Equine Sports Medicine Practice

05/04/2026

04/04/2026

🌸 Easter = Spring = Back to grazing 🌱

Horses benefit from being outdoors – it’s good for their mental well-being, respiratory health, and digestion.
However, be careful with dietary transitions.

👉 Turning your horse out to pasture too quickly can lead to:
• colic
• laminitis
• metabolic issues

✅ Our advice:
✔️ introduce grazing gradually
✔️ monitor your horse’s behaviour and hoof condition
✔️ limit grazing time at first

Feel free to contact us for more information 📩

28/03/2026

New research just published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine — and it changes how we should think about racehorse health and performance.
We recorded 405 ECGs in 71 Thoroughbred racehorses during high-intensity training at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Our finding: irregular heartbeats detected during exercise are significantly associated with poor race performance. Horses showing any ectopic beat at peak effort were nearly twice as likely to finish last. And with each additional irregular beat, the odds of underperforming rose by 15%.
Cardiac arrhythmias in racehorses are common — but they are not all equal, and they are not irrelevant. This study shows, for the first time at scale in the field, that they carry a measurable performance cost. The welfare implications go further: horses with significant rhythm disturbances may also be at higher risk of exercise-associated sudden death.
The good news? Wearable ECG technology now makes it possible to monitor heart rhythm routinely during training. The data is there. We just need to listen to it.
Swipe through for the key findings, welfare implications, and take-away messages for vets, trainers, and racing authorities. Full article linked in bio👇

https://academic.oup.com/jvim/article/40/2/aalag044/8539596?searchresult=1

HorseWelfare Equimetre Arioneo HKJC OneHealth AnimalWelfare VeterinaryResearch EquineHealth SportingIntegrity JVIM

23/03/2026

There is something deeply satisfying in the process of solving complex clinical puzzles - especially those unsolved by the usual textbook approach.
You stand with the horse and take in all you can, all you can see, all you can feel, all the knowledge you can call upon.
An idea creeps up on you, it starts small. Almost unnoticeable. A flicker of that’s odd — a pattern glimpsed across a handful of cases, something that doesn’t quite fit the expected picture. You could dismiss it, move on. But you don’t. You sit with it.
And from that embryo, something begins to grow.
You start noticing more carefully, deliberately digging beyond the surface.
The pattern sharpens with every case. You form a hypothesis: a best attempt at an answer before you have the answer. And then you seek proof, validation, design a way to test it, rigorously. The data adds up, you sit with it: a shapeless pile that means nothing yet — until it does. The picture reveals itself and clicks into place.
It’s not just a hunch you’ve confirmed, it is an original, hard-won, meaningful piece of work.
That’s the beauty of science: not just accumulating knowledge — but generating it, shaping it, expanding, by even a fraction, what we collectively know about the world.
Scientific thinking isn’t reserved for academics and institutions. It lives in anyone willing to notice, to question, and to follow that question somewhere real.

23/03/2026

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21/03/2026

🇬🇧 Did you know? ✨
Hanging toys in your horse’s stall—especially the ones that aren’t easy to grab—do much more than just entertain 🐴

They encourage curiosity and problem-solving, helping horses stay mentally stimulated and more relaxed in their environment.

Even better, they activate lips, jaw, neck and tongue muscles that contribute to to the stability of the upper airways and can be used as exercises for rehabilitation.
Last but not least, they stimulate salivation which helps buffer stomach acidity and reduces the risk of gastric ulcers.

A simple enrichment, with real benefits for both mind and body 💫

🇫🇷 Le saviez-vous ? ✨
Suspendre des jouets dans le box de votre cheval — surtout ceux qui ne sont pas faciles à attraper — fait bien plus que simplement le divertir 🐴

Ils éveillent la curiosité et encouragent la réflexion, permettant aux chevaux de rester mentalement stimulés tout en se sentant plus apaisés et en confiance dans leur environnement.

Mieux encore, ils sollicitent les muscles des lèvres, de la mâchoire, de l’encolure et de la langue, contribuant à la stabilité des voies respiratoires supérieures et pouvant être utilisés comme exercices de rééducation.
Enfin, ils stimulent la salivation, ce qui aide à tamponner l’acidité de l’estomac et à réduire le risque d’ulcères gastriques.

Un enrichissement simple, avec de véritables bénéfices pour le corps et l’esprit 💫

14/03/2026

🇬🇧Back to Basics 🐎
Dynamic Respiratory Endoscopy

🔍 What is it?
A diagnostic technique that allows visualization of the upper airway while the horse is exercising.

🫁 Why does it matter?
Some airway abnormalities only occur during exercise and may not be visible at rest.

