South African Equine Veterinary Association Congress 2015 Protea Hotel Stellenbosch
Examining the neurologic status of a recumbent horse that has fallen during racing can be
difficult: responses and reflexes that are normally easily elicited may be absent in an animal under
extreme sympathetic stimulation. Assessment of attempts to rise can provide a clue to the site of
the injury. For instance, a horse with voluntary movement of the neck or head, but not the limbs,
probably has a cervical injury; if the head alone can be moved then the injury is likely to be in
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