Equine physiotherapy has emerged as an evidence-based veterinary discipline that improves recovery from injury, manages chronic pain, and enhances performance welfare in working and sport horses.
Horses in sport and work environments are vulnerable to musculoskeletal injuries that cause significant pain. Historical approaches often involved extended stall rest, which itself carries welfare costs through reduced movement and social isolation. Modern physiotherapy-based rehabilitation maintains mobility, reduces pain through active treatment, and accelerates recovery timelines. Early physiotherapy intervention for subclinical back and hindlimb problems can prevent progression to severe injury. Horse owners and trainers who recognize early behavioral signs of discomfort — reluctance to work, bucking, tension — and seek physiotherapy assessment provide substantially better welfare outcomes.