Cartilage defect repair in horses: Current strategies and recent developments in regenerative medicine of the equine joint with emphasis on the surgical approach

•Established and emerging surgical techniques for cartilage repair in horses.•Palliative, reparative and restorative surgical cartilage repair techniques.•Tissue-engineering strategies offer promising new tools for cartilage repair.

Chondral and osteochondral lesions due to injury or other pathology are highly prevalent conditions in horses (and humans) and commonly result in the development of osteoarthritis and progression of joint deterioration. Regenerative medicine of articular cartilage is an emerging clinical treatment option for patients with articular cartilage injury or disease. Functional articular cartilage restoration, however, remains a major challenge, but the field is progressing rapidly and there is an increasing body of supportive clinical and scientific evidence. This review gives an overview of the established and emerging surgical techniques employed for cartilage repair in horses. Through a growing insight in surgical cartilage repair possibilities, surgeons might be more stimulated to explore novel techniques in a clinical setting.