Rehabilitation for horses refers to the process of restoring physical function and performance following injury, illness, or surgery. This process often involves a combination of veterinary care, physical therapy, and specialized training techniques. Rehabilitation aims to promote healing, improve mobility, and prevent further injury. Common methods used in equine rehabilitation include controlled exercise programs, hydrotherapy, and the use of therapeutic modalities such as laser therapy and ultrasound. The effectiveness of these methods is evaluated through clinical assessments and performance metrics. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, outcomes, and advancements in the field of equine rehabilitation.
Cheney JA, Liou SY, Wheat JD.Abstract
The high incidence of lameness in thoroughbred racehorses in California led to a study which indicated a relationship between track hardness and the percentage of occurrence of lameness. One type of lameness is due to a longitudinal fracture of the foreleg cannon bone (third metacarpal). A study was made to obtain the compressive strength of cannon bonein vitro due to single and cyclical loading, and material properties of bone material in the longitudinal and transverse directions in the bone. A theory for the interaction of bone-marrow fluid with the longitudinal compression predic...
Robinson RC.Most practitioners will have experienced the
frustration encountered in the treatment of sprains
of the flexor tendons and suspensory ligaments
of racehorses. After apparent recovery, the
damaged structure will often break down again
when the horse returns to hard training. Milne
(1960), Reed (1962), Jubb and Kennedy (1963)
and Hickman (1964) have written detailed ac-
counts of the pathology of tendon injuries and the
mechanism of repair of tendon tissue. These
writers substantiate that when a tendon is
sprained, there is a tearing or rupture of some of
the tendon fibres, varying i...
Pluim M, Frippiat T.Polyacrylamide gel is increasingly used in equine veterinary medicine for osteoarthritis and other joint disorders. This study aimed to document the indications, treatment protocols, rehabilitation plans, outcomes, and satisfaction with intra-articular polyacrylamide gel in horses, as reported by equine veterinarians. An online questionnaire was distributed to practitioners through the European and American Colleges of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation mailing lists, social media, and direct contact. Of 197 respondents, 160 completed the survey, forming the basis for the descriptiv...
Quam V.Inflammation plays a role in acute and chronic equine tendon/ligament injury; anti-inflammatories are often indicated. Local corticosteroids provide consistent and profound short-term effects on pain and inflammation across species. However, there is no demonstrated benefit in the long term, and complications can occur. Alternative biologic anti-inflammatory treatments are available and should be used in horses at risk of complications. Nonetheless, corticosteroids remain an affordable and effective anti-inflammatory that, with continued research, may be indicated on a case-by-case basis as pa...
Domino M, Borowska M, Stefanik E, Domańska-Kruppa N, Skibniewski M, Turek B.In equine surface electromyography (sEMG), challenges related to the reliability and interpretability of data arise, among other factors, from methodological differences, including signal processing and analysis. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the filtering-induced changes in basic signal features in relation to the balance between signal loss and noise attenuation. Raw sEMG signals were collected from the quadriceps muscle of six horses during walk, trot, and canter and then filtered using eight filtering methods with varying cut-off frequencies (low-pass at 10 Hz, high-pass at 20 Hz...
Calle-González N, Rivero JL, Olivares J, Miró F, Argüelles D, Requena F, Munoz A.Capacitive-resistive electrical transfer (CRET) is an endogenous non-invasive technique, used as deep diathermy. We pursue to analyze the temperature changes by applying different CRET protocols in the thoracolumbar spine of horses, between thoracic vertebrae 15 and lumbar 2. Unassigned: Ten clinically sound horses without thoracolumbar pain underwent various CRET protocols applied to a standardized thoracolumbar region (T15-L2). The protocols included sham (device off), low intensity (LIP, 5%), medium intensity (MIP, 30%), and high intensity (HIP, 40%). The HIP protocol was further divided in...
Pluim M, Reynolds A, McClure S.High-power laser therapy and extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) can be safely used to treat tendon and ligament injuries in horses, and the potential beneficial effects have been described. The power of low level lasers is not sufficient for treatment of tendon and ligament injuries in horses. ESWT is used more often to treat tendon and ligament injuries than it is for any other type of condition in horses, but there is limited supporting scientific evidence. Further research should focus on establishing dosage and treatment protocols for both laser therapy and ESWT in horses with clinic...