📋 What does it help detect?
• Dynamic airway obstructions
• Causes of abnormal respiratory noise
• Performance-limiting respiratory disorders

🏇 Key advantage
Evaluating the airway in real riding conditions allows a more accurate diagnosis and helps guide treatment and management decisions.

🇫🇷Back to Basics 🐎
Endoscopie respiratoire dynamique

🔍 Qu’est-ce que c’est ?
Une technique diagnostique qui permet de visualiser les voies respiratoires supérieures pendant que le cheval est en exercice.

🫁 Pourquoi est-ce important ?
Certaines anomalies des voies respiratoires apparaissent uniquement à l’effort et peuvent ne pas être visibles au repos.

📋 Que permet-elle de détecter ?
• Des obstructions dynamiques des voies respiratoires
• L’origine de bruits respiratoires anormaux
• Des troubles respiratoires pouvant limiter la performance

🏇 Avantage principal
Évaluer les voies respiratoires dans des conditions réelles de travail permet un diagnostic plus précis et aide à orienter les décisions de traitement et de gestion du cheval.

07/03/2026

🇬🇧Did you know horses can only breathe through their nose?
🐎During intense exercise, negative inspiratory pressures can cause dynamic collapse of soft tissues around the nasal valve, increasing airflow resistance.

🫁 External nasal dilators help stabilize these structures and reduce inspiratory resistance during exercise (Holcombe et al., 2002).

📍 For optimal effectiveness, they should be placed about 2 fingers above the nostril, at the level of the nasal valve

🇫🇷Saviez-vous que le cheval ne peut respirer que par le nez ?
🐎À l’effort, les pressions inspiratoires peuvent entraîner un affaissement dynamique des tissus au niveau de la valve nasale, augmentant la résistance au flux d’air.

🫁 Les dilatateurs nasaux externes permettent de stabiliser ces structures et de réduire la résistance inspiratoire pendant l’exercice (Holcombe et al., 2002).

📍 Pour être efficaces, ils doivent être placés environ 2 doigts au-dessus du naseau, au niveau de la valve nasale.

28/02/2026

🐴 Mud Fever
Mud fever is a common skin infection affecting the lower legs of horses, especially in wet and muddy conditions 🌧️🌿

🦠 Causes
Usually caused by bacteria (Dermatophilus congolensis), sometimes fungi.
It develops when the skin barrier is weakened by:
• Wet & muddy environments 💦
• Small cuts or abrasions ✂️
• Excessive washing without proper drying 🚿
• Low immunity 🛡️

Moisture softens the skin, making infection easier.

⚠️ Clinical Signs
• Redness & inflammation 🔴
• Swelling 🦵
• Scabs & crusts 🩹
• Oozing discharge 💧
• Pain on touch 😣
• Lameness (severe cases) 🚶‍♂️

White legs can be more sensitive 🤍

🔬 Diagnosis
Usually based on clinical exam.
Lab tests may be needed in chronic or severe cases.

💊 Treatment
• Clip (if needed) ✂️
• Clean with antiseptic 🧴
• Remove loose scabs carefully
• Dry thoroughly 🌬️
• Apply topical treatments
• Severe cases: antibiotics or anti-inflammatories 💉

Keep the area clean and dry during recovery.

🌞 Prevention
• Avoid muddy paddocks 🚫🌧️
• Provide dry areas
• Check and clean legs regularly
• Dry well after washing
• Avoid over-washing 🚿❌

22/02/2026

Throwback to the Sunday quizz… who was right? 🤔🐴

These two images show horses with a tendon injury — specifically involving the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT). Congratulations to everyone who guessed correctly! 👏✨

👉🏻Picture 1: the lesion is located at mid-cannon level.
👉🏻Picture 2: the lesion is situated in the pastern region and has resulted in marked secondary digital sheath tenosynovitis.

🔎Different clinical presentations — yet the same anatomical structure is affected.

This is why a thorough understanding of anatomy is essential📚
If you notice any abnormal swelling or change in your horse’s limb, contact your veterinarian promptly🩺🐎

15/02/2026

SUNDAY QUIZ 🧠🐎

Can you identify these 2 pathologies?

📸 Picture 1
📸 Picture 2

What do you see?
A) Tendon injury
B) Chronic fetlock changes
C) Both
D) Something else?

What causes them? Can they be prevented?

Drop your answers in the comments 👇
Answer revealed soon!

08/02/2026

🐴 Back to Basics is here!
Every month, we’ll revisit essential equine health topics in a simple, playful way.
First stop: auscultation – because listening tells us more than you think 👂💙