Features

• Suspensory disease involves part of the muscle group that runs from the back of a horse's ankle up to its knee. These muscles, tendons and ligaments connect the bones of the leg together and enable movement. The suspensory ligament itself runs between the bones of the leg and maintains the horse's ankle stability. The suspensory ligament also acts as the shock absorber for the leg.
  
  

Causes

• As with any ligaments, suspensory ligaments can be damaged by overuse and extensive strain. Common suspensory injuries happen when the suspensory is overstretched and cannot snap back into place, or is actually broken. Suspensory disease is a degenerative form of suspensory injury, where lesions develop on the tendon and keep it from functioning as it should.
  
  

Symptoms

• The most obvious sign of suspensory disease is lameness. A horse will be severely "off" on the leg that has a suspensory problem; the horse may be unwilling to put weight on it. This may progress to loss of action in the leg. Suspensory disease is confirmed by ultrasound, which can show enlargement of the ligament and the lesions themselves.
  
  

Treatments

• Suspensory disease, as opposed to a traditional suspensory injury, is treated with rest. Stall rest and hand walking, with no intense workouts, gives the lesions on the ligament time to heal on their own. Electroshock therapy may also help heal the lesions. Serious cases of suspensory disease require more involved treatment. The general prescription is three months of healing time.
  
  

Prevention

• Preventative measures include working a horse consistently in shallow footing, not overworking the horse and having the horse regularly checked for ligament health. Even horses that are genetically inclined to suspensory disease can be protected from getting the lesions on their ligaments. Keeping a horse balanced through good shoeing is also important.