Dr. Tula, DVM

10/12/2026

09/22/2026

For 17 years, I thought I was building a tool to help us understand what was happening inside the horse.

Today, I understand it was something bigger.
It was a way to listen to what the horse cannot tell us—and to start detecting problems before they become symptoms, injuries, or limitations to their career.

That is where preventive medicine for the horse athlete begins.

Not with waiting for something to go wrong.�With understanding the athlete, measuring what we cannot see, and using that information to make better decisions.

And I believe veterinarians have an important role in building this new approach. 🐎
It’s time to protect the horse athlete—not just treat the patient.

If you’re a veterinarian interested in this approach, I’d love to hear from you.

09/02/2026

Your horse is an athlete.

So protecting him shouldn’t start when something hurts.

It starts with understanding what his sport demands from his body and preparing him to handle those demands.

That means building fitness progressively, managing workload, allowing recovery, and paying attention to the things that can change long before an injury forces you to stop.

Because the goal of sports medicine shouldn’t be to keep putting out fires.

It should be to help keep the athlete healthy enough to keep doing what he loves.🐎

Your horse is an athlete. Let’s learn how to protect him.

08/23/2026

A fit horse isn’t necessarily a fast horse.

And more importantly, fitness alone doesn’t tell you whether your horse is prepared for the demands of his sport.

A barrel horse needs more than endurance. He needs to be conditioned for acceleration, speed, deceleration, rapid changes of direction, and the repeated demands those efforts place on his body.

That’s why conditioning should be specific to the work you’re asking your horse to do.

The goal isn’t simply to make your horse “more fit.” It’s to build the adaptations that support performance, soundness, and longevity.

Because the better question isn’t:

“Is my horse fit?”

It’s:

“Is my horse fit for what I’m asking him to do?” 🐴

Save this as a reminder when planning your horse’s conditioning, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

08/20/2026

Rehab isn’t just about getting your horse back to work.

After an injury, it’s easy to become afraid of asking for too much. So you stay in the walk-trot-lope cycle, hoping that more time will make your horse ready to run again.

But fitness alone doesn’t prepare a horse for speed.
Tendons and joints need time and progressive loading to build the foundation required for the demands ahead.

Before asking for speed, build the strength to handle it. Because the goal isn’t simply to return to work.
It’s to return prepared. 🐴

Ready to rethink how you approach your horse’s rehab? Follow along or click the link in my bio to learn more.

08/17/2026

A horse doesn’t become a sound athlete simply because he is fit.

The way we condition him determines what his body is actually prepared to handle.

Too little work may leave him underprepared for the demands of competition. Too much, too soon, or without the right progression can create fatigue and overload.

Proper conditioning is about finding the right stimulus, at the right time, and allowing the body to adapt before asking for more.

Because protecting your horse isn’t about avoiding hard work.

It’s about preparing him for it.

🐴 Condition with purpose. Build the athlete you want to keep sound.

08/13/2026

The future of an equine athlete starts long before they ever step into competition.

I was honored to be part of The Breeding Game 2026, an event bringing together horse breeders, owners, veterinarians, trainers, and equine professionals to talk about the decisions that shape a horse’s future.

From breeding and reproductive management to nutrition, early development, training, and performance, the conversations were a reminder that building a successful athlete is a long-term process.

Thank you to The Breeding Game team, Tarleton State University, the speakers, sponsors, and everyone who spent their day learning and asking important questions about how we can do better for the horse.

I especially loved being part of a conversation that looks beyond getting a horse to the starting line and asks a bigger question:

How do we build an athlete that is prepared, sound, and capable of a long career?

That’s where equine sports medicine and preventive care belong. Not just when there is a problem, but throughout the development of the athlete.

Thank you for having me. 🐴

Estephanie Zermeno Equilume

08/11/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions in equine performance is believing that protecting your horse means avoiding intensity.

It doesn’t.

A horse that is never prepared for the demands of competition isn’t necessarily being protected.

Conditioning should prepare your horse for the specific demands of the job while helping reduce injury risk through progressive adaptation.

The question is:

How do you know if your horse is adapting?

That’s where objective measurements matter.

With LARC TEST, you can measure post-exercise recovery through heart rate, respiratory rate, and lactate, giving you the information you need to adjust your conditioning program based on your horse’s physiological response instead of guesswork.

Protecting the equine athlete isn’t about avoiding intensity.

It’s about measuring adaptation so you can progress safely.

Know someone who’s working to improve performance while keeping their horse sound? Share this post with them. 💪

LARC TEST USA

07/30/2026

Register here: https://equilume.com/us/thebreedinggame/

I’m honored to be speaking at “The Breeding Game” this Saturday.

My session, “Building A Sound Athlete,” is about something I believe every performance horse deserves.

Too often, we wait until a horse gets injured before we intervene. But sports medicine should start long before that.

Building a sound athlete means understanding conditioning, measuring adaptation, and making decisions that protect both performance and longevity.

“The Breeding Game” brings together horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, trainers, and equine professionals for a one-day educational symposium focused on making smarter decisions — from breeding to performance.

If you’re passionate about advancing equine health and performance through science, I’d love to have you join us.

📍 Stephenville, TX
💻 Livestream available worldwide

Hope to see you there!

07/09/2026

The hardest part after an injury isn’t always getting your horse moving again.

It’s knowing when “being careful” has stopped helping.

Because doing less can feel safer.

Repeating the same easy work can feel responsible.

But eventually, your horse’s body will be asked to handle speed, turns, acceleration and pressure again.

The question is:

Was he prepared for it?

Rehab shouldn’t just make you feel safe.

It should prepare your horse for what comes next. 🐴

Save this if you’re bringing a horse back after injury.