Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become one of the most popular go-to tools for diagnosing the causes of lameness in horses, in large part because it allows us to see all the components of a horse’s living limb for the first time. Now we can see pictures of a horse’s limb that look eerily like the anatomy diagrams or dissections in a textbook, and diagnose problems in all the various structures (bone, tendon, ligament) with one imaging modality–MRI.

But as always, things aren’t as easy as they seem. Rich Redding, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, associate professor of equine surgery at North Carolina State University, feels that there are several concerns with the use of MRI in equine veterinary medicine today along with the great benefits it can offer.

On the Plus Side

First of all, Redding is a great proponent of MRI in veterinary medicine. " is a lot like when I graduated veterinary school in the 80s and ultrasound was just starting to be introduced into veterinary medicine," he opines. "We used to treat all bowed tendons the same until we started ultrasounding them and found that they weren’t all the same injury. That’s where we’re going with MRI, is finding they’re all different injuries