Injuries to the locomotor system are a common problem in athletic horses. Veterinarians address these injuries using appropriate medical, surgical, and pharmacological treatments. During or after recovery from the initial injury, horses may be treated for functional locomotor deficits using specific rehabilitation techniques aimed at restoring full athletic performance. This study reviews the literature to identify which rehabilitative techniques have been used most frequently in horses over the past 20 years, the protocols that were used, and the outcomes of the treatments in naturally occurring injuries and diseases. Publications were identified using keyword selection (Equine Athlete OR Equine OR Horse) AND (Rehabilitation OR Physiotherapy OR Physical Therapy). After removing duplicates and screening papers for suitability, 49 manuscripts were included in the study. The majority of publications that met the inclusion criteria were narrative reviews (49%) in which the authors cited the relatively small number of published evidence-based studies supplemented by personal experience. Observational/descriptive studies were also popular (35%). Randomized control trials accounted for only 10%. The most frequently reported rehabilitation techniques were exercise, electrotherapy, and hydrotherapy. The findings highlight the need for further information regarding type of intervention, parameterization, and outcomes of equine rehabilitation in clinical practice.

Equine skin wound treatment continues to be a challenge for veterinarians. Despite being a frequent practice, it remains difficult to choose an evidence-based treatment protocol. This study aimed to comprehensively explore the literature and provide a scoping review of therapeutic strategies for equine skin wounds and identify knowledge gaps and opportunities for future research. This review was conducted using specific criteria to select literature that described methods to manage second intention wound healing. After removing duplicates and screening papers for suitability, 81 manuscripts were included for data extraction. Of these, 59 articles were experimental studies, 10 were case reports, 9 were case series, and 3 were clinical studies. The most frequent wound location was the distal limbs. Macroscopic assessment was the main tool used to evaluate treatment effectiveness. All of the case reports, case series, and clinical studies reported positive outcomes with regard to the treatment used, while only 36% of the experimental studies found significant healing improvement in treated wounds compared to control groups. It was found that there are many treatments that have exhibited controversial results, and there exists a lack of evidence for the adoption of specific treatment protocols.

Promoting rapid healing is a concern in skin wound treatment, as the increased pain and the loss of functional ability when wounds become chronic create a complex problem to manage. This scoping review aimed to explore the literature and synthesize existing knowledge on the therapeutic use of CO₂ in treating cutaneous wounds. The literature was selected using previously defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 22 articles were selected for data extraction. The most researched type of injury was chronic wounds located on the extremities of the limbs. Carboxytherapy was performed in five different ways: subcutaneous, intradermal, or intralesional injections; in hot water baths with temperatures ranging from 30 to 42 °C; transcutaneous application; intra-abdominal insufflation; and a paste for transcutaneous local application. The main effects of CO₂ therapy described were as follows: improved blood flow and local oxygenation, reduction of the inflammatory process, increased collagen production, and improved clinical aspects of wounds, with faster healing. Carboxytherapy can be considered a good alternative for treating skin wounds, although further studies should be pursued to elucidate its molecular mechanisms and enhance its efficacy.

A 6-weeks training program, aimed at improving the physical conditioning of dressage horses, was assessed to determine its’ effectiveness. The training program comprised of 40-80 min of daily preparatory exercises for dressage competition (transitions, circles, extended walk, trot or canter, stride length variation, diagonals, straight lines and serpentines) which were performed six times per week. Thus, nine (4 year old) Lusitano horses were evaluated before (M1) and six weeks after (M2) the introduction of the new training routine. On both occasions animals were physically examined and blood samples were collected before (T0), immediately after (T1) a dressage simulation test (DST) and at 30 min (T2) and 240 min (T3) of recovery. Heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), body temperature (BT), erythrogram, blood lactate and glucose, serum proteins, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatine kinase (CK) values were recorded and the obtained variables were analysed using ANOVA and Tukey tests (). The training protocol produced significant changes in the measured biomarkers. Speed of work during the DST (5.8 vs 7.36 m/s; ) significantly increased, though no changes were observed in the HRpeak (∼158.1 beat/min; ), HRmean (∼113.9 beat/min; ) and distance (∼220 m). Additionally, at M1 significantly () lower values of RR and of blood lactate were recorded and at M2 low values of HR, BT, glucose, AST and CK were observed, the latter suggesting a cardiometabolic improvement. The biomarkers returned to basal levels 30 min post DST on both M1 and M2. The training regimen successfully improved the athletic conditioning of the Lusitano horses, preparing them for the practice of dressage without compromising their welfare.