The team found that underwater treadmill therapy significantly improved balance control in horses with osteoarthritis, which King said provides important evidence-based support for equine aquatic therapy. | Photo: Courtesy Dr. Melissa King

Although subtle in its onset, osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common and career-ending musculoskeletal injuries in horses. Results from a 1998 study revealed that U.S. horse owners spent more than $700 million on medical and surgical management of horses with OA that year.

Recently, Melissa King, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVSMR, assistant professor in Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation at Colorado State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, in Fort Collins, conducted a study to determine whether aquatic exercise could help reduce OA’s detrimental effects. She presented her results at the 2014 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 6-10 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

As OA progresses, affected horses often adapt to discomfort by changing their gaits and/or stance. But this frequently does more harm than good. “What are protective actions become maladaptive,” she said