The Horse First: A Veterinary Sport Horse Podcast

Episode 65: Recognition and Awareness of Pain in Sport Horses Part 2 with Dr. Sue Dyson Jun 13, 2025

In part two of this series, Dr. Audrey DeClue and world-renowned Veterinarian Dr. Sue Dyson discuss the importance of pain ethograms when identifying discomfort in horses. Dr. Dyson shares her extensive experience, highlighting the challenges in veterinary practice, including the reliance on technology over clinical skills and the need for better training. They discuss the impact of rider weight, tack fit, and training methods on horse comfort, underscoring the need for veterinarians to prioritize horse welfare and the importance of continuous learning and collaboration.

Episode 64: Recognition and Awareness of Pain in Sport Horses Part 1 Jun 05, 2025

Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses the importance of recognizing and addressing pain in sport horses. She emphasizes her unique perspective, influenced by her life experiences and late entry into veterinary school. She challenges the veterinary profession to not ignore the signs and impact of pain, citing historical practices and current shortcomings. She also highlights the need for better education, awareness, and collaboration among veterinarians, body workers, and trainers. Part two of this series will feature world renowned Veterinarian Dr. Sue Dyson. Dr. DeClue and Dr. Dyson further discuss the importance of Dr. Dyson's development of the pain ethogram for owners, trainers and veterinarians to recognize when and if their horse is in pain.

Episode 63: Sport Horse Rounds with Dr. Daniella Vansteenkiste May 20, 2025

Dr. Audrey DeClue hosts Dr. Daniella Vansteenkiste, a neurologist, to discuss equine neurology. Dr. Vansteenkiste, who practices in Philadelphia, shares her journey from wanting to be an equine surgeon to specializing in neurology. They discuss the importance of recognizing subtle neurological signs in horses, such as girthiness and muscle atrophy, and the challenges of diagnosing and treating neurological conditions. Dr. Vansteenkiste also announces the launch of her consulting practice, VSK Veterinary Neurology, to help other veterinarians with neurological cases.

Instagram: @vskvetneuro

Watch the video here

Episode 62: Sport Horse Rounds - Interview with Dr. Brandy Ashman, Burnout & Renewed Passion to Solve Lameness Issues Mar 11, 2025

Dr. Audrey DeClue interviews Dr. Brandy Ashman, a general practitioner from Virginia, who discusses her journey from burnout to renewed passion in veterinary medicine after discovering Dr. DeClue's methods. Dr. Ashman highlights her success with treating lameness and behavioral issues in horses, emphasizing the importance of biomechanics and practical application. They also discuss the challenges veterinarians face, the need for better mentorship, and the establishment of a retirement facility for horses, which Ashman operates, providing comprehensive care and rehabilitation.

Watch the full video here

Episode 61: Thinking Outside the Box and Quick Fixes Mar 10, 2025

Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses the importance of education and research in solving problems with sport horses, rather than relying on quick fixes or thinking outside the box. She emphasizes the need for a thorough understanding of horse anatomy and biomechanics and shares her approach, which involves using an extensive education and toolbox of knowledge to address root causes. She also highlights the importance of collaboration and troubleshooting and mentions upcoming workshops and seminars for veterinarians and physiotherapists to enhance their understanding and skills.

Episode 60: Sport Horse Rounds - A New Mindset Nov 19, 2024

Dr. Audrey DeClue and Dr. Kate Workman discuss the need to change mindsets within the institution of equine sports medicine. They also highlight the success of a recent seminar on treating girthiness emphasizing practical, hands-on training. At the core, they stress the need to understand the whole horse - not just limb lameness - to provide the best outcomes. This also requires asking different questions to achieve better diagnoses and treatments.

The conversation underscores the need for a paradigm shift in veterinary education and practice to improve horse welfare and performance.

Watch the video on YouTube here

Episode 59: Sport Horse Rounds - What Lameness Issues Are We All Missing? Oct 16, 2024

Dr. Audrey DeClue and Dr. Kate Workman discuss common lameness issues in sport horses, emphasizing the importance of recognizing body lameness beyond limb issues. They highlight that pain is the most common cause of lameness, with inciting factors including trauma, fatigue, and inflammation, noting that many conditions often go unrecognized.

The conversation underscores the importance of a comprehensive approach to equine lameness, including the role of biomechanics and the need for more veterinary education and research.

Watch the video of this podcast here.

