DeClue Equine

23/06/2025

Dr. DeClue and world renowned veterinarian Dr. Sue Dyson
talk candidly and openly about pain recognition in sport horses and the difficulties of owners and trainers expressing their concerns to the veterinary professionals who ignore, disregard or simply cannot help your horse, even if they can recognize that your horse is painful.

It is a podcast to listen to and share with everyone.

Podcast Episode · The Horse First: A Veterinary Sport Horse Podcast · 06/13/2025 · 1h 10m

26/05/2025

"KISSING SPINE" of the TRANSVERSE PROCESSES? KSTP's

"OVERRIDING of the TRANSVERSE PROCESSES? ORTP'S

WHAT? Never heard of it. Of course not.

Dr. DeClue is bringing, yet again, another undiagnosed and unrecognized injury to help more sport horses having poor performance that until now only veterinarians trained by Dr. DeClue know how to treat, rehabilitate and manage.

It is another "Common as Dirt" injury that affects the horses ability to canter, lead change, push, sit, not twist or drift when jumping, haunches fixed to one side, sliding straight or being able to roll back and many other clinical signs that has not been fixed by your Veterinarian injecting the "back", "SI" or lower limb joints.

As everyone knows world wide that "Kissing Spine" or Overriding Dorsal Spinous Processes in horses is a common and sometimes career ending diagnosis. Is this true for lumbar transverse processes? What causes KSTP or ORTP's in sport horses? How does this affect the horses performance biomechanically?

So many questions that Dr. DeClue, like yourself, started asking herself years ago recognizing the pattern of injury and performance limitations in her own patient population with KSTP or ORTP's. She alone had to find solutions to the problem that included treatment, rehabilitation and management protocols.

Watch and learn as Dr. DeClue once again brings to light another injury occurring in sport horses that is not diagnosed nor recognized by the veterinary profession.

23/05/2025

Dr. DeClue shares the first powerpoint presentation series on the actual cause of Shivers and Stringhalt clinical signs in horses and equid species.

If you have a horse with Shivers and/or Stringhalt clinical signs you will want to watch and understand that centuries ago other veterinarians also had some of the answers to the cause, as Dr DeClue is teaching to other veterinarians today.

Four hundred years later, Dr. DeClue is the first veterinarian that has developed a treatment for a severely painful musculoskeletal injury that can be eliminated if treated early. Most importantly this treatment can help save horses lives with Shivers and Stringhalt clinical signs to prevent a painful progressive and deteriorating quality of life.

Please share with anyone that you know has a horse with Shivers and/or Stringhalt clinical signs. You can help push the veterinary profession to see the logic and actual kinematic research and science of why Dr. DeClue is fighting to save these horses quality of life and their longevity as performance horses.

21/05/2025

Why the "SI" is NOT the reason why your horse cannot canter, sit or push!

The Veterinary profession has focused on the "SI" as one of the prominent problems of why horses are struggling in performance. How many of you have had your horses "SI" injected with poor results afterwards?

Dr. DeClue will describe the logical and anatomical biomechanics of how a horse does work and why you as an owner or trainer should push your veterinarian to understand the basic fundamentals of anatomy and biomechanics of equine movement.

You will question why your veterinarian is injecting your horses "SI" after watching this video.

Listen to The Horse First Podcast to learn more about equine biomechanics and undiagnosed lameness and performance issues in sport horses.

19/05/2025

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/33-cause-and-effect-of-equipment-on-sport-horses-tickets-1246740156369?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/23-functional-biomechanical-physio-manual-therapies-for-sport-horses-tickets-1246737297819?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

For those trying to sign up for the Friday session via Eventbrite, the technological glitches have been fixed now.

Please come join Dr. DeClue for 2 days of Functional Biomechanical hands on Physiotherapies and proper equipment fitting! Take your skills to another level by understanding the functional biomechanics of how a horse works and how to problem solve issues few physiotherapists, and veterinarians, know how to solve and resolve.

Join Dr. DeClue for a full-day workshop on manual physiotherapies for sport horses. Enhance communication with clients, vets, & riders.

11/05/2025

It is the simplest things that can create injury to horses.

After clinical evaluation and treating horse after horse with Headshaking Syndrome I have learned that a common denominator CAN BE how people are attaching cross ties to the halters. Please watch, share and realize that the K.I.S.S theory (Keep It Simple Stupid) applies here for everyone that owns a horse.

Please share!

07/03/2025

Veterinarians who are looking for an after work evening of fun, food and CE credits, please join us April 8, 2025.

Details below.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18oySfXDuE/

We’re excited to offer another Continuing Education opportunity for equine professionals- this time in Ocala, Florida at the@thepavilion_greengaits with talks from Dr. James Conway, Dr. Audrey DeClue, and Dr. Andrew Smith!

Space for this event is limited- be sure to RSVP to [email protected] to reserve your spot 📝

27/02/2025

To all Bodyworkers and Physiotherapists.

Workshop #1 of Three Part Workshop Series.

You know that the majority of problems you are palpating and treating manually is tension and pain in the BODY of the horse.

