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TheHorse.com THE HORSE September 2016
SHELLEY
PAULSON
THE PAIN
How to get athletic horses with injuries to the large,
complex stifle joint on the road to recovery
Stifling
T
he stifle. It's the largest and one of the most complex joints in
the horse's body. It's also key to smooth locomotion, transfer-
ring energy seamlessly from the large hind-end muscles to the
long, delicate lower-limb bones. The stifle helps propel horses
across turf, over obstacles, and around tight corners. Not surpris-
ingly, with such huge forces centered on two bones cushioned by two
small cartilaginous discs, injury to the stifle generally has a profound
negative impact on performance.
STACEY OKE, DVM, MSC