Episode 58: Sport Horse Rounds - Body Lameness vs Limb Lameness Sep 23, 2024

Dr. Audrey DeClue, DVM and Dr. Kate Workman, DVM discuss the complexities of body lameness versus limb lameness in equine sports medicine. Dr. DeClue emphasizes the importance of understanding body lameness - a term she coined to describe issues not limited to limbs.

Dr. Workman shares her experience as a performance veterinarian, highlighting the basics of sports medicine and the challenges of diagnosing and treating body lameness. They discuss the interconnectedness of the body, the limitations of current veterinary practices, and the need for proper rehabilitation protocols.

This episode underscores the importance of a whole-horse approach to equine lameness and the role of veterinarians in advancing the field.

Watch the video here

Episode 57: Sport Horse Rounds - KISS Theory: Making Complex Lameness Simple Sep 11, 2024

Dr. Audrey DeClue, DVM and Dr. Kate Workman, DVM discuss the complexities of lameness in horses and the importance of simplifying veterinary medicine. Dr. DeClue shares her recent work with the US Army Caisson horses at Arlington National Cemetery, the deplorable conditions and mismanagement of these horses including wasteful spending of taxpayer money. They emphasize the need for veterinarians to understand biomechanics and anatomy to solve complex issues like shivers and stringhalt. Dr. DeClue plans to conduct seminars to teach these principles, starting with girthiness and equipment lameness, followed by iliopsoas injuries. They stress the importance of practical, results-based knowledge and the need for veterinarians to continuously learn and adapt.

You can also watch the podcast here.

Episode 56: Kissing Spine in Sport Horses, Part 2: Do you ride the Horse or the Radiograph? Sep 08, 2023

In part 2 of this series, Dr. DeClue continues her deep dive into kissing spine, including some eye-opening data regarding its prevalence across the world.

Some highlights in this episode include:

The prevalence of back diseases in horses. 5:37
Impingement of the dorsal spine. 10:55
Kissing Spine Syndrome in thoroughbreds. 14:43
Kissing spine in horses in Malaysia. 21:45
Radiographic findings supporting a developmental vs. acquired etiology. 33:05
The 2023 paper from italy on kissing spine. 42:43
Are kissing spine lesions painful? 47:16
Stretching the dorsal spine. 52:43

Episode 55: Kissing Spine in Sport Horses May 08, 2023

Countless hours of research have culminated in today's episode on kissing spine in sport horses. Dr. Audrey DeClue pulls knowledge from decades, centuries, and millennia of data on kissing spine to learn more about this affliction that has impacted dogs, cats, humans, otters, horses, and even dinosaurs.

Episode 54: Lead Change Problems in Sport Horses Feb 08, 2023

If your horse seems stiff, uneven, and doesn't track straight, you're probably also having issues with lead changes. It's another long-thought mystery issue impacting performance and sometimes leading to anxiety in horses during drills. As always, Dr. Audrey DeClue brings a practical, common-sense aproach to examining your horse and getting to the bottom of lead change problems in sport horses.

Episode 53: Expectations in Injured Sport Horses with Dr Kate Workman Dec 16, 2022

Following a very popular episode previously (Episode 46), Dr. Audrey DeClue talks again with Dr. Kate Workman (Denali Equine in Southern Pines, NC) about cases cases they have treated. They discuss shivers, treatements, lameness, and more with the goal of helping you understand the expectations of performance horses and sport horses that have been significantly injured or have chronic lameness. After proper treatment and rehab, some horses went back into performance or competition.

Episode 52: Cantering Issues and Problems in Sport Horses Nov 04, 2022

Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses a common complaint among riders and veterenarians - cantering issues. Though, historically, much attention has been paid to the limbs, Dr. DeClue brings it back to to the body of the horse, where many of the lameness issues actually originate. She discusses her experience addressing cantering issues and what to consider if this is a problem in your horse.

Episode 51: Shivers Horses and Its Association to the Cerebellum Aug 24, 2022

In this episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue focuses specifically on the association of the cerebellum to shivers horses. She shines a light on the existing, published research on shivers and the trouble with conclusions based on a small sample size. She also includes an interview with longtime friend, Celeste, to provide a powerful story of what it is like to live with a degenerative cerebellar lesion.

Episode 50: Shoulder Girdle Injuries in Sport Horses - Part 3 Jun 13, 2022

Dr. Audrey DeClue continues her series on the treatment and solutions she has discovered while helping horses with shoulder and girdle injuries.