Connard SS, Schnabel LV.This review explores the use of biologics in the treatment of tendon and ligament injuries in horses, focusing on current and emerging therapies aimed at enhancing tissue repair and regeneration. It discusses the role of scaffold-based therapies, growth factors, blood-derived and tissue-derived biologics, and gene therapy as biologic regenerative therapies for improving healing outcomes. The review evaluates the mechanisms, efficacy, and challenges of biologics in clinical applications, highlighting recent advances and clinical studies. It provides an overview of current trends and future dire...
Tay A, McMaster M.Equine tendon lacerations are not uncommon secondary to traumatic wounds and degloving lacerations. These wounds are often contaminated and, therefore, basic principles of wound assessment and management are critical to identify the extent of an injury. Ancillary tools to aid physical examination include radiography, ultrasonography, and synoviocentesis (eg, if involving a joint and/or tendon sheath). Prolonged convalescence period, continued external coaptation, and controlled exercise are mainstays of treatment following tenorrhaphy. A poor prognosis for return to full athletic function is e...
Vaughan B, McKerney ER, Wollenberger C, Cloninger A, Spriet M, Galuppo L, Stover SM.Humeral stress fractures in racehorses can progress to catastrophic fracture if unrecognised. Scintigraphy is the gold standard diagnostic technique but is limited by accessibility and cost. It was hypothesised that ultrasonography could be used to visualise caudoproximal humeral stress fractures. Objective: To determine the utility of ultrasonography to identify caudoproximal humeral stress fractures in racehorses. Methods: Clinical case series. Methods: Seven racehorses that had a clinical history consistent with the presence of a humeral stress fracture were examined using humeral ultrasono...
Ruspi BD, Bramlage LR, Ruggles AJ, Slone SA.To report the rate of survival, rate of return to racing, and quality of racing performance following surgical fixation of medial condylar fractures. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: A total of 150 Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses surgically treated for medial condylar fracture (100 lag screw fixation, 50 plate fixation). Methods: Medical records, radiographs, and racing databases (2000-2020) were reviewed to collect signalment, fracture characteristics, fixation methods, survival rate, and complication rate. Change in racing performance was assessed using Wilcoxon rank sum tests...
Sanchez-Arjona R, Lopez Cruz C, Hague BA, Jayawickrama J, Kamm JL.To evaluate the outcomes of diode laser-facilitated (DLF) ankylosis using different surgical techniques to treat distal tarsal osteoarthritis (OA) in horses. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: A total of 64 client-owned horses with distal tarsal OA treated with DLF ankylosis between 2011 and 2021 in a referral hospital were included. Methods: DLF ankylosis techniques included: intra-articular diode laser (L), diode laser with periarticular drilling (L + D) and diode laser with cuboidal bone fenestration (L + F). Horses requiring a second surgery formed a fourth group (T). Ou...
Seery R, Graham-Wisener L, Wells DL.Equine-Assisted Services (EAS), which incorporate horses in a variety of ways in an effort to improve human wellbeing, have grown in popularity in recent years. Although much research has been conducted regarding the benefits that horses may provide for human health and wellbeing, little attention has been paid to practitioners' experiences and perspectives of the field, despite the fact they are uniquely positioned to advance our understanding of this area. This study aimed to explore practitioners' lived experiences of EAS, focusing on the benefits they observed, possible underlying mechanis...
Sikorska U, Maśko M, Rey B, Domino M.Water treadmill (WT) exercise is used for horses' rehabilitation and training. Given that each training needs to be individualized for each horse, the goal is to assess whether infrared thermography (IRT) can serve as a non-invasive tool for daily monitoring of individual training and rehabilitation progress in horses undergoing WT exercise. Fifteen Polish Warmblood school horses were subjected to five WT sessions: dry treadmill, fetlock-depth water, fetlock-depth water with artificial river (AR), carpal-depth water, and carpal-depth water with AR. IRT images, collected pre- and post-exercise,...
Jastrzębska E, Dobbek D, Pawłowska A.Back pain in horses is a frequent musculoskeletal issue that affects performance and welfare. Magnetotherapy has been proposed as a complementary, non-invasive treatment to reduce pain and support soft tissue recovery, but studies in horses remain limited. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effects of low-frequency pulsed magnetic field therapy on horses with hypersensitivity to palpation along the longissimus dorsi muscle. Four recreational horses participated in a 10-session magnetotherapy program, with changes assessed using palpation, neck flexibility tests, heart rate measurements and...
