Suspensory Ligament Injuries: New Treatments, New Hope
Suspensory ligament injuries (SLIs) are a common and potentially career ending occurance in the world of performance horses. In the Western disciplines, reining and cutting horses are particularly vulnerable to SLIs due to the high speed, high torque maneuvers required of them. However, any horse performing an athletic activity can sustain such an injury, especially if they are working in less than ideal footing. Until very recently, the prognosis for horses with serious SLIs was not very good, as damaged ligaments are notoriously slow and difficult to heal. As a result, many horses with SLIs never became sound enough to return to their former level of competition, and those that did had a high risk of reinjury. However, several promising new treatments currently being investigated by researchers are significantly brightening the outlook for horses with SLIs, with some studies suggesting that even severely injured horses may have a good chance of...