The Strong, the Sound and the Sustainable: Strategies for Injury Prevention

Rehabilitation is the cornerstone for return to performance after injury, however prehabilitation for injury prevention is underutilized. Muscle is often the fastest to condition but the cardiovascular system and supporting structures (tendons, ligaments and fascia) also warrant attention. Veterinary involvement during the conditioning phase can both reduce the risk of injury and improve longevity and performance of the horse. This talk will cover individual factors that should be considered when developing a prehabilitation plan; baseline fitness, goals, conformation, prior injury and comorbidities and give examples how they may result in alterations to the plan.

• Understand the framework for a prehabilitation/conditioning protocol
• Identify patient specific factors that require consideration when adjusting your protocol
• Formulate a realistic timeline for prehabilitation including timing of veterinary assessment