Tendon injuries are among the most career-ending and welfare-significant injuries in performance horses, requiring prolonged management that has significant welfare implications throughout recovery.
Tendon injury welfare encompasses both acute pain management and the extended welfare challenges of prolonged rehabilitation. The acute phase involves significant pain from tissue disruption and inflammatory response that requires appropriate analgesic management. The rehabilitation period creates different welfare challenges: a horse in early tendon recovery requires strict rest that conflicts with its behavioral needs for movement and social interaction. Box rest for months at a time causes the stereotypy, digestive, and psychological welfare problems associated with prolonged confinement. The development of water treadmill and hydrotherapy rehabilitation approaches allows controlled exercise that supports tendon healing while reducing the welfare costs of complete confinement, representing a genuine welfare advance in equine rehabilitation medicine.