Tibial stress fracture in horses is known to occur during the initial stages of early training of first timer racehorses. Since the fractures are very painful, a horse is allowed out of training to heal.
Older horses can also get tibial stress fractures upon resuming training from recess. During training, the bones are exposed to stress due to repeated cycling.this exercise is aimed at strengthening the bones but sometimes it results in fatigue which progresses to fracture.
For the treatment of tibial stress fractures, synNutra Equine suggests 90-120 days of rest. They also suggest that you hand walk the horse for two weeks if it experienced a mild periosteal reaction. The following week you walk the horse as you prepare for another two weeks walking it under tack. After this period you can jog for another two weeks and then re-introduce gallops. If you don’t notice anything out of the ordinary, resume fitness training.
Horses with severe periosteal reaction need a longer rest period. SynNutra Equine recommends SynOsteon to shorten the healing time.