VETERINARY surgeon, Anna Juan de Pedro, is an equine academic clinician with the UCD Equine Field Service and is currently completing a PhD focused on thoracolumbar pain in Sport Horses in Ireland.

Thoracolumbar (back) pain is frequently associated with performance issues in horses. Despite being a common equine problem, there is currently limited data available regarding diagnostic approaches, management strategies and treatment protocols across Ireland.

Treatment techniques

As part of this research, Anna Juan is conducting a survey to gather information on current practices in Ireland, regarding the diagnosis and treatment of equine back pain, with specific focus on Sport Horses (such as the Irish Sport Horse breed).

The survey is aimed at veterinary practitioners, farriers and horse owners, with the objectives of documenting the prevalence of equine thoracolumbar pain in Irish sport horses, exploring current diagnostic methodologies, identifying the causes of equine back pain and examining treatment techniques, including alternative interventions.

Any horse owners who are able to assist with this research can access the survey using the QR code, or by typing the following into their search engine - https://forms.gle/DSVQ3MxYdUdNHsPt7 - where the survey can be found.

Participation in the survey is entirely voluntary and is anonymous, and should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. For further information, or if there are any questions on this study, then please contact Anna at anna.juandepedro@ucd.ie.