Returning a horse to work after musculoskeletal injury requires careful, phased rehabilitation. Evidence-based protocols that match exercise intensity to healing progress prevent re-injury and reduce the welfare cost of the recovery period.
Equine rehabilitation is a welfare challenge because the pressures to return horses to work — financial, competitive, and emotional — frequently conflict with the biological reality of healing time. Horses that return to work before tissue strength is adequate re-injure at high rates, extending the welfare burden and often leading to permanent limitation or euthanasia. Evidence-based rehabilitation protocols provide a structured framework for progression decisions that removes the pressure of judgment under emotional or financial pressure. The welfare of rehabilitating horses also requires attention to psychological needs: isolation and box rest without social contact or mental stimulation cause significant welfare harm.