Evidence-based equine physiotherapy encompasses manual therapy, electrotherapy, and hydrotherapy modalities that improve pain management and rehabilitation outcomes for injured and performance horses.
Physiotherapy provides pain relief and accelerates recovery from injuries that would otherwise require prolonged stall rest — itself a welfare concern. The availability of evidence-based physiotherapy has transformed the management of common equine conditions including tendinopathy, back pain, and post-surgical rehabilitation. Beyond injury treatment, preventive physiotherapy assessment can identify subclinical musculoskeletal problems before they become lameness — allowing intervention before suffering becomes severe. The welfare benefit is compounded by the reduction of performance-enhancing drug use when effective physiotherapy provides legitimate pain management. Horse owners and trainers who integrate physiotherapy into healthcare programs demonstrate measurably better welfare outcomes across their equine population.