Stella in her stall with minis.
On March 24th, Stella came up completely lame on the left hind leg. Dr. McCracken came out and diagnosed her with a peroneus tertius tendon rupture. This tendon is part of the apparatus in the hind limb that coordinates flexion and extension of the stifle and hock. Rupture of this tendon is usually secondary to hyperextension of the hock joint, so we suspect she slipped and injured it while in turnout.
Treatment for this injury is strict stall rest, and Stella has been prescribed 3–4 months minimum. She will have recheck ultrasounds to monitor her progress. So far she is handling stall rest like a champ, and she is enjoying her new neighbors, Sunny D and Shasta, who have moved in next door to keep her company.
Although recovery for this injury is a long process, we are hopeful that she will make a complete recovery and return to being a riding horse when it is safe to do so. She was going so well under saddle, this is a sad setback. She is being a very good patient even though stall rest can be frustrating for most horses, she is taking it in stride.
In normal horse, if the stifle is flexed, you cannot extend the hock. Here you can see Stella’s reciprocal apparatus is ruptured.
