Tips for a Speedy and Successful Rehab of your Horse

Tips for a Speedy and Successful Rehab

How Long does the Rehab Process take?

This is a common and very fair question. How long will the rehab process take? Or, when will my horse be better? I really hate to say this, but it depends. It not only depends upon what your horse is recovering from, but it also truly depends upon the individual horse. If you are working with your veterinarian, they likely gave you an estimate on the recovery time. The good news is, there are some common factors that apply to any recovery and some actions you can take to help your horse recover as quickly as possible.
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A Whole-Body approach to healing is key. In this article, we will discuss foundations of nutrition required for healing, lifestyle and management practices to promote healing, tips to developing a rehab plan, and addressing the emotional component to the rehab process (for both horses and owners).

Nutrition for Rehab

Balanced nutrition is the foundation for a healthy horse, and it’s even more important when your horse’s body is experiencing a condition that requires healing. This first step is to ensure you are feeding a non-inflammatory/clean diet. This is a diet free from ingredients loaded with glyphosate (soy, corn, molasses, beet-pulp, and canola). Be careful to observe your feed for any by-products of those ingredients. I will go into more detail about why this type of diet is necessary for your horse’s optimal health in another article. Next, ensure your horse is receiving a balanced blend of bio-available vitamins and minerals. Most commercial feeds will not contain the appropriate form of vitamins and minerals (or the levels) for your horse’s body to absorb and utilize them correctly. Lastly, consider adding herbs or supplements to promote healing the specific systems you horse needs help with. For example, if your horse had a ligament or tendon tear or strain, consider adding a supplement to promote soft tissue healing. Or, if your horse had surgery for kissing spine, consider adding a supplement to promote nerve regeneration.

Lifestyle and Management

Stress is a HUGE factor in hindering healing. Actually, stress is usually a primary underlying factor that results in illness or injury. That being said, stress is extremely important to limit when your horse is healing. To control the amount of stress in your horse’s environment and life, we must first consider what causes a horse stress. Horses are herd animals and feel the most comfortable and safe when other horses are around. If your horse has been prescribed stall rest, consider ways to allow them to still see and be near other horses. Also, does stall rest truly make sense for your horse? Honestly consider this question with great thought and discuss it with your veterinarian. New studies are uncovering that the stress and lack of circulation may actually hinder the healing process more than the horse not being stalled. Is a small turnout or pen a better option? It’s worth a discussion with your vet.
When your horse is recovering from an injury or surgery, there will likely be a change in routine. Doing your best to maintain your horse’s normal routine will make a big difference in reducing the amount of stress they experience.

The reduction in turnout or exercise may cause your horse to become bored. Boredom is a major stressor for you horse. Consider adding some entertainment to stimulate your horse’s mind! There are a lot of horse toys on the market (Jolly Ball, Treat Balls, etc.) You can also make your own by using an old milk jug. Be creative and find ways that may provide some entertainment for your horse (and undoubtedly for you too!).

Why is stress so bad? Human studies have confirmed that stress in the body increases the production of hormones that slow the delivery of cytokines to the injured site in the body. It’s also interesting to note that studies have linked a decrease in recovery time to when a patient experiences stress, depression, and anxiety prior to surgery.
Consider adding an adaptogen to your horse’s diet. When the body is stressed, it produced an abundance of cortisol because the HPA (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal) Axis is not able to function properly. Adaptogens help the body cope with the stress without producing excess cortisol. Examples of adaptogens to consider giving to your horse (after consulting your vet of course) include Ashwaghanda Root, Reishi Mushroom, and Astragalus Root. Speaking of the HPA Axis, it important to ensure that you have an Body Worker on your horse’s wellness team. The proper functioning of the HPA Axis can be restored as well as any other areas of imbalance that have resulted from the surgery or injury.

Tips for Developing a Rehab Plan

The rehab process is often viewed only as healing the injury. However, it’s important to develop a recovery plan to bring yourself and your horse back into work. Find a trainer you are confident in to help you develop a plan specific to you and your horse. Depending upon how long you have been healing, you and your horse’s body will likely be re-mapping a lot of movements and neural functions.
The Emotional Component to Healing

It’s very likely that the healing process is very stressful for you as an owner, and your horse knows that (whether you are honest with them or not). The best way to deal with the stress is to be honest with yourself and your horse. Horses feel safest when their owners are congruent. Congruent meaning they project the same actions as they are energetically feeling. We all have ways of personally coping with stress. For me, meditation and prayer are essential. It’s imperative that you maintain a positive outlook and TRULY believe your horse will recover. Start a recovery journal. Journal each day about the small steps that you and your horse are taking. It’s the small steps that add up to big improvements.

Remember it’s also important to view your horse as healing and not view them as broken or injured. If you are viewing them as broken or injured, you will not only be incongruent with your emotions, but you will also be emitting negative energy towards your horse. Truly believing your horse is recovering and improving will allow you to hold a space of love and compassion for your horse to emit positive energy towards them and assist in their healing.

The healing and rehab process is unique to all horses and humans. Please know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if I can help support you.

Blessings,
Amy