Every Horse an Athlete

The Equine Performance Testing Center provides opportunities for advanced healing and paves the path for expansion.

Without looking back at the photos, it’s hard to remember when equine lameness evaluations were completed in the parking lot to the east of Mosier Hall at the Veterinary Health Center. With the addition of the Equine Performance Testing Center (EPTC) in 2017, the possibilities expanded— and so did the caseload for equine surgery and performance medicine.

Since the completion of the EPTC, caseloads for the equine section have increased by approximately 48%.

The advanced facility offers an indoor riding arena with both hard and soft footing, designed to optimally evaluate and diagnose lameness or performance-limiting issues affecting equine patients. The facility also includes an indoor examination area, an imaging suite for radiographs and ultrasound examination, dedicated farrier space and a client consultation room. (ksvhc.org)

Not only has the number of equine patients increased, but so has the variety of cases the clinicians now see. Dr. Dylan Lutter, a board-certified equine surgeon and clinical assistant professor, obtained certification in equine physical therapy and rehabilitation in 2019, and later certification in animal chiropractic, further expanding the services offered.

A Recent Case

Cindy Togstad, of Wilber, Nebraska, noticed some head bobbing in Beau, her 9-year-old quarter horse, while her trainer was riding him. They took Beau to a veterinarian, who diagnosed him with navicular disease. Soon after, following recommendations from fellow horse owners, Cindy brought

Beau to the Veterinary Health Center for evaluation by Dr. Lutter in October 2023.

An ultrasound scan revealed that Beau had torn his deep digital flexor tendon and check ligament.

“It happened to be one of the worst tears I’ve ever seen in that particular structure,” Dr. Lutter says. “So we turned right away to Cindy and told her that it was not good news, and that it would be a long road ahead to even get Beau back to where he could comfortably walk.”

After careful consideration and brainstorming, the team decided to proceed with stem cell therapy, an approach

Dr. Lutter had been using at the VHC for some time. Beau’s injuries were injected with stem cells grown from another horse, and he was started on a rehabilitation program.

“Throughout the course of treatment, Beau had some good days and bad days, along with numerous setbacks. He would become more lame, or the tendon would tear,”

Dr. Lutter recalls. “Beau even received a second round of stem cell therapy in the spring and continued on his rehab program. Slowly, but surely — and with Cindy’s hard work and dedication — the tendon began to get stronger.”

Beau started walking more comfortably and was moved from his stall to a larger pen at home. However, by late spring 2024, Dr. Lutter noticed the tendon had become static and wasn’t healing as expected. Despite increased activity, the lesion in the tendon remained unfilled as viewed by ultrasound. In September, the decision was made to try additional therapy to strengthen the tendon further.

Since Beau had already received stem cells twice, he wasn’t a candidate for that treatment again.

“We decided to proceed with bone marrow concentrate, using Beau’s own cells to inject into the injured area in hopes of encouraging healing,” Dr. Lutter says.

A Solid Follow-Up

When Beau returned for a recheck and ultrasound in December, Dr. Lutter found that he still showed mild symptoms of lameness and the dark area from the injury had not filled in completely. However, overall, Beau was moving better.

“Even though Beau isn’t able to return to 100%, and that tendon still has a slight defect, I really think it’s important to consider how much of a success story Beau is,” Dr. Lutter says.

Above: Dr. Lutter performs an ultrasound on Beau’s tendon following the bone marrow concentrate process. Also pictured are equine surgery resident, Dr. Cara Croft and fourth-year student Yi Wen. Right: Architectural renderings for the propsed expansion of the EPTC.

“Without all the therapies we used to treat him, many people would have chosen to euthanize him, as he would have been chronically in pain and unable to even be turned out.”

The rehab journey has been difficult, but Cindy remains positive and speaks highly of her experience.

“They [the VHC team] are top of the line,” she says. “They’re just so awesome and caring. It’s a great facility — and yes, I’ve recommended it to other people. All three of my horses have been here.”

EPTC Enhancement Opportunities

The EPTC has provided exceptional advanced rehabilitation care for horses like Beau. The dedicated space, separate from the main hospital, allows the care team to plan and utilize rehab modalities in an invaluable way, according to Dr. Lutter.

“Having a dedicated facility where we can evaluate patients with either complex subtle lameness or severe injuries like Beau’s has allowed us to focus on cases we didn’t have the capacity for before,” he says.

Although Dr. Lutter and the equine care team were able to provide cutting-edge rehabilitation services in Beau’s case, they faced some challenges with the current capabilities of the EPTC. After treatments at the VHC, Cindy took Beau to an equine therapy facility in Missouri to use a water treadmill to further improve his chances of recovery. If the VHC could add space for a water treadmill and an area where