Lameness & Rehabilitation
Lameness & Rehabilitation
Back to Soundness
Lameness is the most common cause of poor performance in horses, and recognizing it early is key to protecting your horse’s athletic career, now and in the future.
Our veterinarians combine traditional and integrative medicine with modern diagnostic equipment to find the source of the lameness, treat it, and guide your horse’s rehabilitation back to work.
Assessments & Soundness Exams
Lameness is usually a manifestation of pain in motion, and finding the source is the first step to fixing it. Every assessment starts with a physical exam and watching your horse move. Depending on what we find, we may use diagnostic nerve and joint blocks, ultrasound, radiographs, video and gait analysis to pinpoint the problem.
With a clear diagnosis, we build a treatment plan to relieve pain, support healing and return your horse to their regular work.
Lameness Locator®
At Horizon Equine
Every Horizon Equine veterinarian undertakes advanced training with the Equinosis Lameness Locator® system to become a certified practitioner, a level of training that goes beyond simply using the equipment. Our veterinary assistants are also Lameness Locator® certified. Small sensors placed on your horse measure their movement and break down each stage of the stride. Together with our visual assessment, these measurements help guide diagnostics and monitor progress over time.
The Lameness Locator® gives an objective, highly accurate analysis of your horse’s movement. It is invaluable for lameness diagnostics, for tracking progress through rehabilitation, and for recording a baseline of your horse’s performance at any time in the season.
Joint & Soft-Tissue Therapies
Treatment Options
Horizon Equine offers a range of joint and soft-tissue therapies. The aim of every treatment is to relieve pain, support healing and restore normal movement. Options range from traditional joint medications including corticosteroids and hyaluronic acid, to polyacrylamide gels and several orthobiologic treatments made from your horse’s own blood. These include stem cell therapy, PRP, ProStride APS® and Alpha2EQ.
PRP & ProStride APS®
Platelet-rich plasma is made from your horse’s own blood. It is collected and concentrated into a small volume, which is injected into the injured area. PRP contains growth factors and cytokines (signalling proteins) that reduce inflammation and support the repair and healing of tissues such as tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints.
ProStride APS® is a related treatment used primarily in joints. A similar sample of your horse’s blood is processed further into a concentrated solution for injection directly into the joint.
Alpha2EQ
Alpha2EQ takes alpha-2-macroglobulin (α2M) from a sample of your horse’s own blood and concentrates it into a volume that can be injected into the affected joint. This helps protect the cartilage from damaging enzymes and slows the progression and pain of arthritis. Extra doses from the same collection can be frozen for later treatments, so your horse doesn’t need another blood draw and processing visit.
Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy is a supportive treatment for musculoskeletal problems such as suspensory ligament injuries, arthritis, navicular disease, and neck and back pain. It can improve the quality of tissue healing and often gives quick pain relief. It is often used in combination with our orthobiologic PRP treatments.
Mesotherapy
Mesotherapy can be used to treat neck, back and pelvic pain. Small volumes of medication are injected into the skin with fine needles to help break the cycle of pain and restricted movement.
Acupuncture
Dr. Steve Chiasson is certified in Veterinary Medical Acupuncture and teaches equine acupuncture with Curacore® across North America. Combined with a full myofascial exam, acupuncture is used to treat lameness, neck and back pain, colic and digestive disorders, and to support wound healing and reproduction.
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