Tendon Injury - A Case History

By: © Victoria Ferguson Dip.Herb.Med.

Long time clients David & Katrina Faust from Proserpine in far north Qld contacted me for help with their young Quarter Horse gelding “Jaffa” in June last year. 

After helping them with quite a few of their horses over the years, he presented us all with many challenges. Katrina bred Jaffa – he is out of an imported cutting bred mare and sired by Concenting who was twice Australian Quarter Horse Dressage Horse of the Year.

It has ended up as a success story with their 17 year old daughter Daisy  competing on him this year in stock horse challenges, camp drafts and local shows.

In  June last year Katrina had competed him in a few camp drafts when his near fetlock blew up with an apparent sprain.  I treated it and it came good,  then suddenly blew up again & he was on three legs.  I suspected an infection in the tendon sheath & it was decided to seek vet treatment in Townsville. It turned out he also had major tears in the deep digital and superficial flexor tendons. Brad Dowling operated on him using stem cell surgery & platelet injections, and after a fortnight at the vet clinic on box rest, he returned home & immediately re-started his herbal treatments. He was confined for another 8 weeks with 15 minute daily hand exercise & his progress was excellent. In October David and Katrina went away to Europe for a long overdue holiday, and it seems Jaffa galloped in the paddock and suffered a bleed to the area.

On examination at the vet clinic he was diagnosed with adhesions but Brad was amazed at how well the surgery had healed which Katrina and David put down to his ongoing VF Natural Diet and his herbal treatments combined with the skill of the surgeon.  Jaffa was put on a strict regime of hand walking to stretch the adhesions which Katrina religiously followed & in December after checking with Brad it was decided to start a gradual return to work program under saddle. All this worked very well.  Katrina says she is also very lucky in having a great farrier Jeff Morton from Mackay.

Injury	Healed

“Wherever we take Jaffa people flock to him,  oh my God what do you feed him?  When I tell them they don’t believe that it could be so simple.  He just adores his feed, he savours every mouthful.”

The VF Natural Diet is a preventive nutrition program only using natural unprocessed feeds and herbs to provide a customised, balanced diet for every horse. 

Katrina is very pleased that she persevered with him, despite the fact that she was offered $18,000 for him just before his injury. 

So overall a great result.

Katrina is enrolled in the School of Equine Herbal Medicine and is planning to return to her studies next year.

Thank you to Victoria Ferguson Equine Herbalist for this informative article. Visit Victoria's website for more information here www.victoriaferguson.com.au