Platelet-rich plasma therapy has emerged as a promising adjunct to tendon injury rehabilitation in horses, with welfare implications for recovery quality and return-to-work soundness.
Horse tendon injury welfare hinges on appropriate rehabilitation duration, pain management during recovery, and realistic return-to-work assessment. PRP therapy improves tissue quality during healing but does not reduce the need for adequate rest — its value is in improving the quality of the repaired tissue, not accelerating the timeline. Welfare-conscious management includes regular ultrasonographic monitoring, graduated exercise reintroduction, and willingness to retire horses when re-injury risk remains high.