In the April issue, Lindsay Sears shared about her great barrel racing mare's, Martha, comeback after injury. Check out the video below to see the pair in action!

To see photos from the Las Vegas photo shoot, click here.

In January, California authorities reported new cases of equine herpes virus myeloencephalopathy (EHM), the neuropathic for of equine herpes virus (EHV-1, commonly known as "rhino"). After the outbreak in mid-May 2011, H&R reported on biosecurity measures in the Emergency! section. Review those tips from contributing veterinarian Dr. Barb Crabbehere.

If there were an outbreak of an infectious equine disease in your locality, would you know how to keep your horses safe? Or what to do if they were exposed—or became ill?

We asked H&R’s contributing veterinarian, Dr. Barb Crabbe, for a step-by-step checklist to cover the various scenarios. Here’s what she told us.

Get Informed
First, don’t panic. Turn to a reliable source, such as your veterinarian, your local veterinary teaching hospital, or appropriate state/federal officials for accurate information that applies to your area.

Avoid Exposure
You needn’t automatically enact a stay-at-home policy unless your vet recommends it. But don’t take your horse anywhere there’s a known risk for the outbreak—such as a facility where horses are known to be sick.

Consult your vet about potential vaccination protocols (though there won’t always be one, depending on the disease).

Monitor/Isolate Exposed Horses
If your horse does inadvertently become exposed to a contagious disease, isolate him for at least two weeks (30 days is the ideal) in a stall or pen at least 30 to 40 feet away from other horses. Monitor his temperature every day, notifying your vet if it rises.

Contain Contagion
If your horse becomes ill, work with your vet to provide appropriate care while keeping the sick animal isolated from other horses. A separate barn is ideal, or else designate a quarantine area at the far end of your barn, away from other horses and the main traffic area.

Use duct tape on the barn floor so everyone knows where the quarantine area is. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after tending the sick horse, and keep hand sanitizer available for additional cleanings and for visitors to use. Follow disinfection techniques with all equipment that comes into contact with the sick animal (see “Disinfection” below). Always tend to sick or exposed horses last in your daily routine.

Establish a dedicated wheelbarrow and fork for cleaning the quarantined stalls; burn or otherwise safely dispose of the bedding. Designate one pair of rubber boots and rubber gloves, plus perhaps coveralls to use whenever you’re in the quarantine area; then remove them and leave them for use there only.

If need be, set up a shallow basin full of properly mixed disinfectant so other individuals can wash off their footwear before leaving the quarantine area.

Routine Biosecurity
As May’s equine herpes virus outbreak reminded us, a program of good, ongoing protective measures (popularly known as “biosecurity”) is your first, best line of defense against infectious diseases. Follow these recommendations:

At Home

• Work with your vet to set up a vaccination plan for all horses in your care.
• Be sure all horses entering your facility (or the one where your horse is boarded) are appropriately vaccinated and free of all communicable diseases; ideally, isolate all incoming horses for up to 30 days.
• Don’t share water or feed buckets, grooming equipment, or any piece of gear that may come into contact with a horse’s eyes, nose, or mouth.
• When cleaning or filling water containers, don’t allow the hose nozzle to touch the container.
• Remove all manure/waste products to a location away from the barn.
• Limit horses’ exposure to disease-spreading pests such as flies and mosquitoes.

When Traveling

• Monitor temperatures prior to traveling, and don’t ship a horse that’s had a fever within five days of a haul.
• Keep a disinfectant-filled spray bottle handy to disinfect stalls and stable areas before moving your horse into a show grounds or other new facility. (Spray liberally.)
• Don’t use common water buckets or feed areas at shows or event grounds.
• Don’t borrow/share halters, twitches, lip chains, or other items that may touch a horse’s eyes, nose, or mouth.

Disinfection
Items that can be disinfected when necessary include nylon halters, bits, lip chains, grooming equipment, stalls, buckets, shovels, pitchforks, and even shoes and car/truck tires.

