A HORSE that suffered a broken neck in a freak accident has successfully returned to the dressage arena, thanks to the skill of the veterinary team at Liphook Equine Hospital.
Poppy fractured a vertebra in her neck after she slipped and fell onto a concrete.
Due to the seriousness of the injury, the mare was referred to Liphook Equine Hospital, where she was able to benefit from the skills of top veterinary surgeons.
Complicated surgery
Poppy underwent a three-hour operation which was performed by vets Matthew Sinovich, Russell Parker and David Lloyd, who are all European specialists in equine surgery.
Matthew said Poppy’s fracture was displaced and a fragment of bone had drifted into the muscle below, which made repairing it more complicated.
Matthew said: “Before the surgery, we used our CT scanner to image Poppy’s neck so we could get a clearer picture of the injury and locate exactly where the bone fragment was sitting.
“Reaching the fracture site involved making a large incision on the underside of Poppy’s neck. This was extremely delicate to perform because we needed to cut through a lot of soft tissue and muscle and there are a lot of vital structures in that area, including the trachea (windpipe) and oesophagus, as well as important nerves and blood vessels.
“Once we’d located the fragment we repositioned it, using X-rays to guide us, and then it was fixed in place with a metal plate and screws.”
Return to the dressage arena
The 16hh, Dutch Warmblood mare has gone on to make a full recovery and is now being competed successfully in dressage by her owner Lizzie Burford, under the horse’s official name Nova Zembla.
Matthew added: “We are delighted with Poppy’s progress and her owner has done an excellent job in taking things very slowly and following a phased rehabilitation programme.
“Without surgery, Poppy’s future would have been uncertain. Her injury would have been career ending and, as well as putting her at a higher risk of arthritis in her neck, it was potentially life-threatening as we couldn’t be sure how it would affect her long-term.
“The surgery to repair the fracture has ensured she is comfortable and has a better quality of life, with a full range of movement in her neck. It’s great to hear she’s competing again and is enjoying life with her devoted owner.
“We see a large caseload of neck injuries at Liphook Equine Hospital, and one of the reasons is our CT scanner, which is the largest of its kind and enables us to image more of the horse’s body, including the whole neck. We also have a highly experienced veterinary team that regularly performs advanced neck surgery.”
Poppy’s owner, Lizzie, added: “When I was told the extent of Poppy’s injuries, I thought there was no hope, but to look at her now you couldn’t tell that just a few months ago she broke her neck. It’s all down to the incredible team at Liphook that I still have my horse and I just can’t thank them enough.”
Article by Jo Browne, PR & Communications manager (South), email: jo.browne@vetpartners.co.uk