Relatively simple surgery, which is successful in about 80 per cent of the cases, will usually have the horse back at normal work within 60 days. A local anesthetic is used, and an incision about three-eights of an inch long is made. A special knife is inserted, the medial ligament is cut near the tibia, and the incision is closed. The horse is given 30 days of rest, followed by several weeks of free exercise, and is then normally put back into regular work. More stifle problems are seen at the race track because there are so many young horses being trained in one area.
Lateral work increases a horse s ability to perform smoothly and quickly.
But lateral exercises need to be practiced in small increments and over a period of time. Great performances are built on solid foundations. Each month you'll find a new column on our web site. We hope you'll enjoy it, and maybe e-mail us with questions or suggestions for other columns. A Horse, Of Course is a weekly column syndicated by Success Is Easy.