Remove all excess dirt/debris from items to be disinfected, including stall floors and walls.

Wash the item or area first with laundry detergent or dish soap.

Immerse or thoroughly wet the item/area with an appropriate disinfectant. Products that are phenolic-based (Lysol) or quaternary ammonium-based (Roccal D) are most effective. (Although bleach is effective against most viruses and bacteria, it’s inactivated by organic material, making it less-than-ideal in a barn situation.)

Rinse the disinfectant off thoroughly with plain water.

In the March Gallop Poll we asked which alternative therapies you've tried with your horses. To learn more about those alternative therapies for horses, look through the December 2011 article, "Alternative Therapies, 7 Steps to Success," here.

The horse, an accident victim, was barely able to stand in his paddock, and when we asked him to move, he'd bear no weight on the leg at all. He was sweating, with a heart rate of 100, meaning his pain was severe and unrelenting. Even worse, the accident had happened seven days ago, and instead of calling a veterinarian, the owners had opted to call a local “chiropractor” who’d performed an adjustment and recommended four grams of bute a day for the following week until the horse could be seen again. The adjuster owned a gas station in town, and had learned to “crack backs” from his next-door neighbor.

Sadly, the adjustment did nothing for the fractured tibia seen on radiographs, and even if it could’ve been repaired, it was too late by the time the owners finally decided to call their vet. The horse was also in severe kidney failure, most likely due to toxic doses of bute.

This is a frightening example of an alternative-therapy choice gone bad, and similar episodes happen way too frequently. Yet acupuncture, chiropractic, and equine massage therapy can be valuable parts of your horse’s management plan when used appropriately by a qualified practitioner. In our practice, we work closely with a variety of therapists who help us manage chronic back pain in hard-working performance horses, keep our older horses comfortable in their retirement, or provide relief from compensatory pain following a severe injury.

The key is knowing when to use these modalities, and who to call for help.

I’ll outline seven key steps to follow that’ll help you make the most of alternative therapies in your horse’s management plan. I’ll also explain basic information on acupuncture, chiropractic, and massage, outlining what they are, when to use them, and how to choose a qualified practitioner who’ll help your horse and do no harm.

7 Steps for Success

Step 1: Diagnose
First and foremost, if your horse has a musculoskeletal problem, you’ll be most successful getting him back to work if you know what’s wrong—and more often than not this should begin with your veterinarian, who can do a lameness work-up in pursuit of a specific diagnosis.

Why is this so important? Because an injury like a torn suspensory ligament or broken bone is generally best identified and managed using conventional medical treatments. And in some cases, such as a neck or pelvic fracture, it’s downright dangerous for a horse to have certain manipulations performed.

Does that mean alternative therapies should be avoided altogether in these cases? Absolutely not. They can be extremely valuable for pain management and to address compensatory issues. In some cases, they can even contribute to the healing process. It just means they should be applied with care-which requires an accurate diagnosis from the start.

Step 2: Choose Wisely
A key element to success is to choose your practitioner carefully. A properly trained chiropractor, acupuncturist, or body worker will refer you to your veterinarian when it’s appropriate, and won’t apply therapy until an underlying problem is diagnosed and treated. Begin by seeking a practitioner who’s certified, ideally through one of the organizations listed later in this article.

These organizations all boast rigorous education and testing procedures, meaning a practitioner with one of these certifications is guaranteed to have received a certain amount of training and to have demonstrated a level of knowledge and competence with which you can feel comfortable. If your therapist claims to be “certified” but not through one of the organizations listed, ask questions before you allow him or her to work on your horse.

A wide variety of training programs exist, and some programs are better than others. Many issue their own “certificates” when the course is completed, but a piece of paper doesn’t necessarily equal valid certification.

