Injured tendon goes through several stages during the healing process to return to functional strength. This is broken into 3 distinct stages that may vary depending on the severity and specifics of the injury. The injury will progress from inflammation, through collagen reformation, and finally cross-linking of tendon fibers to become fully repaired.

Soft tissue injuries of the equine athlete generally have a good prognosis for healing, but require a large amount of time and effort to complete the process. Prevention of soft tissue injuries, therefore, is ideal. Paying close attention to even minor soreness and treating appropriately will protect the soft tissues as well.

Tendons and ligaments get a bad rap for not healing… in fact, they will return to full strength and allow the horse to fulfill their potential without reinjury if an appropriate rehab plan is implemented. To understand effective rehabilitation is to understand effective conditioning. Without appreciating both, you may inevitably be spending more time in the former than the latter.

Arthritis is a common villain for riders and horses everywhere; stealing the best riding years of your equine companion’s life. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If you know what to look for you can prevent arthritis from being a permanent part of your horse’s life, and if it’s already too late for that, you can take steps to reduce the number of days they spend in pain. To do that, first we must understand what it is we’re up against.

16% of equine athletes will sustain a soft tissue injury significant enough to cause a break in their training every year. Despite our dark imaginations, the real culprit of soft tissue injuries is not a singular villain to be avoided, but repetitive overstrain common in many training regimens. This overstrain stems from three major causes.