Trivia Challenge: What’s Your Tendon-Injury IQ?
Challenge yourself! Have fun and test your knowledge of horse health with Horse&Rider’s Trivia Challenge, featured in The Ride newsletter.

Illustration by Navah Rae Adams

1. A soft-tissue injury most commonly occurs when a horse’s tendon or ligament…

A) is overheated.

B) contracts too quickly.

C) is stretched beyond capacity.

2. True or false: A serious soft-tissue injury can be even more devastating for your horse than a bone fracture.

T / F

3. Hand walking is typically an important part of the rehabilitation of a tendon or ligament injury because it stimulates new tissue regeneration.

T / F

4. True or false: The suspensory ligament, one of the most commonly injured soft-tissue structures, shows considerable heat and swelling when it’s hurt.

T / F

HOW’D YOU DO? (Answers below.)

1. C is correct. The too-far stretching causes the fibers within the tendon or ligament to tear. Such injuries can be the result of a sudden trauma (like stepping in a hole or twisting during a sudden move). Soft-tissue injuries can also occur as the result of repetitive movement that causes gradual weakening and an eventual tear.

[RELATED: Keep him sound with these do’s and don’ts.]

2. T is correct. Soft-tissue injuries can be debilitating, especially for a performance horse. Soft tissues such as tendons and ligaments not only heal slowly, they’re also often weakened after healing—meaning they can be easily reinjured.

3. T is correct. Hand walking usually is recommended during the second stage of healing, as tissues are regenerated. A scaffolding forms across torn fibers that then supports the collagen fibers that will be laid down to fill the injury.

Book: Back to Work: How to Rehabilitate or Recondition Your Horse, by Lucinda Dyer. 

Products we feature have been selected by our editorial staff. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn a commission. For more information click here.

4. F is correct. In fact, an injured suspensory typically shows no sign of heat or swelling because of limited blood flow through the structure. It may also cause only subtle, intermittent signs of lameness, which can result in the injury going unrecognized until the ligament is severely damaged.

[FOR MORE vet’s advice on soft-tissue troubles.]

Hey! Not already receiving H&R’s fun and informative newsletter? Sign up right now for The Ride. It’s free!

CATEGORIES
TAGS
Related Articles
Horse Knee Injection
Comfort Management Matters
Common Treatment Options for Equine Osteoarthritis
156A5641 (1)
Let's Move!
Strengthen and Support: Exercises for the Arthritic Horse
The front view of a rider in jeans, cowboy chaps and checkered shirt on a reining horse slides to a stop in the red clay an arena
Are You Taking Proper Care of His Joints?
Take Our Quiz! How Joint-Smart Are You?
Portrait of horse in barn door
Keep Riding After OA Diagnosis
Life After an Osteoarthritis Diagnosis
Newsletter
Receive news and promotions for Horse & Rider and other Equine Network offers.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Country*

Additional Offers

Additional Offers
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Horse and Rider
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.