The first stem-cell treatment for an Olympic athlete

Thousands of horses have undergone stem-cell therapy for injuries in the last decade but only now is one of them an Olympic athlete.

Ravel, the grand hope of the American equestrian team at the Olympics, received "emergency treatment with a new technology based on stem cell therapy" before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Discovery News reports.

The horse and dressage rider Steffen Peters finished 17th in the individual dressage event Thursday.

His veterinarian, Rodrigo Vasquez, wouldn't give details for what type of injury he has treated Ravel, but did say, "Ravel is a high-impact athlete. He runs the same risks as any other athlete in a high performance sport and he gets hurt like any other athlete too."

The London Games marks the end of 15-year-old Ravel's competitive career, Peters announced after their dressage event, the newsletter Horsetalk has reported.

U.S. Equestrian Federation photo/Rider Steffen Peters and Ravel compete in the individual dressage finals at the London Games on Aug. 9, 2012