How to Break Apart the Scar Tissue in Horses

A horse may develop scar tissue following a major injury or invasive surgery. Scar tissue results from the damaged tissues regenerating in an incongruent manner. As a result, scar tissue can limit movement and cause extra strain on surrounding muscles and joints. The horse may also experience pain around the site of the injury. Knowing how to properly break apart the scar tissue can provide a horse with pain relief and help it recuperate faster.

Things You'll Need

  • Equine ice pack
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Note the date of the original injury. Generally, the process of breaking down scar tissue lasts as long it took for the scar tissue to build. So, if the injury is one month old, it takes one month to break down the associated scar tissue.

    • 2

      Feel the area where the scar tissue is located. If there is still heat in the area, it is inflamed. Attempts to break down scar tissue should not be made until inflammation is reduced via anti-inflammatory medication.

    • 3

      Attach an equine ice pack to the injury to numb the area.

    • 4

      Massage the scar tissue away by moving your thumbs over the scar in an up/down and back/forth motion in the general direction of the horse's heart. This moves blood through the area and helps break down the scar tissue.