If this is what you discover, ask some specific questions about the amount of training your chosen therapist has really had. Be aware of a non-veterinarian therapist who recommends prescription medications without consulting with your vet. This can often be a red flag that the therapist is unclear about where the boundary between him or her and the veterinarian should lie—which could not only mean trouble if medications are misused, but also raises a concern about whether he or she will appropriately involve the veterinarian for other aspects of your horse’s care.

Step 3: Involve Your Vet
Your veterinarian should remain an important part of your horse’s management plan—even when you turn to alternative therapies that are outside his or her direct expertise. In fact, your vet usually will be familiar with most or all of the individuals offering alternative therapies in your area, and can probably direct you to the most competent person who’s most likely to help your horse.

In our practice, we have close working relationships with a number of alter- native therapists in our area. We chose to develop these relationships because the individuals are well trained, know when it’s not safe or appropriate to work on a horse with a specific problem, and maintain open channels of communication regarding horses in our care.

The result? When we all work as a team rather than as solo artists, your horse is more likely to get better.

Step 4: Be Prepared
Once you’ve decided on a therapy and selected a qualified practitioner, it’s important to be prepared for your appointment. The therapist is likely to request a full medical history, including information from your veterinarian about chronic conditions or recent treatments. He or she generally will perform some kind of exam on your horse, and decide on a treatment plan according to his condition.

If the therapist detects any type of lameness, heat, or swelling on the body, or sign of a systemic illness, chances are he or she will recommend your horse be seen by your regular veterinarian prior to administering treatment. Don’t be frustrated if this happens. Instead, see it as a good sign that the person you’ve selected is conscientious and well trained.

As with any visit for medical care, make sure your horse is in the barn, clean and dry, and ready for your appointment. Also have any medication information or other medical history at your fingertips.

Step 5: Tell the Truth
Have you ever paused when filling out that medical history form, wondering whether that nighttime glass of wine really qualifies as “drinks alcohol”? Yes…it does. And if you don’t answer truthfully, it could have a significant impact on your health care.

The same holds true for your horse. If your acupuncturist, chiropractor, or massage therapist asks you about the type and intensity of work your horse does, about previous lameness or medical problems, or even whether you were able to follow suggestions for after-care, it’s important to be accurate with your answers. Not only will it help your therapist devise the best treatment plan, it’ll also let him or her know whether treatments are being effective.

After all, if your massage therapist recommends a specific stretching exercise for your horse and you don’t do it... it’s hard to know whether the treatment plan is working.

The cause of a hock wound has a lot to do with the treatment. I used to see more massive wounds on the flexor (anterior) aspect of the hock due to horses getting a leg caught in a wire fence. With changes in the type of fencing, I see less of these hock wounds now, and that’s a good thing. Those wounds resulted in ragged skin edges with devitalized tissue. Suturing those types of wounds is pretty unproductive, in my opinion. Keeping medication on the wound with some flat pressure seems the best approach to encourage healing with the least amount of scarring.

Another type of hock wound results from horses lying down and getting up on hard ground. Because horses get up front end first, some horses will traumatize the lateral aspect of the point of the hock. Changing the environment the horse lives in may be necessary with certain horses to avoid a chronic problem. That means soft bedding where the horse lies down. However, once a wound is created in this area some protective bandaging is necessary to facilitate healing.

I have come to use a long cotton sock to place over the dressing and medication that’s on the wound. I find that one can maintain a flat, supportive pressure in place with this simple and inexpensive approach. I also feel you avoid the possible complications with pressure points that can occur with bandaging materials that are wrapped around the leg.

I simply cut the toe off a long cotton sock, and pull the sock up the leg and over the hock, and the topical dressing, with the heel of the sock over the point of the hock. This procedure, like any other procedure done on a horse, can and should be done in a gentle and considerate manner. Avoiding conflict and apprehension in the horse pays big dividends down the road.

How is a sporthorse like an NBA basketball star? Injuries—anything from bumps and bruises to torn tendons and damaged joints—can put him on the sidelines. While any horse can get hurt, the demands of eventing, dressage and hunter/jumper competition increase the risk of suspensory ligament injuries, deep digital flexor tendon tears, sore muscles and more.

