Horse racing is a competitive equestrian sport involving horses ridden by jockeys over set distances, often on flat tracks or over obstacles. It is characterized by a variety of race types, including thoroughbred, harness, and steeplechase, each with distinct rules and traditions. The sport emphasizes speed, stamina, and strategy, with races typically categorized by distance, surface type, and horse age or breed. Horse racing plays a significant role in the equine industry, influencing breeding, training, and veterinary care practices. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the physiological demands, training methodologies, and health considerations associated with horse racing.
Sundman EA, Chigerwe M, Hunyadi LM.Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) and asthma in barrel racing horses is a common disease across the United States. Limited information is available on non-infectious respiratory diseases in this population, the interaction between these two diseases, and the occurrence of both EIPH and asthma in the horse. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid cytological results of barrel racing horses with EIPH, asthma, or both. A retrospective study was conducted using the medical records of horses that presented with cough and decreased athletic perform...
Verkade ME, Hazeleger E, van de Lest CHA, Back W.Throughout the ages, humans have selected different horse breeds for their locomotor capacities. Consequently, the properties of equine locomotor tissues could have diversified because of the specific requirements of different disciplines. Therefore, this study aimed to compare biochemical properties of tendons in different equine breeds traditionally selected for racing or sports performance. We hypothesised that tendons in racing breeds would have biochemical properties that would increase strength, whereas those in sporting breeds would have more elastic properties. An ex vivo tendon tissue...
Giontella A, Sarti FM, Biggio GP, Giovannini S, Cherchi R, Silvestrelli M, Pieramati C.This first survey on Sardinian Anglo-Arab horse (SAA) race traits highlights important aspects for the breeding purpose of this population. The heritability of the race traits were estimated through a trivariate model; the estimates were 0.39, 0.33, and 0.30 for the number of placings, total earnings and Elo rating, respectively. The genetic progress could be improved by using an MT genetic evaluation of stallions and mares, combining information from competition traits.
Bertuglia A, Pagliara E, Manca F, Pozzolo P, Mannelli A.The objective of this study was to report recovery time, retirement rate, racing performance, and presence of compensation pattern after musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) in Standardbred racehorses (STBRs). This is a retrospective single open-cohort study, enrolling 356 STBRs in training in a single racetrack. Musculoskeletal injury was defined as any training-related injury after which the horse did not train for at least 15 days. The first and second MSIs encountered during the horse's racing career were considered. Medical records, training logbooks, and racing data were reviewed to determin...
Ventura E, Gadaj A, Buckley T, Mooney MH.Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are a group of anabolic enhancer drugs posing threats to the integrity of animal sports and the safety of animal-derived foods. The current research describes for the first time the development of a semi-quantitative assay for the monitoring of SARM family compounds in blood and establishes the relative stability of these analytes under various storage conditions prior to analysis. The presented screening method validation was performed in line with current EU legislation for the inspection of livestock and produce of animal origin, with detection...
Ishii H, Obara T, Kusano K, Kijima-Suda I.Paracetamol is commonly used as an over-the-counter analgesic and antipyretic medication for humans, but not sold as a legitimate therapeutic medication for horses in Japan. However, paracetamol is commonly found in horses together with its two isomers, metacetamol and orthocetamol. We previously reported that paracetamol and orthocetamol were both present in selected feed consumed by Japanese racehorses. For the purpose of the doping control of paracetamol in local Japanese horses, we proposed establishing residue limits (Japanese residue limits, JRLs) to minimize the risk of reporting parace...
Cervantes I, Gutiérrez JP, García-Ballesteros S, Varona L.The racing time and rank at finish traits are commonly used for endurance horse breeding programs as a measure of their performance. Even so, given the nature of endurance competitions, many horses do not finish the race. However, the exclusion of non placed horses from the dataset could have an influence on the prediction of individual breeding values. The objective of the present paper was to develop a multitrait model including race time (T), rank (R) and placing (P), with different methodologies, to improve the genetic evaluation in endurance competitions in Spain. The database contained 6...
Knych HK, Wilson WD, Vale A, Kass PH, Steffey EP, Jones JH, Arthur RM.Although controversial, due to its reported effectiveness in attenuating bleeding associated with exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), furosemide is currently a permitted race day medication in most North American racing jurisdictions. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of furosemide in reducing the presence and severity of EIPH when administered 24 hr prior to strenuous treadmill exercise. Eight exercised Thoroughbred horses received saline or 250 mg of furosemide either 4 or 24 hr prior to high-speed treadmill exercise in a balanced 3-way cross-over design. Bl...