When was the last time you spent an hour massaging or doing myofascial release on the lower limb of a horse? Unlikely, sure some may, but it is not where the majority of tension and pain you feel and treat in your patients.

Spend a full day with Dr. DeClue to learn WHAT and WHY you spend hours and hours working on the BODY of the horse realizing that the patterns you touch and see is very similar in the majority of your patients. Why?

Come learn the functional biomechanical reasons of why and causes so that you can better help your patient population.

Space is limited to allow an open inclusive environment for discussion and learning.

Spend a full day with Dr. DeClue learning functional anatomy and biomechanics.

22/02/2025

Part Two: Several More Posts to Come.
Case Study: Archie 5yo Roan Gelding
Discipline: Cutter

Iliopsoas and CCSG (i.e. shoulder girdle) injuries are common though an undiagnosed and enigmatic problem veterinarians are unaware of and do not know what to do, nor where to go next, after ruling out and treating lower limb joints, SI pain, cervical facet pain, "kissing" spine (if there) and you are left with your horse still looking like Archie.

Archie's ENTIRE axial skeleton was affected. He was limb AND body lame, what I call BODY LAMENESS. Limb lameness can be simple to fix. Inject the joint, the horse feels better and moves better. The horse has a chip in the carpus or fetlock, easy-peasy take it out. Wa-lah problem solved back to work after some healing time. Archie was radiographed, flexed, blocked many times along with every single lower limb joint injected too many times to count, including the SI, still lame, behavioral and unable to do his job. Trainers and training could not "fix" him or make him better. Veterinarians flexing, blocking, radiographing, injecting could not "fix" him or make him better.

Body lameness is not that simple to treat nor to resolve with an injection. However, that is what everyone in the sport horse industry wants, A QUICK FIX, as is the case in most limb lameness problems. Injuries to the axial skeleton (body) do not resolve nor heal quickly because structurally it is ALL connected as people can relate to if they have neck or back pain. Do people not realize that horses, like people, have muscle spasms, strains, and injuries? It is not even on people's radar. How is this possible?

Archie did not wear tack, nor was ridden for 6 months! Yes, 6 entire months. It is amazing to me that when I tell clients/trainers that they cannot ride the horse for 3 weeks (possibly 6 weeks) after treatment, ONLY lunge the horse walk-trot, they almost have a melt down nor comprehend why. Now if I told them that their horse had a suspensory injury and the horse needed 6 months of stall rest they would be perfectly fine with that diagnosis. What the Heck!!! Where is the disconnect here in logic, facts and science?

The disconnect comes from the fact that the veterinary profession is not aware or understand the structural biomechanics of how a horse works or the blatant fact that these injuries are occurring in their patients. Veterinarians may recognize that the horse is "girthy", walks funky after tacking up, hops into transitions, has carpal wobble, toe drags, throws neck to outside of circle, interferes behind, is out behind or cannot canter but are stuck not knowing what to do next or how to approach the problem. These problems cannot be flexed or blocked out though it is easier to find this tiny little hole or irregularity on ultrasound or a tiny little spur on the radiograph that even after treatment and time off for rehabilitation the horse is still the same or initially better then goes back to being lame or feeling the same way as before.

Horse like Archie that are completely "broken" and behavioral will not nor cannot be fixed by the institutionalized approach of Veterinarians practicing sports medicine today. Do not forget that he was owned by another Veterinarian and treated by many other Veterinarians of that institution. That institution failed him as it has many horses daily.

To fix horses like Archie, they will all get worse before they get better. I tell my clients that they will literally "fall apart". It is so ugly and one questions, including me questioning myself daily as I lunged him, WILL THIS HORSE EVER GET BETTER! With treatment of the axial skeleton and as muscles relax, they are weak and things become unstable. Tension is the enemy, however that tension protects things in the body that are injured and that the body does not want to move. Once movement starts occurring again it is painful along with the muscle being weak because they have not worked properly for months or years due to injury.

The videos of Archie are in order of months from August, September, November, December. October all the videos were the same, horrible and no need to show one. He was being treated the entire time. As you can see he was rushing and quick in August and September and absolutely could not stretch down. In October and November he finally slowed down (a good thing) and finally able to start stretching down but very inconsistent and extremely uncoordinated doing it. Finally in December he was able to stretch down more consistently though still not able to hold the stretch, still up and down awkwardly. Take notice of how his body changed through the months and how it finally began to move (back and pelvis). I left the audio on the videos so that you can hear my own disheartenment.

If you are a Veterinarian reading this and would like to learn more about these types of injuries occurring in your patient population? Go to Eventbrite.com: Iliopsoas Injuries & Shivers-Stringhalt Treatment in Performance Horses. My next seminar is March 21-22, 2025 here in Ocala, Florida.

Thank you PulseVet. Without your machine, no matter what I inject axial skeleton wise as a Veterinarian, Archie would not have had a chance of making it back to being a cutting horse in 2025.

Please share these posts so that more horses can be helped. Always putting The Horse First. Listen to my podcast, The Horse First, to learn more.

19/02/2025

For all veterinarians, even if you practice small, large or equine medicine. If you have a horse and have had undiagnosed lameness with your own horse or client horses?

