Retrospective Analysis of Suspensory Ligament Branch Injuries in 70 Dressage Horses
Authors: Ana Boado, D. Pollard, Sue Dyson
Journal: Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Suspensory ligament branch injuries represent a significant concern in dressage horses, yet published outcome data specific to this discipline have been lacking until now. This retrospective review examined 70 dressage horses (predominantly Warmbloods and Iberian breeds) with 89 branch injuries across 74 limbs, characterising their clinical presentation, ultrasonographic features, and response to various treatment protocols over the study period. Lateral branch involvement predominated at 75.3% of cases, with most injuries localised distally and graded as moderate (48.3%) on ultrasound; 84.3% of horses demonstrated pain on firm palpation, typically presenting with Grade 2/5 lameness. Encouragingly, 63% returned to pre-injury work levels or better, with conservative management (exercise modification and serial ultrasonographic monitoring, often combined with radial pressure wave therapy) proving successful in 31.3% of cases, though severe injuries carried a substantially higher retirement risk. These findings suggest that early detection and tailored conservative protocols—avoiding unnecessary box rest—may optimise outcomes for dressage horses with suspensory branch injuries, particularly those with mild-to-moderate pathology.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Most dressage horses with suspensory ligament branch injuries (63%) can return to their previous level of performance with appropriate management, so early conservative intervention is warranted before considering retirement
- •Nearly three-quarters of conservatively managed horses benefited from radial pressure wave therapy combined with exercise modification and ultrasonographic monitoring—consider this non-invasive approach before pursuing more aggressive interventions
- •Lateral branch injuries are three times more common than medial in dressage horses; monitor the lateral branches closely during clinical examination and ultrasonographic assessment
Key Findings
- •Lateral branch injuries (75.3%) were more common than medial branch injuries (27.0%) in 70 dressage horses with 89 total branch injuries
- •63% of horses returned to the same level of work or higher, with 31.3% managed conservatively through exercise modification and ultrasonographic monitoring
- •76.2% of conservatively treated horses received radial pressure wave therapy as adjunctive treatment
- •Severe ultrasonographic grades were significantly associated with retirement compared to mild or moderate injuries