We understand that it can be concerning finding problems in your horse when you aren’t expecting them. The idea that we may be lifting the lid off a box where we don’t want to know what’s underlying is understandable. However, it serves to look at the perspective that any highly functioning athlete (human or horse) will develop musculoskeletal stresses, strains and pathologies over time. As our patients can’t tell us where they may have discomfort, it is our job to investigate if there are any pathologies present that may correlate with any lameness or performance related concerns. The goal of the EAP is to bring awareness to the current health and musculoskeletal status of your horse, allowing us to flag things that may need to be monitored over time. Finding changes in the musculoskeletal system, doesn’t inherently mean that your horse requires immediate treatment. Being aware where there are stresses to the body, allows us to become adaptive in our training methods, farriery, integrative management practices and incorporate conditioning programs to improve overall musculoskeletal strength.