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New Bolton Center Kennett Square, PA
Emergencies & Appointments:
610-444-5800
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Ryan Hospital Philadelphia, PA
Emergencies:
215-746-8911
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215-746-8387
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Lameness Examination

New Bolton Center Sports Medicine


The sports medicine Service at the New Bolton Center are a team of specialists, dedicated to the comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of equine athletes. We offer our patients accurate diagnoses, followed by a targeted treatment plan. We provide a full complement of therapies focused on the horse’s injury and other problems. Our goal is to restore your horse to peak performance after injury or illness.

Contact Sports Medicine

  • Appointments: 610-925-6190 or 610-925-6140
  • Emergencies: 610-444-5800
  • New Bolton Center
    382 W. Street Rd.
    Kennett Square, PA 19348
  • Get Directions...

Our Services

  • Lameness Evaluation

    The sports medicine clinics at New Bolton Center specialize in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of lameness in athletic horses.  Evaluation starts with physical examination followed by gait assessment (lameness examination) on hard and soft surfaces. We integrate a full complement of diagnostics, including comprehensive nerve/joint blocks, advanced imaging, and regenerative medicine. A wide range of diagnostics and treatment options allows us to provide customized care for your individual horse’s needs.

    Lameness examination while riding is encouraged and performed our indoor arena, the Ilona English Equine Performance and Evaluation Facility (EPEF). This airy and comfortable facility allows us to conduct lameness examinations, perform exercising evaluations and other testing in a safe environment, conducive to accurate and reliable assessments. The indoor arena footing is specialized, all-weather footing, MC Ecotrack®, which proves a consistent and level surface that is familiar to equine athletes. This 80-foot by 120-foot enclosed arena is flooded with natural light from large windows, providing optimal lighting and a dedicated space protected from the elements. This facility is a real advantage to the entire treatment team: clinicians, clients, students and of course, our patients.

  • Pre-Purchase Examination

    A full complement of diagnostic services including thorough physical and soundness examination with the horse in hand or under tack, when appropriate for age and training. Evaluations are tailored to the individual horse and owner needs and frequently include digital radiography including neck and back imaging. Other diagnostics such as ultrasonography, upper airway endoscopy and cardiology are also available. Drug screens for forbidden substances are available as needed. 

  • Poor Performance Examination

    Our sports medicine team offers investigative diagnostics in the horse that is not performing well; aka the “just not right” horse. Specific services available include overground endoscopy, high-speed treadmill testing, heart rate monitoring, and exercising arterial blood gas analysis.  Additional diagnostics services including blood work, serology, and advanced imaging and are available and can be customized to your horse’s performance problem(s).  Horses with complex performance problems may also need neurological, surgical, and behavioral consultations which are readily available in the hospital, often within the same day appointment. 

  • Imaging (Radiography, Ultrasonography, CT, MRI, Nuclear Scintigraphy)

    Offering a comprehensive imaging evaluation including digital radiography and ultrasonography. Our equipment and clinicians are adeptly able to image distal and proximal limbs, necks, backs, and pelvic regions. Other imaging capabilities are robotic CT imaging, MRI, Nuclear Scintigraphy (bone scan), and echocardiology

    Learn more about Imaging...

  • High-Speed Treadmill Assessment and Endoscopy

    Examination during treadmill exercise allow us to evaluate your horse while trotting, pacing, or galloping. Our sports medicine team can assess multiple body systems such as the heart, upper airway, lungs, and the musculoskeletal system while the horse is running on the treadmill. 

    Our high-speed treadmill can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour, which makes it ideal for evaluating racehorses. It can be used for sport horses, draft horses, and ponies—any horse that needs assessment while exercising. Various equipment can be applied to the horse while exercising on the treadmill so that multiple body systems can be evaluated at one time. Treadmill evaluation can be completed on an outpatient basis and the typical appointment lasts 5-8 hours. Laboratory data may require several days for complete results.


    What Treadmill Testing Includes 
     •  Exercising upper airway endoscopy 
     •  Exercising electrocardiogram (ECG), to measure heart rate and rhythm 
     •  Echocardiogram, an ultrasound of the heart 
     •  Arterial blood gas analysis
     •  Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), fluid analysis from the lungs 
     •  Electrolyte, muscle enzyme, and lactate analysis 

    Horses should be sound and fit, preferably training at the level during which the performance problem(s) occurs. To exercise on the treadmill, horses must be shod with four flat shoes (no toe grabs, heel caulks, borium, etc.). Where appropriate, please bring your horse’s harness or other tack. Please bring details of previous examinations, imaging and treatments with you to the appointment.