ILIOPSOAS injuries are common in sport horses though an undiagnosed and elusive injury despite extensive clinical evaluation and diagnostics work-ups by usually multiple veterinarians.

There is not a single research paper or case study published on Iliopsoas injuries in horses. In canine athletes, Iliopsoas injuries are common with hundreds of published research and case study papers available. Why?

It is those cases in practice that you cannot figure out or get so far and then do not know what else to do? You have injected every lower limb joint and SI and the horse is still not better or cannot perform or perform at the previous level. You continue to hear from the trainer that the horse still cannot canter or canter on one lead, they continue to interfere behind, plait, toe drag, toe stab, toe tick, out behind or in two parts, cannot sit, have no engagement or haunches are still to one side. These are a few of the symptoms and clinical signs. Sound familiar?

If you would like to take your knowledge and clinical practice to a higher level for your patients, come join us in sunny and warm Ocala, FL March 21-22, 2025. It will be life changing for how you approach lameness, sports medicine and rehabilitation of sport horses.

Join Dr. Audrey DeClue, DVM, for an in-depth seminar on equine iliopsoas injuries—learn, connect, and transform your approach to care!

16/02/2025

Part One of Several Posts to Come.
Case Study: Archie 5yo Roan Gelding.
Discipline: Cutter.

I bought Archie in July 2024 from a client of mine whose husband is a Veterinarian. They were both frustrated with the money they had spent with no results despite repeated veterinary workups and treatments done by also other veterinarians in other states. They brought Archie to me for another professional opinion after he yet again failed another trainers attempt to "fix" his problems. They wanted to get him sold.

After my assessment I told them 6-9 months, minimum. Six months of rehabilitation, and the most important fact that it seems no one in the veterinary profession nor equine world can wrap their brains around unless there is a suspensory injury, Archie would not be under saddle, nor wear any time of equipment for that amount of time. Plus, thousands of dollars for treatment and maybe, just maybe if we are lucky, he could go back to a trainer in 8-9 months.

History: Archie is a well trained young horse who competed in the big futurity in Dallas/FW when he was three. After the futurity no matter how much training (with top trainers), lower limb joint and sacroiliac (SI) injections, Archie could not hold the ground, get across the pen, or would "squirt"/bolt off. It is the story of many young horses chasing the dream of competing in the "big futurity" only to be broken afterwards due to what it takes to get there.

I bought Archie, who was then very behavioral (ear pinning, biting, slamming feet down, threatening to kick) no matter if you were approaching him, grooming him or simply wanting to be close to him. He was spooky, alert and defensive. Even heavily sedated for treatments, he would still pin his ears if you walked by/past him. He was painful and tired of humans messing with him.

Six months later, actually last week, I rode Archie under saddle for the first time (see picture). I had rode him ba****ck about 8 times prior to that to see how he felt in his body and movement. I DO NOT recommend this to anyone else, especially with cutting horses, because it can be dangerous to your well being!

Attached are the videos of Archie from when I bought him. What is wrong with him? Literally hundreds of thousands of horses, like Archie, have the same undiagnosed and unknown diagnosis of Iliopsoas injury causing Pelvic Dysfunction and on top of that injury, Shoulder Girdle or CCSG Injuries (Costo-thoracic, Costal-Sternal, Scapular Girdle). He also had bilateral severe sciatica. Actually his entire axial skeleton was the problem...i.e. body lameness.

If Archie was a sport dog in competition with an Iliopsoas injury, the Veterinarians would give the same time frame depending on the severity....6-9 months off competition with rehabilitation. Humans, similar time frame.

How is it possible that Equine Veterinarians do not have this knowledge in the rule outs or diagnosis? If you are an owner or trainer, ask your Veterinarian if they even know where the Iliopsoas is located and what it does biomechanically? Ask your Veterinarian do they know, understand or can they diagnose the complexity of CCSG injuries (i.e. Shoulder Gridle)? Sadly for all those horses like Archie, probably not.

Watch the videos of Archie when I first purchased him. They tell the real story of these injuries and the time frame it takes, plus proper treatment, to get to where we are today. Archie is happy and I call him my "big dog" now that he is comfortable, but still a long ways to go, before he can go back to competition.

In the videos he is rushed especially to the left, loses his hind end, neck high bracing, tight all over, throws his neck to the outside both directions and lame at time in all four limbs plus body.

Enjoy the videos knowing it is possible. More pictures and videos to come on this case study of the journey, time and patience it takes to get there...not including the money!

This is why it is SO important to educate everyone on this information so that horses, like Archie, do not have to be broken and become behavioral. They can be diagnosed early and treated so that they can continue to enjoy their life as a performance horses and competing with their owner.

If you are a Veterinarians reading this and would like to learn more about these types of injuries occurring in your patient population?

Go to Eventbrite.com: Iliopsoas Injuries & Shivers-Stringhalt Treatment in Performance Horses. My next seminar is March 21-22, 2025.

Please share these posts so that more horses can be helped. Always putting The Horse First.

15/02/2025

Thank you PulseVet for your support to help educate more Veterinarians so that they can help more horses!