How shock wave therapy, mesotherapy, and ongoing maintenance helped a young event horse return to performance.

The team of performance horse practitioners at Virginia Equine Imaging, in The Plains, sees more than their fair share of back pain cases. Practice owner Kent Allen, DVM, Cert. ISELP, estimates one-third of his cases are horses with back problems coming in for second opinions.

“These cases can be difficult,” he says. “They’ll come in some- times with a history of bucking their riders off or having significant performance and avoidance issues.”

A textbook example of one of these patients arrived at the clinic in July 2020. The 5-year-old gelding’s rider, who was preparing him for an eventing career, reported he’d recently become back sore under saddle.