The average stay at Caddel Equine Therapy Center is 30 days. Consistent follow-up care in a farm setting can make a huge difference in recovery rates. It’s amazing just how quickly some of the patients bounce back.

It’s 7 a.m. and caddel equine therapy center is starting to come alive. stable hands move horses from pasture to barn, barn to pasture. The muck wagon pulls into the alleyway. Horses stretch their necks through the yokes of their stall doors and whinny impatiently to hurry along room service. It’s an animated time of the day to be sure. Yet the underlying tempo here is serene, for this is a place where horses come to rest and recuperate, and the occupants seem to sense that.

Steve and Linda Caddel have been running an equine lay-up facility near Lexington, Kentucky, for more than a dozen years. Linda oversees the daily horse care operations while Steve, an on-farm consultant for Farmers Feed Mill, manages the nutrition program.

In fact, it was through Steve’s role as a nutrition consultant, visiting Thoroughbred breeding and training farms, that he first identified the need for rehabilitation services. Traditionally, he says, many race horses return to the breeding farms to recover from injuries. Yet most breeding farms aren’t set up to handle them. They’re staffed to care for stallions, mares, and foals. Reproduction, not rehabilitation, is their specialty.

Steve and Linda are pictured with Dancinginmydreams, a celebrated year-round resident of their Equine Therapy Center. The mare fractured her right hind leg in a race and underwent five surgeries to repair it.

Given the high concentration of horses in Kentucky, the Caddels also observed that veterinary clinics have their hands full just dealing with injuries, illnesses, and surgeries. After treatment, the horses may be ready to leave the hospital, yet many still require special care. They’re what Linda calls "high maintenance" horses. Staying at a clinic might be an option, but it’s expensive and may inadvertently put a horse at risk of disease.

Steve and Linda felt they could bridge the gap in care. The surprise has been that it’s not just high-dollar Thoroughbreds they’re tending. Their barns and pastures have become a temporary home to all kinds of horses, including some beloved family pets.

"In the beginning, it was 100 percent race horses," Linda says. "But we’ve seen the complexion of our clients change over the last few years. I’d say that 40 to 50 percent of our customers are now show and pleasure horses. We’ve had draft horses and retired ponies on their last legs, cutting horses, reining horses, western pleasure horses, Standardbreds, and Saddlebreds."

The average length of stay is 30 days, but some of their client horses become permanent residents, living out their last days with people who can give them the supportive care they need to remain comfortable.

Linda says the key to success in rehabilitating horses is attending to details. If the prescription calls for slow and steady hand-walking, that’s what they do

Making it Work
To run a lay-up farm, you not only have to love horses, you have to revel in routine, Linda says. She and her co-workers repeat many tasks day-in and day-out—changing bandages, administering medications, hand-walking horses, assisting with physical therapy, monitoring vital signs, and keeping comprehensive records.

"It is challenging," Linda confirms. "You’ve got to be a keen observer of these horses."

Getting to know an individual and paying acute attention to detail can make all the difference in the outcome. For example, keeping a surgical site clean, watching for changes in the way the tissues look, feel, and smell, and giving medications at the proper intervals can help ward off infection and speed healing. Observing for changes in the horse’s temperature, behavior, appetite, and attitude lets you know if the horse is making progress, or whether there’s cause for concern. Providing exercise in the prescribed way, such as hand-walking, minimizes the chance of re-injury, aids circulation, maintains muscle tone, reduces swelling, and even improves the horse’s mental outlook.

Golden Rules in Aftercare

Handle horses safely and consistently at all times. Follow the veterinarian’s care instructions to the letter. Use your power of observation to assess healing. Recognize that horses have social as well as physical needs and provide for both. Stable compatible horses next to one another to promote harmony and contentment. Feed high-quality rations, and weigh the horse periodically to monitor and promote ideal body condition. Work as a team with veterinarians, physical therapists, farriers, stable hands, and other caregivers on behalf of the horse.

"When a client or doctor sends a horse to us, they know he’s getting the aftercare that’s been prescribed," explains Linda.

However, even a seemingly simple task, such as a quiet stroll, is not always as easy as it sounds—especially when you’re dealing with a racing-fit 2-year-old. Handling fractious animals takes real horsemanship. Yet Linda is quick to point out that their role is not to train their patients, but to treat them. The goal is to keep horses and people as safe as possible as they go about their work. The Caddels have developed a set of guidelines that every person on their team is expected to follow:

1. Never take any horse for granted. Watch carefully and use caution whenever approaching, handling, and leaving a horse.
2. Have a second person in the vicinity whenever you enter a stall or work with a horse.
3. Never turn your back on a horse.
4. Use a properly fitted halter and nose chain when leading. Apply tension if needed, then release, but never jerk on a horse’s face.
5. Lead a horse all the way into the stall, paddock, or pasture, and then turn the horse around to face the door or gate.
6. Stand close to the exit and make sure the door/gate is partially shut before releasing the horse.
7. Release the horse slowly, and exit promptly, without taking your eyes off the horse.