Pécresse B, Moiroud C, Hanne-Poujade S, Hatrisse C, De Azevedo E, Coudry V, Jacquet S, Audigié F, Chateau H.Locomotor disorders involving the spine are a major cause of impaired performance and early retirement in sport horses. Swimming is increasingly incorporated into rehabilitation protocols, but its effects on spinal biomechanics remain poorly understood. This prospective study evaluated changes in thoracolumbar mobility in sixteen sport horses diagnosed with cervical or thoracolumbar axial musculoskeletal lesions over a 12-week rehabilitation program comprising 4 weeks of land-based training followed by 8 weeks during which swimming sessions were incorporated three times per week. Weekly measur...
Vargas J.To describe the application of water treadmill exercise for equine fitness and/or rehabilitation in a scientific and clinically reasonable manner. Unassigned: Horses owned by Spy Coast Farm were used for video content. Unassigned: A literature review was performed and compiled in this brief video to provide veterinarians with a comprehensive, evidence-based guide for implementing water treadmill exercise within fitness and rehabilitation programs. Unassigned: Equine water treadmill exercise is an aerobic modality that increases distal limb flexion and range of motion, with no reported adverse ...
Zhang Z, Yang Y, Ma Y, Mai Z, Fu H, Wang X, Cao X, Li T, Li J, Guo Q.With the growing popularity of equestrian sports, the incidence of athletic injuries in horses has also risen. Among these injuries, proximal sesamoid bone fracture (PSBF) and flexor tendinitis are particularly common in the forelimbs of sport horses and represent major causes of musculoskeletal impairment. A 5-year-old horse presented with obvious symptoms such as swelling at the left fetlock joint and metacarpal region after exercise. Through lameness assessment, diagnostic imaging, and hematological testing, the horse was diagnosed with PSBF complicated by flexor tendinitis. The affected ho...
Boger B, Naraian M, Hernandez E, Eaton A, Rockburn R, Tillman I, Payne S, Yob C, Panek C, Manfredi JM.Resistance bands used while horses are exercised with their handlers have shown benefits, but it is unknown if whole-body resistance bands used independently have therapeutic benefits. This study hypothesized that horses with varying gait asymmetries would experience improvements in lameness, muscular function, range of motion, posture, and cortisol following short-term use of a whole-body resistance band wrap (RBW). In this study, nine lame adult horses were evaluated with and without the RBW. The assessment included: objective gait analysis, acoustic myography, postural analysis, gait kinema...
Mazzucco L, Marcatili M, Withers J, Cantatore F.Superficial digital flexor tendinopathy is a common cause of forelimb lameness in Thoroughbred racehorses and sports horses; however, this condition is rarely observed in the hindlimb. A 16-year-old Irish sports horse gelding was presented with bilateral swelling in the plantar metatarsal region and severe bilateral hindlimb lameness visible at the walk. The lameness occurred after the cross-country phase of an eventing competition. The clinical suspicion of superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) injury was confirmed after ultrasonographic examination, which revealed an extensive core lesion...
Skierbiszewska K, Turek B, Jasiński T, Kaczorowski M, Kozłowska N, Higuchi J, Domino M.Bone grafting in equine medicine offers a promising contribution to treating orthopaedic developmental diseases and chondral, osteochondral and segmental bone defects. Among grafts, synthetic bone substitutes-alloplastics-show favourable biological properties addressing numerous limitations presented by autografts, xenografts and allografts. Objective: To compile and disseminate clinical data and research findings from existing publications on the use of alloplastics in horses. Methods: Systematic review. Methods: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis 202...
Lenarz J, Smit IH, Rhodin M, Lischer C, Fugazzola MC.Intramuscular vaccination is a routine component of equine medicine, but local muscle soreness may transiently affect gait symmetry. Objective data on vaccination-associated gait changes in horses are lacking. Objective: To investigate whether intramuscular vaccination induces measurable gait asymmetries depending on injection site, to inform recommendations on vaccination site selection and short-term exercise management. Methods: In this prospective, randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled study, eighteen clinically sound Warmblood horses were enrolled and received an intramuscular vaccinati...
Beasley B.The overall objective of therapeutic farriery for equine tendon and ligament injuries is to provide a biomechanical environment conducive to healing by limiting excessive strain on the injured structure. With an understanding of equine limb anatomy and the pathophysiology of tendon/ligament injuries, the rationale used in therapeutic farriery for soft tissue injuries of the distal limb is quite logical. Through therapeutic farriery, foot manipulation is used to reduce the tension on the injured tendon(s) or ligament(s).
Tranquille C, Nankervis K, Tacey J, Hopkins E, Deckers I, Walker V, MacKechnie-Guire R, Newton R, Murray R.Water treadmill (WT) exercise has become a popular tool for equine training and rehabilitation. However, few studies describe the long-term effects of WT exercise in low water on muscle development (MD). This study's objectives were to compare MD changes over a 40-week period in sport horses that regularly used WT in low water within training (Group WTH, = 55) and a control group that did not (control, = 28). Subjective MD assessments were undertaken using an adaptation of a previously published method at weeks 0, 20 and 40. For Group WTH, MD significantly increased in the neck, pelvis and h...
