Horse rehabilitation after soft tissue injury requires patience, structure, and welfare consideration. Appropriate management prevents re-injury while maintaining psychological and physical welfare during recovery.
Rehabilitation welfare balances the physical need for rest against the psychological need for movement and stimulation. Horses on strict box rest often develop anxiety, stereotypic behaviour, and the frustration-related problems of enforced inactivity. The welfare-positive rehabilitation programme minimises box rest duration, introduces graduated activity as soon as healing allows, provides maximum turnout compatible with healing, and enriches the restricted environment with foraging opportunities, social contact, and stimulation. The horse' s psychological state during rehabilitation is a welfare consideration that must be actively managed alongside the physical injury. Owners and vets who recognise that stress itself impairs healing create better outcomes for both welfare and recovery.