Managing the long rehabilitation process after equine tendon injury with welfare considerations for both horse and owner.
Tendon injury rehabilitation creates an extended welfare management challenge for both horse and owner. The horse requires graduated controlled exercise at a level that promotes healing without re-injury — a balance that requires consistent monitoring and willingness to slow the programme when tissue healing lags behind the schedule. Box rest components cause psychological welfare harm; premature return to work causes physical welfare harm. The programme requires sustained owner commitment across months, with significant financial and time investment, during which the horse cannot serve its primary function. Welfare-centred rehabilitation treats the horse as the primary stakeholder — decisions about programme pace are made based on tissue healing evidence rather than owner impatience or competition pressure.