United States Eventing Association

Straight from the Vet’s Mouth

By Ashley Adams with Amber Heintzberger
Featuring Dr. Keith Brady, DVM

Everyone has those moments after the vet leaves when you say to yourself, “Man, I wish I would have asked that question!” I always ask everyone so many questions! Right now Vaunted and I are roughly two months out from the big event and have started heavy conditioning and competing. Due to the heavier work load horses often need a little extra help and monitoring. When preparing for a three-day it is important to know what is best for your horse and your wallet. You do not want to spend money on things that don’t work or are not necessary. I asked my vet, Dr. Keith Brady, DVM of Old Dominion Equine, a few questions that are heard in the barn.

1. Two months before a three-day, you are typically heavy on conditioning and starting to compete. That being said what “outside aids” would you recommend and why?

“The very first thing that MUST happen is a critical evaluation of the horse. Keep in mind that most problems in the equine athlete are either ‘wear and tear’ problems or ‘repetitive stress injuries’. One-time injuries are far less common. The wear and tear and repetitive stress injuries have a slow onset and can often be picked up before they produce overt lameness and thus a long lay-up.

Targeted treatment is ALWAYS more effective than the shotgun approach and ALWAYS more economical than the ‘throwing the pharmacy at the horse’ approach.

Many athletes have multiple problem areas and there are things we can do to improve the health of tissues thus preventing their injury. The most common and effective of these treatments are Hyaluronic Acid and Chondroitins.

Legend™ is Hyaluronic Acid (HA) for intravenous use. It gets to the joint through the horse’s bloodstream. Once in the joint it reduces inflammation, improves the quality of the joint fluid, and reduces pain.

Adequan™ has many of the same actions but is thought to improve the cartilage in the joints. It has also been shown to protect joints prior to injury.

Without getting into the details of FDA approval I will simply state that I believe that it does matter and you are generally going to get what you pay for. My only advice is to stay with a reputable brand and remember than if the horse is already on Adequan™ and Legend™ then you can discontinue these supplements and save some money.

For many years I have recommended Adequan™ and Legend™ 1x per week for the 4 weeks before the three-day. This helps reduce inflammation and prevent injury during the time when the horse is most susceptible to joint damage. This seems to be a proven strategy but is not meant to replace a complete examination and targeted treatment of the horse’s problem areas.”

2. Why do you think it is important from a vet’s standpoint to start all of this extra care now as opposed to closer to the event?

“It is important for the rider and the veterinarian to get their perspective and to communicate clearly so that both people understand what is desired.

“Career Management vet care” is where we start by looking at all of the horse’s problems based on our thorough evaluation, the history of those problems, and the goals of the rider. As an example of this approach, a veterinarian may determine that a horse has some thickening of the stifle joint capsule but because there is no outward evidence that it is bothering the horse, he or she may delay treatment of this joint for a few weeks until it can be timed to coincide with the most stressful part of that horse’s schedule and when the rider needs that horse to feel his best.

Using the above example, the rider might come back from their last jump school and say, “My horse just started stopping at a fence he always used to jump!”. When the veterinarian discovers the stifle problem he or she will be more aggressive and probably less effective. Furthermore, when those treatments are working their best would be when the three-day is over and the horse is being rested.

A rider can communicate what they want to the veterinarian by saying: “ I would like you to evaluate my horse today and then if you feel like any treatments are necessary then perhaps we can look at the calendar and see when would be the optimal time. This will make it clear that you are not looking for a quick fix and if an alteration to the horses work load is required that you are receptive to that.”

3. Do you recommend anything different for slightly older, more experienced horses as opposed to younger equine athletes?

“Horses tend to accumulate problems over the years and thus they often have more to deal with. Fortunately they will also have a longer paper trail. I find it very helpful to spend time reviewing any old records, radiographs, or ultrasounds to find out what happened and when. This can be a huge help when you see that a tendon looks terrible but the horse has been competing pain-free for many years. The treatment of problems will often be similar but everyone involved needs to realize that the older horse will take longer to recuperate and the length of time for recovery may be less predictable than for the younger animal.”

4. When practicing trotting up your horse, what do you feel is the most common mistake that people make? For example when people jog for you is there something that you see commonly that cause the horse to look a little funny or the presentation to be a bit less than desirable from a vet stand point.

“First and foremost, if the horse is jogging behind the handler then the veterinarian’s view is compromised. Secondly, if the handler zig-zags then the exam is also compromised. Thirdly, the handler should not try to continue jogging when turning the horse around.

My advice is for the handler to pick a spot in the distance, (e.g. a tree), and jog towards that. Stop, turn around and jog directly back to the veterinarian. He or she may want you to continue past them, but they will let you know that. The handler should be at the horse’s shoulder and use a riding crop or the end of the shank or something to ‘drive’ the horse forward if the horse is the type that wants to follow you. If the veterinarian asks you to jog for the sixth time, you might ask him or her if there is anything you can do to improve.

As I stated above, everything stems from a good exam and the veterinarian needs to feel confident in what they did or didn’t see.”

All of this is great food for thought for the your horse’s positive competition season leading up to your three-day event. It’s not all about your horse though; your horse is relying on you to have a positive competition season as well. Next week I will look at the mental preparation for a three day. Happy pharmacy researching!