Kinnison T, Cardwell JM.Inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is a commonly diagnosed but variably defined syndrome of equine lower airway inflammation. The most recent American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) consensus statement, informed by research evidence, recommends a case definition based on clinical signs (poor performance or occasional coughing of at least 3 weeks duration), increased endoscopically-visible tracheal mucus, and bronchoalveolar lavage cytology, and proposes that the condition should be termed 'mild-moderate equine asthma' (mEA). In British Thoroughbred racehorses, research to date ...
Legg KA, Cochrane DJ, Bolwell CF, Gee EK, Rogers CW.To determine the incidence of, and risk factors for, race-day jockey falls occurring in Thoroughbred flat and jumps (hurdle and steeplechase) racing. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Incidence rates for race-day jockey falls over 14 racing seasons in New Zealand (n=421,596 race-day starts) were calculated per 1000 rides. Univariable and multivariable analyses of jockey, horse and race level risk factors were conducted with Poisson regression in a generalized linear mixed model. Results: Most races (97%, n=407,948 race starts) were flat racing with 10 races/race-day, whilst most ju...
Wong JKY, Chan GHM, Choi TLS, Kwok KY, Lau MY, Leung GNW, Wan TSM, Ho ENM.A high-throughput method has been developed for the doping control analysis of 124 drug targets, processing up to 154 horse urine samples in as short as 4.5 h, from the time the samples arrive at the laboratory to the reporting deadline of 30 min before the first race, including sample receipt and registration, preparation and instrument analysis and data vetting time. Sample preparation involves a brief enzyme hydrolysis step (30 min) to detect both free and glucuronide-conjugated drug targets. This is followed by extraction using solid-supported liquid extraction (SLE) and analysis using liq...
Mizobe F, Mori M, Nagata SI, Yamashita S, Okada J, Kusano K.Ever since 'One Health' concept was introduced in early 2000s, judicious use of antimicrobials by veterinarians has become an issue of great concern. Recently, findings of anti-inflammatory effects in certain types of antimicrobials have raised a subject for discussion among racing authorities. Regulatory framework of antimicrobials in racing should be based on best interest of horse welfare and doping control perspective, but basic data on prevalence of antimicrobials are lacking. Analysis of 100 postrace urinary samples collected from 10 Japanese racecourses by targeting 21 antimicrobials us...
Solé M, Lindgren G, Bongcam-Rudloff E, Jansson A.There is a lack of research on the benefits and risks of shoeing conditions in harness racing. Thus, our objectives were to: (a) investigate whether velocity times (VT; s/km) are affected by racing unshod (N = 76,932 records on 5,247 horses); (b) determine the potential risks of galloping, being penalized, and disqualification when competing unshod (N = 111,755 records on 6,423 horses); and (c) identify additional environmental factors that affect VT and risks. VT was found to be significantly influenced by shoeing condition (e.g., unshod, shod front, shod hind, or fully shod), but also by...
Fintl C, Krontveit R, Risberg Å, Hanche-Olsen S, Slack J.The Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded Trotter (NSCT) is an important breed in Norwegian and Swedish harness racing. In spite of this, little is known about its cardiac measurements and factors that may influence these. The aims of this study were to establish reference intervals (RI) for a series of conventional echocardiographic variables, primarily of the left heart, in NSCTs in race training and to evaluate any effects age, gender, estimated body weight (EBW), number of starts and racing performance may have on these. Methods: Sixty-three apparently healthy NSCTs in race training. Methods: Obse...
Wong ASY, Choi TLS, Kwok KY, Wong JKY, Wan TSM, Ho ENM.Antipsychotics are banned substances and considered by the Fédération Equestrian Internationale (FEI) to have no legitimate use in equine medicine and/or have a high potential for abuse. These substances are also prohibited in horseracing according to Article 6 of the International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering (published by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities). Over the years, antipsychotics have been abused or misused in equestrian sports and horseracing. A recent review of literature shows that there is yet a comprehensive screening method for antipsychoti...