Episode 49: Shoulder Girdle Injuries In Sport Horses - Part 2 Cause and Effect May 17, 2022

Dr. DeClue discusses the Cause and the Effect of Shoulder Girdle Injuries in Sport Horse creating Kissing Spine, Back and Pelvic Pain, Chronic Undiagnosed Front Limb Lameness, Suspensory Strains/Injury and Sleep Deprivation and Collapsing Horses.

Episode 48: Shoulder Girdle Injuries in Sport Horses - Another "Mystery" Lameness Apr 18, 2022

Despite having little to no peer-reviewed published papers about the issue, Dr. Audrey DeClue takes this episode to discuss what she has personally learned while dealing with shoulder girdle injuries in sport horses.

Episode 47: Guest Appearance on The Humble Hoof Podcast (Shivers-Stringhalt) Mar 12, 2022

This episode is a guest appearance by Dr. Audrey DeClue on The Humble Hoof podcast with host Alicia Harlov.

They discuss the research and developments that Dr. DeClue has discovered in her journey of putting the horse first when tackling Shivers and Stringhalt.

Episode 46: Solutions to Problems in Sport Horses with Dr. Kate Workman of Denali Equine Feb 11, 2022

After some time on the road with show horses, Dr. Kate Workman (Denali Equine in Southern Pines, NC) realized her true desire was to put the wellbeing of horses first. While dealing with a particular case, one of her colleagues recommended she listen to The Horse First Podcast. She then reached out to Dr. Audrey DeClue, who, after hearing about the case, decided they should meet.

In this episode, you have the opportunity to hear more about that story as well as insights from both Dr. DeClue and Dr. Workman on topics such as shivers, lunging, limbs, shoulder girdles, and more.

Episode 45: The Number One Cause of Lameness in Sport Horses Jan 21, 2022

In this episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue addresses the top causes of lameness in sport horses. These include injury during competition, injury during training or overtraining, injury during turnout, and lower limb abscess farrier work. But the number one cause of lameness? Equipment.

Listen as Dr. DeClue shows how to find the pain that drives lameness.

Episode 44: Positional Lameness in Sport Horses Oct 17, 2021

When body lameness in your horse only occurs when they’re moving, it is positional lameness. In this episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue breaks positional lameness into two parts and urges more critical, rational thinking within the veterinary profession in order to put structures together and create a more accurate diagnosis. She’ll discuss how positional lameness is a subset of body lameness, but worth examining to create better outcomes for horses in general.

Episode 43: Body Lameness in Sport Horses Jul 26, 2021

In this episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue focuses on the impact that the axial skeleton has on the performance of your horse. This often overlooked connection can provide significant insight on body lameness.

Episode 42: Sacroiliac Injuries in Sport Horses Jun 04, 2021

Poor performing sport horses with a difficulty in diagnosis often receive SI injections. And while this can offer some relief, there is hope beyond injections for horses with sacroiliac injuries. In this episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue addresses these injuries with a different perspective than you might commonly find.

Episode 41: Suspensory Ligament Injuries in Sport Horses Apr 05, 2021

It can be scary to hear the words 'suspensory ligament injury.' But in today's episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue brings some hope to the discussion.

She talks specifically about these injuries often being secondary to something else, which can provide for more options when moving forward.

Episode 40: Horse Communication Apr 05, 2021

In today's episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue is focused on the importance of communicating well with others based on the strong communication you've built with your horse.

She also discusses the prevalence of suicide within the veterinary community and how we can be supportive of each other during times of extreme stress, trauma, and burnout.

Episode 39: Absolutely Everything is Important Feb 05, 2021

In this episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue aims to help riders, owners, and trainers take notice of things going on with your horse and point them out to your veterinarian.

Taking special note of the subtle things you see in the day-to-day and asking about them can make a big difference in proper diagnosis.

Episode 38: Causes and Solutions to Contact Issues with Your Horse Dec 29, 2020

In this episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue provides an 8-step process of elimination to address causes and solutions to contact issues with your horse. This is an important episode if you struggle with bridal or contact issues.

Episode 37: Straightness Issues Bulged vs Hollow Horses Oct 30, 2020

Straightness is one of the most common issues owners and trainers have with their horses. It's also a very common topic in publications, no matter what discipline of the horse.

In this episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue explains that if you can ride your horse in a straight and balanced manner, your lameness issues go down exponentially. But that's not all, so listen as she digs into the research on straightness issues to help you and your horse become more aligned.

Episode 36: Tension is the Enemy and the Cause of Many Lamenesses in Sport Horses Oct 16, 2020

Whether it's from a known or unknown injury, tension is the enemy of every lameness. The perfect horse can become lame due to tension and a lame horse come back to life when tension is addressed.

