Practical Steps in Rehabilitating Your Horse

Many horses and ponies suffer injuries to their muscles, joints, and ligaments, which tend to be poorly diagnosed, yet eventually prove to be incapacitating. The animals are taken out of work for months, then brought back into work hoping that time has cured them, and later sold on as less-than-sound, retired, or sent to the great pasture in the sky. This guide argues that the rehabilitation process must be a series of local steps and helps carers to know which procedures to implement and roughly how long it will take for the horse to respond, as well as how to measure their expectations, know the pitfalls of each therapy available, and take charge of their emotions. Everybody can achieve an improvement if their horse or pony suffered an injury, or needs help to recover from surgery, if they have a better understanding of what they are trying to achieve. This book offers an in-depth look at the causes and effects of lameness, how compensatory mechanisms can get in the way of diagnosis, how to find the root of the problem, and what to do about it.