O'Connor S, Warrington G, O'Brien S, McDermott E, McGoldrick A, Pugh J, Cullen S.: Falls and injuries are frequent in professional horseracing. However, professional jockeys spend a large part of their week in horse-related activities outside of racing such as schooling, exercise riding, and yard-related activities. The injury risk related to these activities remains largely unknown internationally. This study aimed to identify the injury prevalence and injury profile of flat and jump jockeys during non-racing activities. : In total 45.6% and 38.5% of all licensed Irish professional flat and jump jockeys completed a cross-sectional self-recall questionnaire examining injur...
Tozaki T, Ohnuma A, Kikuchi M, Ishige T, Kakoi H, Hirota KI, Kusano K, Nagata SI.Gene doping, an activity which abuses and misuses gene therapy, is a major concern in sports and horseracing industries. Effective methods capable of detecting and monitoring gene doping are urgently needed. Although several PCR-based methods that detect transgenes have been developed, many of them focus only on a single transgene. However, numerous genes associated with athletic ability may be potential gene-doping material. Here, we developed a detection method that targets multiple transgenes. We targeted 12 genes that may be associated with athletic performance and designed two TaqMan prob...
Ramzan PHL, Wylie CE.Arthroscopy has been advocated as the treatment of choice for dorsal osteochondral chip fracture of the metacarpo/metatarsophalangeal (MCP/MTP) joint. However, there is no published research on racing performance outcomes of horses with this pathology managed nonsurgically. Objective: To compare racing career outcomes of Thoroughbred racehorses with nonsurgically (non-SX) or surgically (SX) managed MCP/MTP dorsal osteochondral chip fracture alongside a cohort of horses with no dorsal osteochondral chip fracture (unexposed). Methods: Retrospective cohort study conducted between 2006 and 2014. M...
Hurtado C, Torres R, Pérez-Macchi S, Sagredo K, Uberti B, de Souza Zanatto DC, Machado RZ, André MR, Bittencourt P, Müller A.Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the causative agent of equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA). This study aimed to perform serological and molecular surveys of A. phagocytophilum in thoroughbred horses from racecourses in Chile. Additionally, hematological findings related to A. phagocytophilum molecular positivity were addressed, and phylogenetic analysis of selected positive samples was performed. Complete blood count and msp2 gene real-time PCR were performed in 457 thoroughbred horses from three racecourses located in three different cities of Chile (Santiago, Viña del Mar and Concepción). ...
Cappelli K, Mecocci S, Gioiosa S, Giontella A, Silvestrelli M, Cherchi R, Valentini A, Chillemi G, Capomaccio S.Physical exercise is universally recognized as stressful. Among the "sport species", the horse is probably the most appropriate model for investigating the genomic response to stress due to the homogeneity of its genetic background. The aim of this work is to dissect the whole transcription modulation in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) after exercise with a time course framework focusing on unexplored regions related to introns and intergenic portions. PBMCs NGS from five 3 year old Sardinian Anglo-Arab racehorses collected at rest and after a 2000 m race was performed. Apart from d...
Ishii H, Obara T, Kijima-Suda I.Paracetamol is used widely as an over-the-counter analgesic and antipyretic medication for humans, but not for Japanese racehorses. Paracetamol can be an environmental substance, and is found together with its two isomers, metacetamol and orthocetamol, in equine urine. However, the sources and routes of paracetamol exposure remain unclear. To control the misuse of paracetamol, it is appropriate to establish residue limits for paracetamol to differentiate the administration of paracetamol from its environmental levels. In this study, we developed and validated a quantitative method for paraceta...
Kiely M, Warrington G, McGoldrick A, Cullen S.Kiely, M, Warrington, G, McGoldrick, A, and Cullen, S. Physical preparation strategies of professional jockeys. J Strength Cond Res 36(11): 3184-3189, 2022-Professional horse racing is a physically demanding sport. The aim of the study was to examine the physical preparation strategies of jockeys for racing. A questionnaire was developed and validated which comprised of 4 sections; (a) background information, (b) making weight and current associated exercise habits, (c) current physical activity practices, and (d) jockey perceptions of strength and conditioning (S&C) and current practices....
Boorman S, Richardson DW, Hogan PM, Stefanovski D, Levine DG.To report the performance of thoroughbred racehorses after surgical repair of a medial condylar fracture of the third metacarpal/metatarsal bone. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Forty-three horses surgically treated for medial condylar fractures, 30 with previous racing experience, 13 without previous racing experience (nonexperienced). Methods: Medical records (2009-2017) were reviewed for signalment, radiographic fracture characteristics, repair technique, and postoperative morbidity and mortality. Each experienced horse was matched with two horses randomly selected from its mo...
