Most of the staff at Henderson Equine Clinic are involved in horse sports on a personal level. For that reason, we are particularly in tune to the care of your equine athlete. Whether your horse has sustained an injury and is now dealing with a lameness, or a subtle "poor performance" issue is causing trouble during rides, we are prepared to help get your horse back to peak condition.
Lameness Evaluations
Dynamic and static evaluations of the horse with and without tack are available in clinic and on farm where feasible. Lameness evaluations include visual observation of the horse, flexion and palpation of the limbs and body, evaluation of the hoof structure, balance and sensitivity, and assessment of response to various movements, stresses, and exercises depending on the complaint. Routine evaluations may lead to additional diagnostics such as nerve or intra-articular blocks, radiographs, or ultrasounds, also available in clinic or on farm. We also have access to the Equinosis Q with Lameness Locator to help pinpoint certain lamenesses.
Pre-Purchase Exams
Purchasing a new horse is exciting, but it can also be a large investment. The purpose of the pre-purchase exam is to assess any health issues that can affect the horse’s suitability for the potential owners intended use. It is important to remember that this exam does not guarantee future soundness. It can however, identify health concerns or problems that provide information to help you determine if this is a suitable horse for your needs. The pre-purchase exam will not be a pass or fail rather it is a fact finding (information finding) exam to help you minimize the risk of purchasing a horse that doesn’t fit your needs. The exam can be as superficial or in depth as you desire.
FlexiNeb2 Equine Nebulization
Flexineb™ is a convenient equine nebulizer device that can be used to treat a variety of respiratory tract disorders, such as Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO), also known as heaves, Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD), and Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH). We offer individual treatments using the FlexiNeb or daily/weekly rental to allow repeated treatments on farm. Read more about the inhaler here.
Intra-articular Therapies
Commonly referred to as “joint injections”, we offer a variety of therapies that can benefit your horse’s joint health. These include steroid injections, ProStride, Alpha2-Macroglobulin, and our newest addition, Arthramid. These therapies are commonly employed as a maintenance injection for performance horses or as a treatment for some joint disease processes. We are happy to guide you towards the best therapy for your horse’s needs.
Extracorporeal Shockwave
Shockwave technology is a non-invasive way to focus energy waves (similar to soundwaves) at a target tissue in order to treat deep tissue injuries. Treatment stimulates the re-ignition of stagnant healing processes and remodeling of many conditions. We use a PiezoVet shockwave machine and have the ability to vary the power of the shockwave as well as the depth of penetration of the shockwave. With this we can use extracorporeal shockwave therapy to treat conditions ranging from ligament and tendon tears and inflammation to Osteoarthritis to splint bone fractures to Kissing Spines or back muscle pain and Navicular Syndrome. Learn more about shockwave therapy here.
Veterinary Kinesiology Taping
The effect of Kinesiology taping is based on its ability to interact with the skin and associated neurosensory and mechanoreceptors. Elastic kinesiology tape does not compress the tissue as does other types of tapes and taping methods. Its design characteristics and associated application techniques, decompress tissue thereby allowing for increased circulation. This lifting principle behind the decompression also influences and thereby impacts how pain receptors respond to the messages associated with swelling and or inflammation.
We use Equine Kinesiology tape to: decrease muscle spasms, reduce inflammation and associated pain, reduce swelling and edema, re-educate muscle memory, support ligaments, tendons and joints, prevent injury and speed recovery, help with injury rehabilitation, increase circulation and promote healing, increase equine athletic potential, and more. Read more about how this mechanism can help your horse here.
Adjunctive Technology
K-Laser Treatment (Class IV Therapeutic)
Laser Therapy, or “photobiomodulation”, is the use of specific wavelengths of light (red and near-infrared) to create therapeutic effects. Laser energy increases circulation, which creates an optimal healing environment that reduces inflammation, swelling, muscle spasms, stiffness, and pain. We use laser therapy to promote wound healing and manage chronic pain in our patients. Laser treatment with our K-Cube 4 Laser is available in clinic and on farm. We also have a MR4 ActiVet laser available for longer-term rental use on your farm. Read more about our laser technology here.
Lay-Ups/Physical Therapy Rehabilitation
If your horse suffers from a soft tissue injury or other condition that requires an extended period of rest and physical rehabilitation, Henderson Equine can provide top-notch services. We have years of experience creating individualized physical therapy plans, which we can guide you through performing at home or provide at our clinic.