front inferior check ligament with lateral displacement. For a Grand Prix athlete, the news meant a long road to recovery and a possible end to the mare’s jumping career.
Early Recoveries Over the first few days, Hiberia’s leg continued to be non- weight bearing and swelling developed in both the front and back of her leg. Although it did not seem painful when the doctors palpated her leg, she kept her knee bent and only her toe touching the ground. She remained at Surgi-Care for nine days, where they treated her daily with hydrotherapy, cold poultice and a full-limb bandage as well as the medica- tions Bute, Pentoxifylline, Methocarbamol and Omeprazole. When she was released, Hiberia was transported directly to The Sanctuary, a specialized equine rehabilitation center in Ocala, Florida, to continue her rehabilitation therapy. During this time, Debi was dealing with her own serious
injuries. From the fall, her face had been ripped from the bridge of her nose down to her chin. She had broken both of her arms and found herself stitched up from ear to ear and fashionably sporting blue casts on her arms—or “front legs” as she likes to call them. After ten days she was released from Surgi-Care and was able to travel back to her farm in Ocala. Debi knew that both she and her mare had a long road ahead of them. She may have considered the injuries to herself and Hiberia career ending, but as Debi puts it, “God had other plans for us.” After just a few weeks, Debi was back in the saddle, casts and all! Hiberia’s recovery road was much longer than Debi’s.
She stayed at The Sanctuary for nine days, while the staff used a cold saltwater leg spa (think hot tub—but cold wa- ter—for a standing horse) and Pegasus Laser Therapy to help provide pain relief and reduce the swelling associated with the tear to her check ligament. The leg spa uses 35-degree, turbulated salt water to
remove heat, relieve pain, reduce swelling and inflamma- tion, and increase circulation and oxygenation to the tissue. Inflammation can be a significant hindrance to tissue repair and often results in secondary tissue damage, referred to as hypoxic injury. Fluid buildup prevents the blood vessels from flowing properly and healing injured cells. The cold saltwater leg spa reduces hypoxic injury and fluid build-up while numbing the affected area and acting as a topical analgesic. The salt helps reduce swelling and aerating the water through jets increases the concentration of oxygen, which aids in healing. Many owners and riders are using this treatment as a preventative measure after training or com- petition. Regular treatments can help to reduce the risk of activity-related injury. Jill Copenhagen, DVM, of Peak Performance Sporthorses,
has plenty of experience with the cold saltwater leg spa. “The leg spa is really effective in getting inflammation out of the leg and most horses seem to enjoy it. It is also effective in improving circulation and stimulating healing in soft-tissue injuries.” The second treatment for Hiberia highly recommended by The Sanctuary staff was Pegasus Laser Therapy. It increas-
es circulation, which also reduces pain and inflammation and can help to speed up the healing of abnormal cells. Brenda McDuffee, General Manager at the Sanctuary, explains how the treatment works: Photons from the laser penetrate into deep parts of the tissue and speed up cellular reproduc- tion. When the energy available to a cell increases, the cell can shed waste products at a faster rate and take on more nutrients. It also helps to reduce the formation of scar tissue and encourages the process of nerve cell reconnection. Ade- nosine-tri-phosphate (ATP) is the major carrier of cell energy and the source for the chemical reactions in the cells. ATP production is driven by flavomono-nucleotide, which is acti- vated by chromophones reacting to laser light. Laser therapy treatments build upon each other and have a cumulative effect. Hiberia received treatments every day during her first stay at the rehabilitation facility but then her treatments tapered off to three times a week until the therapy plan was concluded.
The Pegasus Laser Therapy demonstrated. The PEMF treatment.
A Long Road Besides these treatments, Hiberia was hand walked several times a day for approximately five to ten minutes. On De- cember 24, 2009, she returned home to Kabana Ranch. “It was the best Christmas present I could have ever received,” Debi says with a smile. Hiberia continued her program of stall rest and hand walking at the farm while team members from The Sanctuary traveled there three times a week to ad- minister her laser treatments. In May of 2010, Hiberia returned to the rehab facility for
a month to have a series of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF) treatments, along with the leg spa treat- ments, continued lasering and some swimming. Brenda explains that with PEMF, a series of magnetic pulses is di- rected through electrical energy to injured tissue in order to stimulate cellular repair. By creating electrical induction, it mobilizes ions at the cellular level and is used to treat pain and inflammation from acute injuries, chronic disease such as arthritis, surgery and wounds. Many competitors are also us- ing the Magna Wave on their horses before and after compe- tition to help enhance performance and minimize soreness or injury after a show. Debi and David give The Sanctuary a lot of credit for
helping Hiberia overcome an injury that could have ended her jumping career. “They were dedicated to her treatment program and provided us with different treatment options throughout her recovery,” remarks Debi.
Warmbloods Today 27
Photos courtesy The Sanctuary
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