Bruschetta G, D'Ascola A, Medica P, Ferlazzo AM.Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) may induce metabolic effects in different cell types, including leukocytes. In horses, 5-HT is involved in physiological and behavioral functions. Physical exercise is known to increase the amounts of 5-HT both in brain and periphery, but so far, the signal mechanism in response to exercise is not known. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of a racehorse intensive training session on plasma 5-HT levels, serotonin transporter (SERT), 5HT, 5-HT, 5-HT, 5-HT receptor, interleukin-1 beta, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha expression in horse perip...
Lloyd KA, Ayodele BA, Hitchens PL, Beck C, Mackie EJ, Whitton RC.Abnormalities in vascular channel appearance within the proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) are the most common findings in Thoroughbred yearling presale radiographs and are often evaluated on radiographs of adult racehorses. Despite this, their pathogenesis and clinical significance are poorly understood, and associations with racing performance are inconsistent. Objective: To determine microstructural characteristics of the PSBs associated with the radiographic appearance of vascular channels using microcomputed tomography (µCT) and to determine associations with past racing performance in mature ...
Tallon R, O'Neill H, Bladon B.Sagittal plane slab fractures of the third carpal bone are a recognised injury in the racehorse. Currently no published data exist for the UK Thoroughbred racehorse population. Objective: To document return to racing following sagittal slab fracture of the third carpal bone in a UK-based racehorse population, and to compare conservative and surgical management. Methods: Single centre retrospective study. Methods: Computerised medical and racing records were searched over a 15-year period for Thoroughbred racehorses with a simple sagittal slab fracture of the third carpal bone. Horses with comm...
Hinchcliff KW, Morley PS, Guthrie AJ.To evaluate the efficacy of furosemide for prevention of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) in Thoroughbred racehorses under typical racing conditions. Methods: Randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded, crossover field trial. Methods: 167 Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Horses were allocated to race fields of 9 to 16 horses each and raced twice, 1 week apart, with each of the 2 races consisting of the same race field and distance. Each horse received furosemide (500 mg, IV) before one race and a placebo (saline solution) before the other, with the order of treatments randomly determ...
Pinchbeck GL, Clegg PD, Boyde A, Riggs CM.Palmar/plantar osteochondral disease (POD) of the metacarpo/metatarsophalangeal (Mc/MtPh) joints is common in Thoroughbred racehorses, but there is little information on predilection sites, associated pathologies and clinical signs. Objective: To describe the distribution of POD at post mortem examination and to examine the association of POD with other pathologies and clinical histories. Methods: The Mc/MtPh joints of 102 Thoroughbred racehorses were examined post mortem. Gross pathology of associated osteochondral elements, suspensory ligament and flexor tendons was recorded. Clinical data w...
Parkes RSV, Pfau T, Weller R, Witte TH.During racing, injury is more likely to occur on a bend than on a straight segment of track. This study aimed to quantify the effects of galloping at training speeds on large radius curves on stride parameters and limb lean angle in order to assess estimated consequences for limb loading. Seven Thoroughbred horses were equipped with a sacrum-mounted inertial measurement unit with an integrated GPS, two hoof-mounted accelerometers and retro-reflective markers on the forelimbs. Horses galloped 2-4 circuits anticlockwise around an oval track and were filmed at 120 frames per second using an array...
Maeda Y, Hanada M, Oikawa MA.This report describes the descriptive epidemiology of racing fractures that occurred from the 1980s to 2000s on racetracks of the Japan Racing Association (JRA). The incidence of racehorse fractures during flat racing was approximately 1-2%. Fractures occurring during a race are more likely to occur in a forelimb. Fractures mostly occur at the third and fourth corners of oval tracks and on the home stretch. They also occur more frequently at the time of changing the leading limb. Comparison of the incidence of racing fracture between before and after reconstruction of the geometrical configura...
Martig S, Lee PV, Anderson GA, Whitton RC.In racehorses, fatigue related subchondral bone injury leads to overt fracture or articular surface collapse and subsequent articular cartilage degeneration. We hypothesised that the fatigue behaviour of equine subchondral bone in compression follows a power law function similar to that observed in cortical and trabecular bone. We determined the fatigue life of equine metacarpal subchondral bone in-vitro and investigated the factors influencing initial bone stiffness. Subchondral bone specimens were loaded cyclically in compression [54MPa (n=6), 66MPa (n=6), 78MPa (n=5), and 90MPa (n=6)] until...
