricted turnout was daunting. However, Jaxs had a team of caretakers who would ensure he was well tended to. We’re very lucky that his owner shares him with my barn because he is such a fun horse to be able to love on!

We always recommend reaching out to your own vet in the case of an emergency as well as a treatment plan, and with the go-head from ours, we started with standing bandages, no bow wraps, and poultice for the first two weeks to help with the heat and initial swelling. My barn manager and I used Pol-Cat Poultice and then wrapped with plastic wrap. We then used SmartPak Foam Padded No Bows with Toklat Standing Bandages.

Jaxs is about 16.1 and fine-boned and he uses size 12” for the no bows and size 9’ standing bandages, since he doesn’t require as large of a size in the front as he would on his hind legs. Because Jaxs was on limited turnout, he was hand walked in his bandages, and was able to go out in our small “injury-sized” paddock at my barn with them. We would try to leave the poultice on for a least a day or two, and then rinse, scrub and reapply for about that two weeks period.

I spoke with Jaxs’ owner and we discussed switching his SmartPaks to a supplement to help in his rehab process. We decided on Smart R&R. SmartR&R Pellets are the ideal multi-purpose solution for supporting a horse during recovery and or stall rest. This option helps support normal healing, maintain a balanced temperament, and manage digestive stress. SmartR&R Pellets combine the active ingredients of SmartFlex Rehab, SmartTranquility, and SmartDigest Ultra. Understanding that Jaxs is the type of horse who loves having a job, I was worried about his energy-levels. I liked seeing that our SmartTranquility Pellets had valerian, vervain, and chamomile to help assist with a cooler attitude. SmartFlex Rehab was another great addition, as it was designed with rehabilitation in mind. While there is Devil’s Claw Extract to help combat comfort levels, there is also antioxidant support from vitamin C, citrus bioflavonoids, and quercetin to combat the oxidative stress associated with recovery. My whole barn knew this could be a stressful time for Jaxs, so seeing that he would get some pre and probiotics for digestive health too from the SmartDigest Ultra, was another big plus for him.

He eventually graduated to quick wraps and sports boots. Since my vet wanted him in something tougher on the outside when his turnout size was able to increase, he wore the SmartPak Sport Boots on his front legs whenever he began to go outside or get hand walked. I really like this option because he was getting soft fleece on the inside, and they are super easy to brush off for cleaning. Jaxs wears a size medium well. Overnight when he was stalled, he got the Back on Track Quick Wraps put on. He is also a size 12” in these on his front. Since using no bows and standing wraps can be time-consuming and the initial swelling had left, the quick wraps were easy for everyone to use and remove at my barn. The Welltex fabric that is used on the Back on Track products contains fine ceramic powder to help reflect the horse’s own body energy to create a soothing far infrared thermal effect. These helped to increase blood circulation and oxygen transport in Jaxs’ legs.

Jaxs was making excellent progress and was able to transition into tack walking by the end of August, which felt like a miracle. While we did our fair share of cold hosing during his rehab, we also incorporated the Ice-Vibe Tendon Boots. The Ice-Vibe boots are rechargeable vibrating boots that help to boost circulation in horse’s legs by creating a massage effect. They combine the effects of cooling and massage therapy into an easy-to-use boot. My barn manager already had the Ice-Vibe system, so I just needed to get him somIce-Vibe Cold Pack Replacements. Every time Jaxs came in from outside, my barn got into the routine of putting this on his left leg. Right now, we still use them but more so after a more strenuous ride.

Since October, he was able to begin some trot work under saddle. By November, he was able to do some centering along the long sides of the ring. Right now, Jaxs is walking, trotting, and cantering again like he never missed a beat. While he had a faster recovery than we anticipated, it’s all due in part to the many fans at the barn he has, as well as the proactiveness of my barn manager and the products that assisted us. My barn feels so lucky to have Jaxs back doing what he loves most and feeling 100%!