This article explains how five common types of sporthorse injuries happen, how they’re treated and how they may affect your horse’s career. These injuries occur across the disciplines, but some types are more common in certain sports.

• Jumping, speed, uneven ground and fatigue put eventers and jumpers at greater risk for injuries that are sudden and severe. Your horse lands awkwardly from a jump or sets his foot down badly on rough ground, and the result is a torn tendon or ligament.
• Dressage horses may be less prone to “bad-step” injuries, but repetitive stress is a big factor for them. They’re prone to muscle soreness, microscopic tears in ligaments and joint problems—injuries that can become chronic and limit what the horse can do.

Bringing your horse back from any injury can be frustrating. The damage may be hard to diagnose, and there are no cookbook formulas for recovery because no two injuries are exactly the same. Ideally, you’ll keep your horse off the injured list. The box on the next page has some tips that will help.

Suspensory Ligament Injuries
The suspensory ligament runs down the back of the cannon bone from just below the knee (or hock), splitting into two branches that pass around the back of the ankle and end on the front of the long pastern bone below. Its job is to support the ankle joint as it sinks under weight and ­returns to normal when the weight comes off.

If your horse overloads the leg, the suspensory may give way. The injury may be mild—a few of the ligament’s tough collagen fibers tear—but repeated stress will make it worse. In a severe injury, the ligament may rupture or even fracture bone as it tears away.

Most at risk: Acute front suspensory tears are a particular danger for eventers and jumpers because speed and jumping increase the load on the forelimbs and the chances of a misstep. Hind suspensory injuries may be more common in dressage horses because these horses work more off their hind ends. Many are also heavy, which puts added strain on the ligament. Risk for all horses increases with work level and ­intensity, poor footing and lack of fitness.

Signs: Suspensory injuries can be tricky to spot. Lameness ranges from ­severe to barely noticeable, depending on how bad the damage is. If the tear is in the main body or the branches, the leg may be warm, swollen and sensitive at the site. But the top of the ligament is hidden by other structures, so you may not see those signs if the tear is high.

Local nerve blocks and a hands-on exam will help your veterinarian find the problem. An ultrasound scan may help pinpoint the exact location and reveal the extent of damage to the ligament, and ­X-rays will show if bone is involved.

Action: Your veterinarian will help you work out a treatment plan that suits your horse’s specific injury. Treatment ­usually includes these steps:

• Cool down. Your vet may prescribe cold therapy (icing or cold-hosing several times a day) and a nonsteroidal anti-­inflammatory drug, such as phenylbutazone or Banamine (flunixin meglumine), to reduce inflammation.
• Stall rest to give the ligament time to heal. Your vet may advise standing wraps for the injured leg and the opposing leg.
• Hand-walking, to encourage healing. Follow your vet’s advice, starting with as little as 10 minutes a day and gradually increasing the time.
• Gradual return to exercise. With your vet, set up a program that eases your horse back into work over several months, using ultrasound exams to monitor the ligament and adjust the program as needed.

Depending on the case, your vet may suggest other therapies like shockwave treatment; new regenerative therapies, such as stem cells and platelet-rich plasma; or surgery.

How long will all this take? Ligaments heal slowly. A mild strain may take six to eight weeks, but a tear can take eight to 12 months. High hind suspensory injuries can be especially frustrating because your horse’s anatomy makes it hard to follow healing there—and harder to know when your horse is ready to return to work. Keep in mind that he may trot sound long before the ligament is healed, and rushing his rehab is likely to cause a setback.

Outlook: Ligaments tend to heal poorly, with fibrous scar tissue that’s prone to reinjury. While many horses make full recoveries, chronic suspensory problems require careful management. This can be a limiting factor for your horse, and it’s hard to judge where the limit is. Even a sensitive rider won’t pick up on the moment when her horse feels the first twinge of pain.