Once horses have progressed to a certain stage, the Equicizer becomes an exercise option. The antics of some horses enjoying the merry-go-round may incite reckless behavior in others still on stall rest, so potentially rowdy patients are given a less exciting view.

Experts, such as podiatrist Dr. Bob Agne of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, are vital to the rehabilitation team effort. Dr. Agne is always looking for better ways to provide relief for horses with foot problems.

Care Considerations
Horses that come to the therapy center for rehabilitation are basically unknown quantities. Many are young, high strung, and fresh off the track. Steve and Linda try to find out as much about their charges as they can from the owners, trainers, handlers, and clinic staff. But they also do their own appraisals. And with their extensive horse backgrounds, they can generally size up the horses pretty quickly. Some of their charges have terrible ground manners, and working with them can be difficult. They often have to remind themselves that they’re running a lay-up facility, not a training barn.

"What we tell ourselves and our staff is that it’s not our job to retrain these horses. It’s our job to keep everyone as safe as possible," Linda explains. "We have zero tolerance of anyone schooling a horse. That’s not their place. If there’s a horse with any kind of an issue, then Steve and I have to deal with it."

They also point out that many of the cantankerous colts and fillies that come in have a change of attitude when they’re handled quietly and consistently in a low-stress environment. They let down their defenses, their manners improve, and they get with the program.

Some conditions are chronic, but special therapies, such as those dispensed by Jennifer Morse of Bluegrass Equine Physical Therapy, can make a huge difference in a horse’s comfort and mobility.

"If there’s any surprise," Linda says, "it’s how amenable these horses are to everything we do to them and how quickly they change and adjust to their surroundings. It’s why we try to keep our barn quiet—even if there is a lot of activity going on in the morning."

The Caddels have a good reputation for handling all kinds of horses, and their business includes managing broodmares and foals, and sale-fitting yearlings, so they get plenty of opportunity to instill good manners in young horses as well.

"People think that a chain over the nose is hard on a horse, but our experience is that leading with just a rope allows a horse to lose respect," Steve explains. "He’s in your space, or trying to drag you around. We use a chain as a preventative. Our staff knows not to jerk on it, but if a horse tries to create an issue, that person still has some control."

Incidentally, those who follow the Lyons methods accomplish the same goal by using a bridle to lead and train their horses rather than relying on a simple halter and lead rope; the bit applies pressure on the horse’s mouth that is hard to ignore, which gives the handler more control.

Horses are social creatures. Doors with open yokes allow horses to keep tabs on the comings and goings of their neighbors, which enhances their mental well-being.

Healing Environment
In this high-tech age, it’s easy to think that recovery depends on state-of-the art equipment—and sometimes it does. But as Steve and Linda point out, there’s really no substitute for conscientious care and a restful environment.

When they took their first patient more than a dozen years ago, the Caddels leased an 18-stall barn that didn’t even boast a hot water heater. Linda put together three sets of stall equipment and set a goal to fill those three stalls with rehab horses. When needed, she hauled hot water from the house to care for her charges.

"We went to the hospitals and said, ‘We want to do this. We feel we’ll do a good job,’" she recalls. "But they hear that a lot, so they’ll wait and see who survives before entrusting their reputation by referring horses."

Fortunately, the couple already had strong connections to the Kentucky horse community. Steve was well known because of his work on the farms weighing and measuring young Thoroughbreds, tracking growth patterns, and recommending feeding strategies to prevent growth-related problems. Linda had been the communications

director for the American Association of Equine Practitioners, so she, too, knew many veterinarians and horse care professionals.

"There’s more technology here in central Kentucky related to horses than anywhere in the world," Steve observes. "But even the vets will tell you, they prefer to get the horses out of the hospital and back in a farm environment as soon as possible.

"When they’re in an institutionalized place like a hospital, the horses stay wrapped pretty tight. When they come here, the barns are wood, it’s quiet, and they can just chill. That’s part of the management, getting these horses to tolerate confinement for 30 days or longer."

Even with all the Caddels’ experience and connections, building a viable lay-up business was a slow process. Their first customer sent a race mare for rehabilitation, but never paid the bill. The Caddels kept the horse. Then their friend Mike Ryan, a bloodstock agent whose three kids were boarding horses at Caddel Farm and riding with their girls, sent three horses to Linda for lay-up care.

"It was amazing," Linda recalls. "Sending three horses to us then would be like someone sending 30 horses to us today. I used up my three sets of stall equipment and had to go buy more. My dream was to one day see 18 feed tubs hanging on those door fronts with horses in all the stalls. I’ll bet it took two years to do that."

