Olympic horses benefit from individualized veterinary care that starts well before they ever get to the Olympic venue. | FEI/Benjamin Clark

Getting to the Olympics is a team effort—especially for the horse/human duos who make up the equestrian teams. Equine athletes need attentive veterinary care to manage their unique health needs as they approach the Olympic Games, according to a seasoned Olympic veterinarian.

Olympic horses benefit from individualized veterinary care that starts well before they ever get to the Olympic venue, said Philippe Benoit, DVM, a private practitioner at Clinique Equine des Bréviaires, in Les Bréviaires, France. Such long-term medical surveillance allows caretakers to know the intricacies of each horse’s physical strengths and minor weaknesses, to allow for fine-tuned and tailored veterinary management that maximizes the health status of these top equine athletes, he said.

“We get the horse into a surveillance system where we observe him once or twice a month—at work and at rest—several months prior to the Olympics,” said Benoit, who provided Olympic veterinary services in Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, and London for various national teams and is attending to Team USA horses at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

National team veterinarians gather vital information from the horses’ treating vets and carry out their own basic clinical exams, he said. Surveillance includes expert evaluations of each horse’s movement and behavior as well as regular heart and respiration rate checks.

To get a thorough overview of each Olympic mount, veterinarians also consult the people involved in the horse’s daily life. “We get feedback from the rider about how the horse acts under saddle and whether it’s showing any difficulties on the right or left lead, for example,” Benoit said. “The groom lets us know the horse’s behavior on the ground, like if there’s any sensitivity to grooming over certain areas of the back or shoulders.”

Like people, horses tend to have minor physical issues that would—under normal circumstances—go unnoticed, he explained. But high-level athletic activity can exacerbate minor issues. By completing these consistent evaluations and discussions, veterinarians determine what’s normal for the horse—and what isn’t. Recognizing subtle changes allows for prompt veterinary intervention, protecting the horse’s health and welfare while improving performance and maximizing the horse’s physical potential.

“The goal is to recognize these issues and know each horse’s strength and weaknesses and know when these issues are starting to aggravate so we can handle them at their earliest stages,” he explained.

Early interventions can usually be managed with mild treatments such as massages, physical therapy, kinesiotherapy, and other nonpharmaceutical therapies, said Benoit. While veterinarians provide drugs to Olympic mounts if they need them, the aim is to provide the kind of close care that averts prescription medications, surgeries, and other “aggressive” treatments.

Indeed, that’s the goal of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) as well—as evidenced by its lengthy Equine Prohibited Substances List, which includes even common non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), topical anesthetics, pain relievers, and anti-anxiety medications.

Olympic veterinarians pay particular attention to the calendar to ensure any medications they provide can complete their course in the horse’s body within an acceptable time frame prior to the Olympics, Benoit said.

Their calendars also serve as tools for organizing the various mild treatments each horse needs to maximizing athletic potential on the precise days of competition, he added. That means knowing each horse’s unique health trends and cycles and treating accordingly. Horses that develop slight lumbar pain every few months, for example, can benefit from massage therapy and chiropractic care about a month before the Games, he explained.

Take-Home Message

Olympic equestrian success relies on specialized veterinary care. By starting comprehensive health surveillance months before the Games, veterinarians like Benoit can identify and manage minor issues early. Regular evaluations, rider feedback, and nonpharmaceutical treatments ensure each horse remains in peak condition, aligning with FEI regulations. This meticulous approach protects horse health and welfare and maximizes performance.