16/07/2025
ARE WE OVERWORKING OUR HORSES?
Just because a horse can keep going doesnโt mean they should.
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Elite horses are masters of compensation โ theyโll push through fatigue, hide discomfort, and keep performing long after their bodies start showing signs of strain.
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But as Dr. Kevin Haussler reminds us, this comes at a cost: repetitive microtrauma.
Microtrauma refers to tiny, often invisible tears in muscle, tendon, or bone tissue caused by repeated stress or overuse.
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These injuries may not cause immediate lameness, but over time they weaken the structures that keep horses sound, setting the stage for more serious breakdowns.
Itโs time to rethink what fit really means, whether our training programmes optimally serve our horses for the work they do and if performance is truly the best indicator of soundness.
You can read the full article here:
https://hqmagazine.co.za/are-our-horses-too-fit/