Equine Athlete: Week 1

They say that trial by fire is the best way to learn.  After spending my first exciting week with Equine Athlete Veterinary Services, I can't help but agree.  I spent the first week of my internship in Columbus, Ohio at the Buckeye Sweepstakes Horse Show.  Ideally, I would have started a week earlier in order to familiarize myself with the equipment, protocols, doctors and technicians.   Unfortunately,  I was in Ireland for a few weeks and was therefore unable to start until the day that we left for the show.  But, learning on the fly has thankfully worked for me!

Before working with Equine Athlete I had little experience with the Arabian/Sport Horse show industry.  So, not only was this week eyeopening from a clinical standpoint but from an educational standpoint as well.  When we had a little downtime between patients we were able to watch some of the classes going on in the main ring.  After coming from a background in hunter-jumpers it was so neat to get to see these Arabian horses doing their thing.  One of the challenges I will face this summer is getting used to watching horses with more exaggerated movements for soundness when I am used to the less pronounced movements of hunter horses.  There is a lot to be learned from this fantastic practice and I am excited to have made it through Week 1.

Our whirlwind week at the Buckeye started when we got into town on Monday night.  We stopped into the fairgrounds to touch base with the trainers that had arrived already and get the list of the horses that needed to be checked out.  Thankfully all of the horses had shipped well thus far so we only had a few to do lameness evaluations on.  Until this point I had only been involved in lameness cases that we severe.  The horses we evaluate with Equine Athlete, especially at shows, are high level athletes.  This means that, more often than not, their unsoundness is subtle.  Our job is to pinpoint the locations of their soreness and help alleviate any pain.  That way they are able to perform at the top of their game.

Image 1. performing laser therapy on
a sacroiliac region

At shows, your treatment options are limited due to USEF regulations on when certain procedures can be performed and medications administered.  Therefore we typically use a combination of chiropractic adjustment, shock wave treatments, and laser therapy.  Both shock wave and laser therapy were new technologies to me.  Shock wave therapy utilizes high energy acoustic waves to both dull pain and promote healing in injured areas.  Laser therapy uses high energy light waves to initiate healing processes in painful areas.  Both technologies can be implemented over many areas of the body if needed.  Some of the most common areas that we treated during the show were suspensory ligaments, thoracic and lumbar regions of the back, as well as sacroiliac regions of the pelvic area.  Much like treating sore muscles with heat or ice, these practices helped to ease the soreness and improve performance.

Alongside lameness cases we were the designated show veterinarian.  That means that any horses that get sick or injured during the show get treated by us.  Thankfully there were not many cases of sick horses during the Buckeye.  We did see a few colic cases and one laceration during the week.  All of these ailments were quickly corrected by Dr. Hill or Dr. O'Cull.

One of the most interesting cases throughout the week involved a young horse with unusual edema in the heart girth area.  The horse had pulled a shoe in its stall the day before.  The suspicion is that the horse got cast in its stall and strained its pectoral muscles in the process.  We performed an ultrasound of the area to determine if the swelling was subcutaneous or intramuscular.  After determining that the edema was intramuscular it confirmed the suspicion of a strained muscle.  The doctors prescribed dexamethasone and Equioxx to help relieve the inflammation.  The horse also received laser treatment to the area interspersed with icing and liniment application.  A few days of treatment resulted in almost complete correction of the swelling.  The horse was even able to show during the last few days of the Buckeye.

My first week was a whirlwind.  Between learning the ropes of horse show practice and the procedures and protocols that Equine Athlete practices I was tuckered out by the end of the week.  Thankfully the doctors and technicians were extremely helpful and were always willing to answer my questions.  I am enjoying the fast paced work and cannot wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store.