FOR many owners, the thought of a prolonged period of post-operative rehabilitation can be even more daunting than that of the surgical procedure itself. Emergency surgical procedures can by their very definition be lifesaving, or at the very least be the difference between a sustainable long-term quality of life for your horse, or not. An elective surgical procedure, on the other hand, may be more related to improving or sustaining performance levels.
Either way, the overall success of any surgery is often dependent as much on what happens following the procedure as it is on the surgery itself. In fact, many scientific studies define surgical success as a return to previous levels of work, or higher.
As in humans, a return to function for your horse can be more difficult, can take significantly longer –