Guan F, Uboh CE, Soma LR, Birks E, Chen J, Mitchell J, You Y, Rudy J, Xu F, Li X, Mbuy G.Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) and darbepoetin alpha (DPO) are protein-based drugs for the treatment of anemia by stimulating red blood cell production. Consequently, they are abused in human and equine sports. To deter their abuse in the horse racing industry, a sensitive and reliable method for confirmation of these agents in equine plasma has been in urgent need. Such a method by LC-MS/MS is described in this paper. The method involved analyte enrichment by immunoaffinity separation using anti-rhEPO antibody linked to magnetic beads, digestion by trypsin, and analysis by LC-MS/MS....
Santschi EM, Slone DE, Embertson RM, Clayton MK, Markel MD.The purpose of our study was to determine the types of lesions that cause colic in juvenile Thoroughbreds, factors associated with these lesions and the subsequent survival and athletic performance of the juveniles. The age of juvenile Thoroughbreds requiring surgical exploration for abdominal pain has an influence on the type of lesion causing colic. The short-term survival rate (discharge from the hospital) after colic surgery for foals was 85% and was strongly influenced by the lesion causing colic. Thirteen percent of juveniles recovered from the first surgery experienced another severe co...
Perkins NR, Reid SW, Morris RS.To describe patterns in training, racing, and general health in a population of Thoroughbred racehorses in New Zealand. Methods: A longitudinal study was designed to collect data on horses training under the care of 20 selected trainers from 20 different stables and five regional training venues in the mid to lower regions of the North Island. Data were collected from trainers at approximately monthly intervals between October 1997 and July 2000, and electronic data containing race and trial results for all starts in New Zealand for the same time period were obtained from New Zealand Thoroughb...
Pusterla N, Mapes S, Akana N, Barnett C, MacKenzie C, Gaughan E, Craig B, Chappell D, Vaala W.The objective of the present case-control study was to determine prevalence factors associated with the detection of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) by quantitative PCR (qPCR) in horses presented to veterinarians with clinical signs related to an upper respiratory tract infection and/or acute onset of neurological disease from March 2008 to December 2014. Nasal secretions and whole blood from 4228 equids with acute onset of fever, respiratory signs and/or neurological deficits were tested by qPCR for EHV-1. Categorical analyses were performed to determine the association between observations...
Clarke EJ, Lima C, Anderson JR, Castanheira C, Beckett A, James V, Hyett J, Goodacre R, Peffers MJ.Equine osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disease of the articular joint, characterised by cartilage degradation resulting in pain and reduced mobility and thus is a prominent equine welfare concern. Diagnosis is usually at a late stage through clinical examination and radiographic imaging, whilst treatment is symptomatic not curative. Extracellular vesicles are nanoparticles that are involved in intercellular communication. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of Raman and Optical Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopies to detect osteoarthritis using plasma-derive...
Hintz RL.Criteria used to measure performance, environmental factors that influence performance and estimates of heritability are needed to estimate genetic differences. Published heritability estimates of various measures of performance in the horse are summarized. The average heritability estimates of pulling ability and cutting ability are .25 and .04, respectively. Heritability estimates are .18, .19 and .17 for log of earnings from jumping, 3-day event and dressage performance, respectively. Heritability estimates of performance rates, log of earnings, earnings, handicap weight, best handicap weig...
Strand E, Fjordbakk CT, Holcombe SJ, Risberg A, Chalmers HJ.Dynamic laryngeal collapse (DLC) associated with poll flexion is a newly diagnosed upper respiratory tract obstructive disorder that causes poor racing performance. Objective: To determine if Norwegian Coldblooded Trotters (NCTs) affected with DLC associated with poll flexion differ from normal, elite NCTs based on simple airway mechanics measurements. Methods: Five normal elite NCTs and 6 NCTs diagnosed previously with DLC underwent treadmill videoendoscopy while tracheal pressures were measured continuously. Alternating head positions were used such that horses were exercised with free head ...
Pearce GP, May-Davis S, Greaves D.To investigate the occurrence of geometrical asymmetries in the macro-architecture of left and right femurs from Thoroughbred racehorses previously used in competitive training and racing in New South Wales, Australia. Methods: Detailed postmortem measurements were made of 37 characteristics of left and right femurs from eleven Thoroughbred racehorses euthanased for reasons unrelated to the study. Measurements focused on articulating surfaces and sites of attachment of muscles and ligaments known to be associated with hindlimb locomotion. Results: Five measurements were significantly larger in...