In today's episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses cases where lameness has either improved or declined based on discovering and treating tension - no matter what the cause.

Episode 35: Iliopsoas Injuries in Sport Horses Oct 16, 2020

It's among the most common muscular skeletal injuries seen in sport dogs and human athletes. Iliopsoas is also the number one reason people have back pain. Yet there's very little research about it in sport horses.

In this episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses her research on the iliopsoas muscle, which is responsible for the clinical signs of shivers and stringhalt in the hind limbs of horses.

Episode 34: So Your Horse is Injured? Sep 29, 2020

After recently suffering an injury of her own, Dr. Audrey DeClue takes this episode to discuss what you need to look for - and possibly act on - if your horse is injured.

Episode 33: Sleep Deprivation and Collapsing in Performance Horses Part 2 Sep 16, 2020

Dr. Audrey DeClue returns to continue her series on the issues surrounding sleep deprivation and collapsing in performance horses. In this episode, she dives into the anatomy, what the clinical signs look like, and what you can do.

Episode 32: Sleep Deprivation and Collapsing in Performance Horses (Part 1) Aug 31, 2020

If you don't know what normal is, you probably don't know what abnormal is. In this episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue goes through the history and research of rest and sleep patterns in horses to help determine what is normal when observing those behaviors in other performance horses.

Episode 31: Shivers and Stringhalt Part 2 Aug 08, 2020

Dr. DeClue continues her discussion on what is causing Shivers and Stringhalt in horses.

Episode 30: History of Shivers-Stringhalt Syndrome Apr 27, 2020

Today, Dr. Audrey DeClue begins sharing all the information she has gathered on Shivers-Stringhalt Syndrome.

Episode 29: My Horse Does Not Lay Down to Sleep Feb 28, 2020

Episode 28: New Years Resolution: Advocate For Your Horse! Jan 14, 2020

Dr. Audrey DeClue asks listeners to consider their horse when making new commitments in the New Year. Watching, listening, and learning from your horse helps you understand what they need and how to advocate for them.

Episode 27: Why Are Horses Girthy or Cinchy Nov 22, 2019

Dr Audrey DeClue discusses the dangers of having a girthy horse and how to address it.

Episode 26: How to Help Your Veterinarian Diagnose the Lameness in Your Horse Oct 24, 2019

A common theme in the Horse First podcast is the importance of advocating for the health and needs of your horse. In this episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses how to talk with your veterinarian about lameness, emphasizing the importance owners play in determining the priorities of the veterinary world.

Episode 25: Headshaking Syndrome Sep 27, 2019

In today's episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses a number of cases she's seen of horses dealing with Head Shaking Syndrome (sometimes referred to as Trigeminal-mediated headshaking).

Episode 24: Diagnosing Lameness at a Canter Sep 24, 2019

Dr. Audrey DeClue continues her series on diagnosing lameness in your horse. Today's focus is on diagnosing at a canter. She details the different aspects of the horse she pays attention to when examining a horse from this vantage point.

Episode 23: Recognizing Lameness at a Trot (featuring Mikala Vig) Aug 26, 2019

In previous episodes, Dr. Audrey DeClue has discussed recognizing lameness at a walk and at a standstill. In this episode of The Horse First, she brings back veterinary student Mikala Vig to discuss recognizing lameness at a trot and what she has learned while working with Dr. DeClue.

Episode 22: Equine Shivers Treatment and Information Aug 21, 2019

It's the episode many of you have been waiting for. Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses how she discovered the treatment for Equine Shivers and offers hope to riders, owners, and equine veterinarians. We owe it to our horses to take a closer look at a treatment that has been otherwise believed to be impossible.

Episode 21: Recognizing Lameness at a Walk Aug 06, 2019

"If you see it...feel it...or hear it, it's there." Dr. Audrey DeClue is back on the topic of lameness as she follows up on her last episode (Recognizing Lameness at a Standstill).

In this episode, she gives advice for recognizing when your horse is lame by it's walk - whether alone or under saddle.

Episode 20: Recognizing Lameness at a Standstill Jul 29, 2019

Todays episode is about recognizing lameness at a standstill. Dr. DeClue explains how to recognize a lame horse by identifying and diagnosing lameness without modern technology.

Episode 19: Dorsal Scapular Movement Disorder (DSMD) Jun 26, 2019

In this episode of The Horse First, Dr. Audrey DeClue goes back to her trusty Anatomy of a Horse book to discuss DSMD. She stresses the need to understand that all horses can improve with the correct measures.

