Cloud Formation, a racehorse owned and bred by HRH Princess Royal, retired at Uttoxeter on the 14th of May 2022 with a strained SDFT. 

Cloudy has specific management requirements in order to keep him happy and healthy, and this includes not being confined to a stable. He has to be turned out otherwise he refuses to eat, therefore box rest was never going to be a viable option for any period of time.

Indiba treatment commenced on the 13th of June, however at the end of June he managed to re-injure the leg in the field and when this was rescanned on the 4th of July there was a large hole and complete loss of fibres.

Cloudy came to Lowton Equine Rehabilitation on the 7th of July and began intensive Indiba treatment alongside hand walking and turn out in one of our tiny rehab paddocks. Within the first week the swelling had completely reduced, and the leg appeared normal externally.

Following six weeks of treatment cloudy was scanned by our in-house vet Javier Perez de Guzman, and the hole was no longer apparent. The fibres in that area were still less dense and some disorganisation to the pattern, so the decision was made for him to stay a further six weeks.

We continued treatment and he was scanned again on the 29th of September. The final scan showed a slight enlargement and some disorganised fibres however the remaining damage was considered negligible and Cloudy was given the all clear to start hacking. 

Cloudy went home following this scan and did his first hack on the 29th of September. As of the 20th of November 2022, he is still sound in work and has started trotting. Carole continues to treat cloudy every second week while he returns to full work.

We had some great news today. Just six weeks of treatment on a catastrophic hole in an sdft and the hole is gone. Lots of scans and a full case report to follow.