Jackson BF, Dyson PK, Lonnell C, Verheyen KL, Pfeiffer DU, Price JS.The aim of this study was to determine whether bone biomarkers (osteocalcin, PICP, ICTP and CTX-I) could be used to identify 2- and 3-year-olds at increased risk of fracture in the subsequent flat racing season. It was concluded that these bone biomarkers cannot be used to identify 2- and 3-year-olds that sustain a fracture. Whether bone biomarkers have better predictive value in older horses or when measured serially in the same animal remains to be determined.
Sweeney CR, Maxson AD, Soma LR.The frequency of upper respiratory tract abnormalities was determined in a selected population of racing Thoroughbreds. The prevalence of pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia was 34.2%; left laryngeal hemiplegia was 1.8%; and epiglottic entrapment was 0.74%. Excluding pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia and tracheal exudate, 3.7% of the population examined had upper respiratory tract abnormalities.
Mohammed HO, Hill T, Lowe J.A case-control study was conducted on Thoroughbred horses to identify factors associated with the risk of breakdown on racetracks. A total of 310 cases (breakdowns) were identified from the Horse Identification Department records kept by the chief examining veterinarian of New York Racing Association. For each case, two control horses were selected randomly from the Daily Racing Form Inc. records. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify and quantify the risk of factors associated with breakdown, while simultaneously controlling for the effect of other putative factors. Facto...
Harrison SP, Turrion-Gomez JL.The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) molecule, carrying genes encoding for respiratory chain enzymes, is a primary candidate for demonstrating associations between genotype and athletic performance in mammalian species. In humans, variation at seven protein encoding mitochondrial loci has been implicated in influencing fitness and performance characteristics. Although thoroughbred horses are selected for racing ability, there have not been any previous reported associations between genotypes and racecourse performance. The multi-factorial nature of the inheritance of racing ability is an obvious comp...
Phillips W, Giguère S, Franklin RP, Hernandez J, Adin D, Peloso JG.Cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a myocardial polypeptide, is a highly sensitive and specific biomarker of myocardial injury in people and dogs. The structure of cTnI is highly conserved across species, and equine myocardium has high reactivity with human immunoassays. The purpose of this study was to describe cTnI concentrations in normal pastured and race-training Thoroughbred horses. Ten horses on pasture and 10 horses in race training were studied. Horses were considered normal on the basis of physical examination, training performance, electrocardiography (ECG), and echocardiography. Serum cTnI...
Parkes RS, Witte TH.The equine limb has evolved for efficient locomotion and high-speed performance, with adaptations of bone, tendon and muscle. However, the system lacks the ability seen in some species to dynamically adapt to different circumstances. The mechanical interaction of the limb and the ground is influenced by internal and external factors including fore-hind mass distribution, lead limb, moving on a curve, shoeing and surface properties. It is unclear which of the components of limb loading have the largest effect on injury and performance but peak load, impact and vibration all play a role. Factors...
Pool RR, Meagher DM.Many lesions of the musculoskeletal system of racing horses are either acute traumatic lesions or are chronic biomechanically induced lesions that become suddenly unstable and provoke acute clinical signs. The latter lesions along with those of DJD are much more common and are of much greater overall economic importance to the racing industry than are the acute traumatic injuries. Chronic biomechanical lesions occur at predictable sites and are the result of an imbalance between repetitive microtrauma sustained in athletic performance and adaptive repair mechanisms of skeletal tissues. The dis...
Pollock PJ, Reardon RJ, Parkin TD, Johnston MS, Tate J, Love S.There are potential advantages to imaging the upper portion of the respiratory tract (URT) of horses during ridden exercise. With the advent of a wireless endoscope, this is now possible. However, there has been no detailed validation of the technique and findings have not been compared to ridden speed. Objective: To assess the combined use of a Dynamic Respiratory Scope (DRS) and global positioning system (GPS) receiver for examining the URT of a group of Thoroughbred racehorses randomly selected from a single flat racehorse training establishment. Methods: Horses were selected randomly from ...
Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Stancari G, Alberti E, Conturba B, Zucca E, Ferrucci F.Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) is a condition affecting up to 95% of racehorses, diagnosed by detecting blood in the trachea after exercise and/or the presence of hemosiderophages in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALf). Although EIPH is commonly associated with poor performance, scientific evidence is scarce. The athletic capacity of racehorses can be quantified through some parameters obtained during an incremental treadmill test; in particular, the speed at a heart rate of 200 bpm (V200), and the speed (VLa4) and the heart rate (HRLa4) at which the blood lactate concentrati...
Arfuso F, Giannetto C, Giudice E, Fazio F, Piccione G.The effect of exercise on platelet aggregation, albumin and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) values and the correlation among these parameters were evaluated in ten clinically healthy and regularly trained Thoroughbred horses. All horses were subjected to two simulated races. Blood samples were collected by jugular venipuncture before and after the first simulated race (T0PRE and T0POST), every 7 days at rest condition for a month (T1R-T2R-T3R), and before and after the second simulated race (T4PRE and T4POST) in order to assess platelet aggregation, albumin and nonesterified fatty acids (NEF...
Bolwell C, Rogers C, Gee E, McIlwraith W.The objective of the study was to determine the incidence of veterinary events that resulted in a horse failing to finish a race and identify risk factors for musculoskeletal injury (MSI) during a race. Data were obtained on Thoroughbred flat race starts in New Zealand between 1 August 2005 and 31 July 2011 (six racing seasons). Stipendiary Steward's reports were key-word searched to identify veterinary events that prevented a horse from finishing a race. Race data were used calculate the incidence of veterinary events per 1000 horse starts and Poisson regression was used to investigate risk f...
Larsson J, Pilborg PH, Johansen M, Christophersen MT, Holte A, Roepstorff L, Olsen LH, Harrison AP.Few studies have investigated the physiological parameters of endurance horses in Scandinavia. Hence, this two race study has focused on the effects of endurance racing in terms of equine clinicopathological blood parameters, heart score, and fluid use. Race A involved 15 horses (120 km). Two pre- and one post-race blood samples were taken, body condition score was assessed in triplicate pre-race, and an ECG was used to determine heart score. Race B involved 16 horses (65-120 km). One pre- and two post-race blood samples were taken. For both races, horse data as well as fluid intake estima...
Takahashi Y, Takahashi T, Mukai K, Ohmura H.Exercise intensity during races is considerably high. To understand how Thoroughbreds adapt to fatigue conditions, stride parameters for the first and second lap of the race (2400-m, turf) were compared. A high-speed video system was set in a right lateral position about 20 m before the finishing post, with a field view width of about 16 m. The stride frequency, the length between each limb (hind step, diagonal step, fore step, and airborne step), and stride length were measured and analyzed using a generalized linear mixed model. Compared with the first lap, the mean ± standard deviation val...
Velie BD, Hamilton NA, Wade CM.Performance data for 164,046 Thoroughbreds entered in a race or official barrier trial in Australia were provided by Racing Information Services Australia. Analyses estimating the heritability for a range of racing performance traits using a single-trait animal model were performed using ASREML-R. Log of cumulative earnings (LCE; 0.19 ± 0.01), log of earnings per race start (0.23 ± 0.02) and best race distance (0.61 ± 0.03) were all significantly heritable. Fixed effects for sex were significant (P < 0.001) for all performance traits aside from LCE (P = 0.382). With the exception of annual ...
Hernandez JA, Scollay MC, Hawkins DL, Corda JA, Krueger TM.To evaluate horseshoe characteristics and high-speed exercise history as risk factors for catastrophic musculoskeletal injury in Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: 377 horses (37,529 race starts). Methods: Shoe characteristics included material, toe grab height, heel traction device, pads, and rim shoes. Racing variables were obtained from a computerized database. Forty-three horses that had a musculoskeletal injury and then failed to race or train for 6 months (cases) and 334 noninjured horses from the same race in which a horse was injured (controls) were compared regarding risk factors. Resu...
Nath LC, Elliott AD, Weir J, Curl P, Rosanowski SM, Franklin S.Atrial fibrillation (AF) impacts performance and horse and jockey safety. Understanding the outcomes of AF identified postrace will better inform regulatory policy. Objective: To investigate the outcomes after episodes of AF identified postrace and determine whether affected horses are at increased risk of additional episodes compared to the general racing population. Methods: Total of 4684 Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Race records for Thoroughbred horses racing in Hong Kong from 2007 to 2017 were reviewed. Horses that performed below expectation were examined by cardiac auscultation and ...