Caure S, Miljak K, Dendaw P, Thesée L, Villedey E, Malinvaud A, Cousty M, Prié V, Horan K, Weller R.Effects of ground surface and hoof angles on equine cervical and thoracolumbosacral kinematics are poorly understood. However, the equine cervical and thoracolumbosacral areas present frequent lesions and he management of factors that might improve treatment and rehabilitation outcomes, such as ground surface and hoof angles, requires more investigation. Objective: Our objectives were to determine the influence of ground surface (asphalt versus sand) and a 3 degrees hind toe or heel elevation on cervical and thoracolumbosacral kinematics during walking and trotting. Methods: Six saddle horses ...
Janicek JC, Grant BD, Woodie JB, Reed SM, Mariën T, Anderson J.To describe the surgical approach used in horses undergoing C7-T1 ventral interbody fusion using a kerf cut cylinder (KCC) implant and report the short- and long-term outcomes. Methods: Observational retrospective study. Methods: A total of 38 client-owned horses. Methods: Medical records of horses that underwent ventral interbody fusion because of C7-T1 cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy from 2004 to 2024 were reviewed. Preoperative variables included age, sex, breed, and affected site(s). Surgical variables included types of KCC used, intraoperative complications, and anesthesia related ...
Marques GF, Moorman VJ, Ellis KL, Perlini M, Edwards VL.To describe the long-term outcome of a horse that underwent a standing, ultrasound-guided, minimally invasive, biceps brachii tenotomy. Methods: Case report. Methods: A 17-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse gelding. Methods: The horse had a chronic, severe, lameness localized to the left shoulder region. Diagnostic imaging revealed fractures of the intermediate and lesser tubercles of the left humerus, biceps brachii (BB) tendinopathy, and bicipital bursitis. Conservative management was attempted, but lack of improvement prompted surgical intervention. An ultrasound-guided, minimally invasive, B...
Freeman KD, Adams MN, Salinger AE, White NA, Barrett JG.Suspensory desmopathy is a frequently documented cause of lameness in performance horses; proximal suspensory desmopathy is the most frequent site of injury in dressage horses [...].
Allen TS, Johnson S.The physical stresses on equine athletes are unique and differ across various disciplines. Recognizing these differences is essential for early detection of injuries and effective management of the competition horse's health. Equine sports medicine involves specific challenges and risks that can be reduced through proper care, careful attention to technique, and a deep understanding of the demands of each sport. Proper training, regular monitoring, and sport-specific expertise are crucial in preventing injuries and ensuring optimal performance. By focusing on these aspects, veterinarians and t...
Delvescovo B, Bouton J.This issue focuses on the potential complications caused by prolonged recumbency in horses. It discusses how managing a recumbent horse involves treating the primary illness while also preventing and addressing secondary issues that can arise from recumbency itself. The authors explore the underlying pathophysiology of these complications, along with strategies for prevention and treatment. By understanding these aspects, veterinarians can improve care and outcomes for horses that are immobilized for extended periods. The issue provides insights into the most common complications and emphasize...
Tommasa SD, Raspe S, Farí G, Imperante A, Brehm W.Tendon and ligament injuries in equine athletes pose significant challenges, often leading to prolonged recovery, reduced performance, and increased risk of reinjury. Current treatment strategies, including conservative and surgical approaches, have shown limited success in fully restoring tendon integrity. Autologous blood derivatives, such as autologous conditioned serum (ACS), have emerged as potential regenerative therapies. However, the clinical efficacy of ACS in the treatment of equine tendinopathies remains under investigation. Unassigned: This study aimed to compare the clinical outco...
Melly V, Ortved KF, Stewart HL, Stefanovski D, Richardson DW, Bubeck KA, Hogan PM, García-López JM.To present fracture cases selected for plate fixation (PF), describe surgical techniques and assess their association with postoperative complications and return-to-work outcomes in horses undergoing PF for small metacarpal/metatarsal (SMCT) fractures. Methods: Multicenter retrospective study. Methods: A total of 27 horses. Methods: Horses treated with PF of a SMCT fracture between 2008 and 2023 across three hospitals were included. Medical records and imaging were reviewed. Long-term outcomes were established by readmission to the hospital, telephone interviews, and/or race records. Univariab...