Episode 18: The Mystery of Unresolved Front Limb Lameness and Hopping Horses Jun 18, 2019

Armed with her trusty "Anatomy of a Horse" book, Dr. Audrey DeClue goes takes you down the rabbit hole of what front limb lameness is, what's causing it, and how to address it.

Episode 17: The Pain-Behavioral Pyramid of the Horse Jun 06, 2019

Dr. Audrey DeClue describes a diagnostic process she has developed over a decade to understand why horses start to develop pain.

Episode 16: How to Lunge for Back and Pelvis Rehabilitation May 21, 2019

Dr. Audrey DeClue takes this episode to emphasize the need and value of lunging your horse when going through rehabilitation of the back and pelvis. She also discusses the nuance of that process and how to be consistent in rehabilitation without ignoring the needs of the horse, itself.

Episode 15 - Back and Pelvis Rehabilitation (Part 2) Apr 27, 2019

in part two of this series on rehabilitation, Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses lunging for the purposes of back and pelvis rehabilitation. You'll learn how critical lunging truly is to the process.

Episode 14 - Back and Pelvic Rehabilitation in Horses (Part 1) Apr 12, 2019

Dr. Audrey DeClue is back and starting a very important series on the rehabilitation of horses as it relates to their back and pelvis. If you're ready to start down this journey, Dr. DeClue is ready to help.

Episode 13 - Back Injuries and Treatment in Sport Horses Feb 19, 2019

Back injuries are a significant concern in the sport horse world. In this episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue talks about injuries she's seen, some common causes, and the variety of treatments involved.

Episode 12 - Recognition and Diagnosis of Back Pain in Sport Horses Feb 13, 2019

There are several reasons your horse could be experiencing back pain. But making a priority of recognizing and diagnosing those issues can stave off a number of issues down the road.

Episode 11 - Saddle Fitting and Girths Feb 08, 2019

You might not have thought much about it, but the type of saddle and saddle pad you use on your horse can have a profound impact on their comfort and how they ride. Dr. Audrey DeClue explains why it is so important to choose the equipment that best fits your horse.

Episode 10 - Cervical Issues in Sport Horses Jan 22, 2019

Neck issues will always affect the performance of your sport horse. In this episode, Dr. Audrey DeClue shows how cervical issues can show, the cascade of effects that can follow, and how to rehabilitate.

Episode 9 - Rehabilitation Dec 31, 2018

Dr. Audrey DeClue presents a candid approach to the process of rehabilitating sport horses and the dedication required to ensure the treatment is most effective.

Episode 8 - Treatment Solutions and Expectations Dec 26, 2018

With everybody looking for a quick fix these days, Dr. Audrey DeClue explains why it's important to have realistic expectations in terms of outcomes and timing when treating your horse.

Episode 7 - Injuries Nov 01, 2018

Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses common injuries and the common misconceptions often associated with them.

Episode 6 - The Approach to Diagnosing Lameness Oct 18, 2018

Dr. Audrey DeClue explains how being an advocate for the horse can help with performance issues and offers six steps to approach diagnosing lameness.

Episode 5 - Limb vs Body vs Positional Lameness Oct 16, 2018

While it's common to simply discuss "limb lameness" in horses, today's episode offers listeners new insights on how to determine the true source of lameness in your horse. As Dr. Audrey DeClue will point out, it may be very different than what you've been told.

Episode 4 - Cause and Effect Oct 16, 2018

Dr. Audrey DeClue starts today's episode with two options - the red pill or the blue pill. If you keep an open mind, you're likely to learn a lot about how to better diagnose what's wrong with your horse.

Episode 3 - Interview with Veterinary Student Mikala Vig Oct 08, 2018

In episode 3 of The Horse First podcast, Host Audrey DeClue interviews her Veterinary student, Mikala Vig. They discuss the things Mikala has learned from her experiences working with Audrey and how keeping the horse first is the key to productive treatment.

Episode 2 - It’s Never Normal When Your Horse Sep 07, 2018

Host Audrey DeClue shares her experiences working with horses, trainers, owners and more who often use the term "that's just normal" when describing abnormal conditions in their horse. In this episode, you'll learn why it's probably not normal and what can be done.

Episode 1 - The Story of Why We Are Here Sep 07, 2018

Host Audrey DeClue gives an overview of her experience working with horses, and the purpose of The Horse First podcast.

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