Ravel, a horse competing at the 2012 London Olympics, under went stem cell therapy treatment that helped heal a possibly career-ending injury to one of his legs, according to the Helen Woodward Animal Center in California.
Stem cell treatment for athletic horses
Ravel, a regular client of Rodrigo Vazquez of Equine Surgical Services at Helen Woodward Center, is believed to be the first Olympic horse to benefit from a stem cell-based treatment.
Ravel, a regular client of Rodrigo Vazquez of Equine Surgical Services at the center, is believed to be the first Olympian to benefit from a stem cell-based treatment. Ravel is now the highest scoring horse on Team USA at the Olympics.
"Ravel is a high-impact athlete," Vazquez said. "He runs the same risks as any other athlete in a high performance sport and he gets hurt like any other athlete too. But he is something special. He works hard and he's focused and he thrives in his sport. He just didn't want to quit."
Vazquez cited the importance of regular check-ups, vaccinations, dentistry in addition to the "emergency treatment with a new technology based on stem cell therapy" that helped heal Ravel after an eight-month break in training.
Adult stem cells can reproduce and differentiate into different types of cells. They continue to be a focus of study for scientists hoping to treat a number of diseases in humans and horses, to repair cartilage and tendon tissue.