08/01/2025
When it comes to horses, we can’t prevent every little thing, but we can make subtle changes to their routine to help. Prehab over rehab!
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” -Benjamin Franklin
Between the hauling and the runs themselves, our horses’ bodies are constantly absorbing impact and compensating for fatigue. Just because they aren’t visibly lame does not mean they might not be on the edge of a problem.
Your horse’s body will keep going — until it can’t. Horses are masters of compensation.
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀:
• Up to 77% of horses presented for poor performance are found to have musculoskeletal issues — often with no clear signs of lameness. Only 15% are due to internal medicine issues like respiratory or GI problems. (Kidd et al.)
• Soft tissue injuries (tendons and ligaments) are found to be the most common in rodeo, often caused by repetitive strain. Unless due to direct trauma, these injuries build on itself before officially injuring. Soft tissue injury offer requires 6–12+ months to heal and frequently reoccur if underlying mechanics aren’t addressed.
• A study showed that forelimb lameness accounted for over 70% of performance-limiting issues, particularly in horses competing in barrel racing and roping.
• Insufficient conditioning and too-rapid increases in workload can lead to stress fractures in bones like the humerus and tibia — especially in horses that sit off-season and then return to competition.
The goal isn’t just to win today. It’s to keep your horse healthy, competitive, and sound over the long haul. Training for soundness is what takes a horse from good to great — and keeps them there.
You don’t have to wait until something breaks to make a change.
Ask yourself:
What’s next for your horse — 𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆?
📸: Summer Searles
