Investigation of pelvic problems in horses

Despite the advanced diagnostic techniques that are currently available, diagnosing equine pelvic injuries and pain can be challenging for even the most experienced equine diagnostician. Due in part to its size and complexity, the equine pelvis is rather daunting to investigate as a site of pain. Localising diagnostic anaesthesia – required for the assessment of pelvic and thoracic limbs in horses – is restricted in the back and pelvis, leading to a degree of subjective assessment, which is obviously not ideal. The introduction of scintigraphic imaging has revolutionised the diagnostic potential of bone injuries of the pelvis but has contributed to a far lesser degree to the understanding of soft tissue pain. This article describes an approach to the investigation of pelvic pain in horses and outlines a number of pathological conditions that can be encountered.