Horses, by their nature, powerful flight animals, are at risk for injury. This risk is further complicated by their anatomy, with minimal protection of the bones by overlying soft tissue, and further complicated by the sporting activities. For generations, a broken bone meant euthanasia. This is no longer true and most fractures are now repairable with good success rates.

Advances in implant technology and reduction techniques are largely responsible for this increased success rate. Intra-operative digital radiography and arthroscopy are used to accurately replace and stabilize fractures.  Intra-operative CT is coming soon.  Depending on the fracture type and configuration, fractures may be stabilized with a cast, screws, bone plating techniques, or a combination thereof.   The strongest and most reliable plating system on the equine market, the Locking Compression Plate (LCP), is one method of fracture repair available at Palm Beach Equine.  Some fractures may also be repaired in the standing horse using adjustable height stocks.