The Horse First: A Veterinary Sport Horse Podcast
Veterinarian Dr. Audrey DeClue hosts this podcast aimed at horse owners, riders, and trainers. Each episode explores the needs of sport horses, focusing on their health, performance, and overall well-being. The show offers practical advice and insights to help listeners better understand and care for their equine partners. Whether you're a seasoned competitor or a weekend rider, the podcast provides valuable knowledge for keeping horses healthy and happy.
Episodes
Episode 76: Blog 2 - Case Study 1 - Severe Sciatica in a Sport Horse
Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses a severe sciatica case in a high-performance sport horse. The horse, initially winning big, suddenly developed severe sciatica, head shaking, and sleep deprivation. Dr. DeClue highlights the horse's abnormal gait, muscle atrophy, and behavioral change, emphasizing the lack of published papers on equine sciatica and the need for advanced ultrasound skills for treatment.
Episode 75: Introduction to Body Lameness and Answers
Dr. Audrey DeClue brings her blog posts to the podcast with commentary as she discusses the importance of understanding body lameness in horses. 85-90% of lameness has historically been focused on limbs and feet instead of looking a the horse as a whole body. She highlights common performance issues caused by body lameness and explains these issues in terms of biomechanics.
Episode 74: Dr. DeClue is Interviewed by Elisa Walfish of The EquiScience Podcast (#21 - Rethinking Lameness: Looking Beyond the Limbs)
[Description from the EquiScience Podcast #21 with Elisa Walfish] What if many of the problems we label as "lameness" don't actually begin in the limbs? In this episode I sit down with Dr. Audrey DeClue, an equine veterinarian known for challenging long-standing assumptions in equine medicine. Together, we explore the concept of body lameness, why biomechanics should play a central role in every
Episode 73: The Complexity of Treating Body Lameness in Sport Horses with Dr. Gabrielle Martel
Dr. Audrey DeClue welcomes Dr. Gabrielle Martel to discuss the complexities of treating body lameness in horses. Dr. Martel, a veterinarian from Montreal, shares her journey of treating horses with body lameness, emphasizing the importance of understanding horse biomechanics and the need for a comprehensive approach. They discuss the challenges of treating horses with conditions like sleep depriva
Episode 72: A Riders Daily Checklist in the Ridden Horse - An Interview with Dr Sue Dyson
Dr. Audrey DeClue and Dr. Sue Dyson discuss the importance of a rider's checklist from the stall, tacking up, and under saddle for assessing a horse's physical well-being with considerations to determine if your horse is lame. They emphasize the need for veterinarians to better understand that a horse's consistent behavior is indicative of pain. They stress the significance of proper saddle/equip
Episode 71: ECVM in Sport Horses with Dr. Kate Workman
Dr. Audrey DeClue and Dr. Kate Workman discuss Equine Cervical Vertebral Malformation (ECVM) in horses, emphasizing its clinical significance. They critique various research papers, noting discrepancies, limitations, and methodological issues. Dr. DeClue and Dr. Workman stress the importance of accurate grading and understanding the practical implications of ECVM for horse owners and veterinarians
Episode 70: An Impromptu Interview with a Trainer
Dr. Audrey DeClue has an impromptu conversation with a trainer discussing the importance of understanding a horse's soundness, the impact of proper body lameness treatment and the lack of mechanical or manufactured training "aides" and "tools" needed for a horse to achieve optimum performance and whole body soundness. The conversation underscores that how a horse "feels" under saddle as a rider is
Episode 69: Deep Discussions about Unspoken Problems in Sport Horses: Dr. Audrey DeClue, Dr. Ellen Hillyer and Dr. Brandy Ashman
Dr. Audrey DeClue, Dr. Brandy Ashman, and Dr. Ellen Hillyer discuss the top reasons sport horse owners jump between vets. This includes a lack of agreed answers, poor pain recognition, and failure to link behavior with pain/rideability. They cite Sue Dyson's pain ethogram and note axial lameness is complex, non-limb, and often pelvic dysfunction. Education gaps persist as well, including only one
Episode 68: Sciatica in Sport Horses
Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses the impact of stray voltage on livestock and its parallels with sciatica in sport horses. She highlights a 2023 study on stray voltage in cattle farms, noting its effects on animal behavior and productivity. Dr. DeClue emphasizes the lack of research on sciatica in horses compared to humans and other species, where it affects 40% of the population. She describes clinica
Episode 67: Recognition and Awareness of Pain in Sport Horses Part 4 with Dr. Daniella Vansteenkiste
Dr. Audrey DeClue and Dr. Daniella Vansteenkiste discuss recognizing and managing nerve pain and neuropathy in sport horses. Dr. Vansteenkiste emphasizes the importance of understanding subtle clinical signs like behavioral changes, sweat patterns, and postural alterations. She explains the complexities of nerve pain, including the concept of "wind-up" and the slow healing rate of nerves, which ca
Episode 66: Recognition and Awareness of Pain in Sport Horses Part 3 - When it is NOT a Training Issue
Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses the importance of recognizing pain in horses, emphasizing that many issues misdiagnosed as training problems are actually pain-related. She highlights the need for veterinarians to understand biomechanics and pattern recognition to accurately diagnose and treat pain. Dr. DeClue explains how she identifies and addresses pain and stresses the role of equipment in causing
Episode 65: Recognition and Awareness of Pain in Sport Horses Part 2 with Dr. Sue Dyson
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,
Episode 64: Recognition and Awareness of Pain in Sport Horses Part 1
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, aw
Episode 63: Sport Horse Rounds with Dr. Daniella Vansteenkiste
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 neu
Episode 62: Sport Horse Rounds - Interview with Dr. Brandy Ashman, Burnout & Renewed Passion to Solve Lameness Issues
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
Episode 61: Thinking Outside the Box and Quick Fixes
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
Episode 60: Sport Horse Rounds - A New Mindset
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 q
Episode 59: Sport Horse Rounds - What Lameness Issues Are We All Missing?
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 compreh
Episode 58: Sport Horse Rounds - Body Lameness vs Limb Lameness
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 di
Episode 57: Sport Horse Rounds - KISS Theory: Making Complex Lameness Simple
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
Episode 56: Kissing Spine in Sport Horses, Part 2: Do you ride the Horse or the Radiograph?
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 Radi
Episode 55: Kissing Spine in Sport Horses
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
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
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. Af
Episode 52: Cantering Issues and Problems in Sport Horses
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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,
Episode 45: The Number One Cause of Lameness in Sport Horses
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
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 e
Episode 43: Body Lameness in Sport Horses
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 str
Episode 36: Tension is the Enemy and the Cause of Many Lamenesses in Sport Horses
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
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?
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
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)
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
Dr. DeClue continues her discussion on what is causing Shivers and Stringhalt in horses.
Episode 30: History of Shivers-Stringhalt Syndrome
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
Episode 28: New Years Resolution: Advocate For Your Horse!
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
"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
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)
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
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
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
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)
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses common injuries and the common misconceptions often associated with them.
Episode 6 - The Approach to Diagnosing Lameness
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
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
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
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
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
Host Audrey DeClue gives an overview of her experience working with horses, and the purpose of The Horse First podcast.
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