Tendon injuries are a leading cause of performance horse retirement and involve significant pain and prolonged rehabilitation. Welfare-centered management prioritizes recovery over rapid return to work.
Tendon injuries cause acute pain at the time of injury followed by chronic discomfort during the prolonged healing and rehabilitation period. The welfare tension lies in rehabilitation pacing: too-slow rehabilitation delays recovery unnecessarily, while too-rapid return to work risks re-injury that resets the healing process and causes additional welfare harm. Pressure to return valuable horses to competition prematurely represents a welfare concern that prioritizes economic interests over horse recovery. Welfare-centered tendon management uses objective ultrasound assessment to guide rehabilitation pacing, provides adequate pain control throughout recovery, and accepts the full rehabilitation timeline rather than rushing based on clinical appearance.