Answer: Myth
At the recent 2016 AAEP convention, the focus of a series of presentations was lameness rehabilitation. I am always very interested in those papers that are easily applicable to the vast majority of equine veterinarians and horse owners. I attended a lecture entitled “Practical Approach to the Rehabilitation of Soft Tissue Injuries in Sport Horses” and came away from it with a much greater knowledge base for what makes a successful rehab program and how it can be implemented under most any equine setting. The paper ended with several points “to take home” for successful rehabilitation (and I quote):
While there is so much more within the body of the article, this list helps us to understand, in a broad sense, the most important points to consider when implementing a rehab program after a horse has sustained a soft tissue injury. The author makes what I consider to be a very important conclusion: “the author believes that the overall process of getting a soft tissue injury back to competition successfully involves 25% treatment and 75%rehabilitation process.” He emphasizes that the veterinarian cannot leave the owner alone to work out the rehab program, but must work closely with the owner/trainer/groom for the best chance for a positive outcome for the horse.
Article: Manning, A. MSC, DVM. Practical Approach to the Rehabilitation of Soft Tissue Injuries in Sport Horses. AAEP Proc. 2016, vol. 62, pp. 256-258.