  • Overground Endoscopy


    We offer wireless overground endoscopy to assess the horse’s upper airway function. Testing can be performed in any exercising horse, with a rider, at the track, at your ring, or at the hospital. This evaluation greatly improves our ability to accurate diagnosis dynamic upper airway problems. After diagnosis, we can provide numerous treatment options including surgical therapies.

  • Cardiology

    Cardiac arrhythmias and murmurs are common in the athletic horse. Our team can assist you with the assessment including exercising evaluation, implications on your horse’s athletic abilities and limitations, and treatment.
    Learn more about Cardiology...

  • Regenerative Medicine (IRAP, PRP, Stem-cell)

    Numerous regenerative therapies are available and can be integrated into your horse’s post injury treatment. We provide onsite IRAP, PRP, and Stem-cell therapy. We are able to harvest your horse’s bone marrow for autologous Stem-cell culture and future injury at injuries sites. To insure accurate placement of therapy within your horse’s injury, ultrasound guided injections are commonly used.

  • Other therapies (Shockwave, joint injections, ultrasound-guided injections, etc.)

    We offer a variety of therapies including focused shockwave therapy, joint therapies, and ultrasound-guided injections. Our field service clinicians can also provide acupuncture treatment as needed. In addition, we can assist with post injury rehabilitation protocols custom designed for your horse’s injury.

MARS Residency in Equine Sports Medicine/Rehabilitation and Diagnostic Imaging

A 3-year residency in Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation is being offered by the Department of Clinical Studies – New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. This program will provide the successful applicant clinical training in the practice of equine sports medicine and rehabilitation in a high volume, referral setting. The resident will be exposed to a wide variety of equine veterinary disciplines, with specialized training weeks dedicated to equine diagnostic imaging (ultrasound, radiology, nuclear scintigraphy, fan-beam and cone-beam computed tomography, positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging).

  • Read More about the residency position.

    This residency has been created in accordance with requirements of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (ACVSMR) and fulfills the supervised training requirements for admission to candidacy in the College. The resident will be under the guidance of six DACVSMR-certified equine faculty members providing high-quality equine sports medicine and large animal rehabilitation to a varied clientele. The Sports Medicine Service is supported by a full complement of diagnostic services including high-speed treadmill evaluation, over-ground endoscopy, gastroscopy, exercising electrocardiogram and echocardiography. The Sports Medicine Service provides numerous therapeutics for outpatients and inpatients including but not limited to intra-articular medications, intra-lesional injections, orthobiologic therapies, shockwave therapy, therapeutic ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). The position requires after-hours emergency on-call clinical duty at New Bolton Center. The resident will participate in clinical teaching of students, rounds, and seminar presentations to peer groups. With faculty guidance, the resident will also participate in a research project. The start date is July 1, 2025.


    Qualifications: Applicants must have a VMD/DVM or equivalent degree and have completed a one-year internship or equivalent experience with equine focus, and have ademonstrated interest in equine sports medicine, rehabilitation, and diagnostic imaging.


    Application: The application materials should include 1) Curriculum vitae, 2) Letter of intent indicating the reasons for seeking admission to this program and professional career goals, 3) Transcript of university performance including documentation of graduation, and 4) three letters of recommendation.


    The application deadline is December 31, 2024
    , or until the position is filled. Submit application materials to: Ms. Patricia Antes, Office of the Chair, Department of Clinical Studies - New Bolton Center, 382 West Street Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348; email antes@vet.upenn.edu. Inquiries concerning this position can be made to Dr. Elizabeth Davidson (610-925-6190); email ejdavid@vet.upenn.edu. The successful applicant will be required to sign a non-disclosure and non-competition agreement prior to the start of the program.

    THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER; MINORITIES / FEMALES / INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES / VETERANS ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

Meet the Sports Medicine Team

New Bolton Center's Sports Medicine primary clinical team is a multidisciplinary group consisting of board-certified sports medicine and rehabilitation specialists and surgeons. We are dedicated to the evaluation, accurate diagnosis and targeted therapeutic plan to get your horse “back on track.”

Elizabeth J. Davidson, DVM, DACVS, DACVSMR
Associate Professor 

David G. Levine, DVM, DACVS, DACVSMR
Associate Professor 

Kyla Ortved, DVM, PhD, DACVS, DACVSMR
Jacques Jenny Endowed Term Chair in Orthopedic Surgery
Associate Professor 

Kara Brown, VMD, DACVSMR
Assistant Professor, Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation 

Katlyn McKenna, DVM
Resident, Equine Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation