slight bowed tendon - swim

Question
hello. lets suppose my racehorse has got slight bowed tendon(slight swelling of the tendon), can i make him swim so that the swelling might die?

Answer
Dear Rohit- My goodness! That's quite a few questions Rohit! Okay- so let's try and finish off a few of these together- swimming exercises a horse's muscles without the horse having to load-bear (carry weight) on the affected limb. It should be done in a proper equine hydro therapy facility (as opposed to just taking the horse to the beach or a swimming hole). The best way to determine a lameness is to call the vet- especially if you horse is lame for more than a day or two. Swelling may or may not be warmer than the opposite leg remember - not all swelling includes heat.. If the swelling is slight- then compare both legs by feeling both of the limbs at the same time and comparing the two. A bowed tendon- no matter how slight- needs rest- LOTS of rest. Complete recovery can take up to a year and the only way to ensure that the tendon has repaired itself is through ultra sound or MRI. A bow can appear to be fine- and the horse may even look sound BUT the leg can re-bow (with drastic consequences) if a horse is returned to work without having bee checked out by a vet and had ether an MRI or an ultrasound completed.
Best wishes,
Shelley