Dr. Mark Hurtig is leading a team of researchers at the Ontario Veterinary College in studies to see if biologic therapies injected intra-articularly could be used to repair tissue instead of just suppressing signs of joint disease. He cautions against using joint injections for maintenance or as a preventative therapy.
Hurtig notes that many equine leg injuries can be related to the surface on which a horse is worked, in addition to how hard he is worked on that surface. When deciding if a horse is ready for more-strenuous work, it's best to use caution. It can take up to three months of prep work to get tendons and ligame ts ready for high-level performance.
He recommends that any horse that has had time off:
- Return to work slowly with lots of walking
- Increase duration and intensity of work incrementally
- Avoid trotting on hard surfaces
- Promote relaxation
- Save complex movements when first bringing a horse back into work
- Cross-train on different surfaces
- Allow time for the horse to adapt to new surfaces
Watch a video of Hurtig talking about his therapy and returning a horse to work here.
Read more here.
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