Western performance horses accelerate rapidly and make hard, loaded turns in disciplines such as roping and barrel racing. | Photo: iStock

4 injuries to watch for in Western performance horses

Western performance horses are a diverse group of equine athletes trained for a variety of disciplines with unique physical demands.

“The ‘Western performance horse’ is such a vast, encompassing topic,” says Vern Dryden, DVM, CJF, who owns Bur Oak Veterinary & Podiatry Services, in Lexington, Kentucky, and breeds and shows reining horses.

One thing they have in common—from roping horses to reiners, gymkhana speedsters to cow-cutters, and everything between—however, is they’re all at risk of injury as a result of the stresses their work places on