Equine Sports Medicine

Purchasing a horse is a significant financial and emotional investment. A pre-purchase exam is strongly recommended to screen for any health or lameness issues prior to purchasing the horse. 

Our pre-purchase exams include:

• Seller Declaration Form
• Physical Exam
  • Cardiovascular
  • Respiratory
  • Gastrointestinal
  • Spine and Pelvis
  • Limbs with hoof testing
• Conformation Assessment
• Suitability Assessment
• Soundness Assessment
• Flexion Tests
• Exercise Tolerance Testing
• Detailed Written Report

Common additions to pre-purchase exams include:

• Radiographs 
  • Board Certified Radiologist Consult
• Ultrasound
• Coggins Testing
• Dental Exam
• Drug Screening
• Upper Airway Endoscopy

We recognize that each sales prospect is unique, and are happy to tailor our pre-purchase exam packages to fit your needs. 

A basic health exam does not always reveal the cause of lameness. A lameness exam is used to pinpoint causes of lameness, poor performance or gait asymmetries and develop a treatment plan.  

Our lameness exams include:

• History of lameness
• Limb and Spine Assessment
• Hoof Testing
• Movement Assessment
  • Straight Line
  • Lunging
  • Under Saddle
  • During Competition
• Lameness Localization
  • Limb Palpation
  • Flexion Testing
  • Nerve and Joint Blocks
• Lameness Diagnostics
  • Radiographs
  • Ultrasound
  • Advanced Imaging Referral
• Lameness Treatment
  • Rehabilitation Program
  • Corrective Shoeing Recommendations
  • Systemic and Articular Medications
  • Regenerative Therapy
  • Therapeutic Laser
• Lameness Treatment Referral
  • Arthroscopic Surgery
  • Stem Cell Therapy
  • Orthopedic Surgery

Elm Creek Equine offers digital radiography on farm to aid in diagnosis of lameness, neck and back pain, dental disease and skull pathology. We offer high quality radiographs using a Sound Next Digital Radiography System. Interpretation is provided on farm to aid in treatment planning.  Further interpretation is available from board certified radiologists. 

In order to offer you the best radiographs possible, we ask that you be prepared with the following; 

• Flat surface for your horse to stand on
• Power
• Shelter from rain and snow

If multiple radiographs are required for any reason, we ask that the barn temperature be above freezing for our equipment to work at its best. 

Please let us know if the horse's handler is under the age of 18, or is pregnant, as we will need to arrange for addition assistance. 

Ultrasound imaging is a vital tool for today’s equine practice. Elm Creek Equine uses a Sonosite M-Turbo ultrasound with three different probes. We use ultrasound for a wide variety of procedures such as:

• Diagnosing Tendon and Ligament Injuries
• Diagnosing Joint Injuries
  • Meniscus Tears
• Ultrasound Guided Injections
• Assessing Ovaries and Pregnancies 
• Diagnosing Colic
• Diagnosing Respiratory Tract Disease

Ultrasound imaging requires the probe to be very close to the horse’s skin. Occasionally clipping may be required, especially if the horse has a rough or dirty coat. Please ensure your horse is completely clean and dry prior to the appointment to minimize the chance of needing to clip. 

Elm Creek Equine offers both IRAP and ACP for the treatment of inflammation and injuries in horses. These treatment products are harvested on farm and processed in our lab in Elm Creek, MB. Finished products can be injected back into your horse immediately or stored frozen for 1-2 years for use at a later date. 

IRAP is a regenerative therapy derived directly from each individual horse’s blood. A blood sample is taken and mixed with special glass beads that act on the blood to activate Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein (IRAP). This protein exists naturally in the horse’s blood and is a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory. IRAP is commonly used to manage arthritis and navicular disease. It is also useful in treating synovitis and other inflammatory conditions of the joint. 

ACP, or Autologous Conditioned Plasma, is another regenerative product that is harvested from your horse’s blood. This product concentrates plasma from the blood, which is rich in growth factors, anti-inflammatories and other healing agents. ACP is often used in tendon or ligament tears where blood supply is poor. Lesions are injected directly with ACP to aid in their healing. 

Elm Creek Equine introduced laser therapy in August of 2018. Laser therapy saturates the body with light of different wavelengths to trigger the body to heal more efficiently and to stop inflammatory processes. 

We have used laser therapy with excellent success for conditions including: 

• Kissing Spine
• Navicular Disease
• Laminitis
• Suspensory Pain
• SI pain
• Wounds
• Dermatitis
• Arthritis

Laser treatments are non-invasive,  cost-effective, and do not require sedation.