Five years ago, Steve and Linda felt confident enough about their business to purchase a 52-acre farm. They now have two barns with stalls to house 39 horses, along with run-in sheds, a mechanical walker, and even a small training track. The Caddels use the track to leg-up their patients, a job that Linda and daughters Katey and Jessica (all accomplished horsewomen) have undertaken from time to time. More typically, though, the Caddels hire professional exercise riders from nearby tracks to get the race horses fit before sending them back to the training stables. They also have a graduate Pony Clubber who rides some of the sport horse patients under the instruction of the attending veterinarians.

Yet the biggest part of assisting in the recovery process is in keeping the horses quiet and content so nature can perform her healing miracles. Toward that end, the Caddels renovated their barns to create a horse-friendly atmosphere. The stalls now have open-yoked sliding fronts, which allow the horses to put their heads into the barn aisles and watch what’s going on. This alleviates boredom and lets them interact with other horses. The sliding doors also make it safer and easier for handlers to enter and exit.

The backs of the stalls, too, have been retrofitted with screens to provide airflow and clear storm doors that allow natural light into the stalls during all seasons. The Caddels have found that by providing a window on the world, as well as fluffy straw bedding, horses spend more time napping—which is just what they need to recuperate.

As the end of their rehabilitation period nears, horses prepare to return to work by taking a turn on the training track

Dorm Living
Steve and Linda are also careful about who they stall next to whom. Horses have different personalities and, unfortunately, not all horses get along.

It’s a challenge to keep harmony in the dormitory when the herd is constantly changing. As one horse leaves and another arrives, it’s not just a matter of filling an empty stall. The staff constantly watches to see how the horses act toward one another. An aggressive horse that terrorizes his neighbors may require the reshuffling of several horses to find stable mates who aren’t intimidated by his bully tactics.

Rambunctious residents may need to be stabled on the side of the barn opposite from where the mechanical walker is located. Watching other horses cavort outside their windows can incite reckless behavior from stall-bound horses who want to join in the fun, putting recovery at risk. Others are content to just stand quietly and watch the outside entertainment.

For the same reason, the Caddels house the colts and fillies in separate areas of the barn so that hormones don’t upset the balance and order of things. In short, Steve and Linda make every effort to keep the peace to minimize the chance of injury from horses kicking the walls in excitement or annoyance. Reducing stress, in all forms, also promotes speedier recoveries.

Steve emphasizes, too, the key role that nutrition plays in health, behavior, and attitude. No cafeteria-style meals on this farm. He customizes the ration for every horse on the place based on age, stage of development, and other individual needs.

"Micronutrients are essential for the repair of an injury, but we’re probably going to reduce the caloric intake and change the type of calories the horse is getting," he explains. "We cut back on the high starch calories that make horses uptight and nervous and go to calories that aren’t going to affect their endocrine system in a way that revs them up."

Because proper nutrition is so critical to mental and physical health, the responsibility for setting feed is entrusted to the barn supervisors. They ensure that any supplements or medications an individual needs are going into the right feed bag. Rations are weighed and measured, and each horse is also weighed periodically to assess body condition, rather than simply relying on what the caregivers’ eyes are telling them. While it’s easy to see when a horse is getting too lean, it’s not always apparent when a horse is starting to carry more weight than is ideal.

An Emotional Roller-Coaster
Steve and Linda agree that running a lay-up farm has been a great choice for them. Despite the often predictable routine, what keeps it interesting is that every horse is unique, every case is slightly different. Plus, they often have the opportunity to work with top equine specialists to try to find solutions for difficult or chronic problems.

But they admit the role of caregiver isn’t always easy. Although they experience far more successes than failures in nursing horses back to health, there are still the heartbreak cases that make the job a bit of an emotional roller-coaster. The worst, they agree, are the horses and ponies that come to them with chronic laminitis and/or Cushing’s disease. Despite the expertise of the best veterinarians in the country, the outcome is often painfully and predictably sad.

"At times I feel like we’re a hospice facility," Linda says. "We deal a lot with the owners, assuring them that we are not only treating their horses medically, but we’re making sure they get a lot of emotional attention, too. We feel like we owe it to that animal to make him feel as comfortable as possible. It’s a privilege to be able to work with these horses and then to help them down that final road in a dignified way.

"It’s hard," she adds. "But it should be hard."

Although the Caddels work with some animals that are literally worth millions of dollars, Linda insists that the true value of a horse is not related to his or her price tag.

"When we get calls from people saying, ‘I just have a backyard horse, or a trail riding horse,’ we tell them, ‘If you’re sending him to us, then he’s the most important horse in the world to us, too.’ People should never apologize for the love they have for their horses."

After more than a dozen years providing rehabilitation services, Linda says without hesitation, "I love horses even more than I did before. No, they’re not all nice, but you find out just how courageous these animals really are."

That kind of understanding and respect is exactly what keeps the Caddels in business.