Over the past three decades, equine surgeons have become more adept at repairing even the most devastating fractures. Long gone are the days when horses sustaining fractures were humanely euthanized with a sad shake of the head. Now, horses are largely salvaged–and even return to athletic careers–with a little help from skilled hands, an arthroscope, power drill, plates, wires, and/or screws.

"The equine industry has benefited immensely from the introduction of fracture repair techniques," comments Michael Ross, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, a professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center. "While we still have a long way to go before we reach the same level as human orthopedic surgeons, we have also come a long way from where we were only a few short decades ago."

Despite the improved success rates in fracture repair, not all equine orthopedic cases end successfully–even the seemingly simple ones