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.
Martig S, Hitchens PL, Lee PVS, Whitton RC.Subchondral bone injuries often precede articular cartilage damage in osteoarthritis and are common in thoroughbred racehorses due to the accumulation of fatigue damage from high speed racing and training. Thus, racehorses provide a model to investigate the role of subchondral bone in joint disease. We assessed the association of horse and racing related factors and micro-CT based micromorphology of three separate subchondral bone layers with the initial stiffness and compressive fatigue life of bone plugs. Furthermore, we investigated three different definitions of fatigue failure of subchond...
Murray R, Mackechnie-Guire R, Fisher M, Fairfax V.Back pain is frequently recognized in racehorses, but saddle fit and design are rarely assessed. In sport horses, relationships between horse-saddle interaction, back pain, and altered kinematics are established, but few studies investigating horse-saddle interaction in racehorses exist. We hypothesized that reducing pressures under saddles at thoracic (T) vertebrae 10-13 in galloping racehorses is associated with improved limb and lumbosacral kinematics. The objectives of the study were to (1) determine pressure magnitude/distribution under 3 frequently used race-exercise saddles and a saddle...
Ropka-Molik K, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Szmatoła T, Piórkowska K, Bugno-Poniewierska M.Arabian horses are commonly believed to be one of the oldest and the most popular horse breeds in the world, characterized by favourable stamina traits and exercise phenotypes. During intensive training, the rates of lactate production and utilization are critical to avoid muscle fatigue and a decrease in exercise performance. The key factor determining transmembrane lactate transport is the monocarboxylate transporter 1 protein coded for by the SLC16A1 gene. The aim of the present research was to identify polymorphisms in the coding sequence and UTRs in the equine SLC16A1 gene and to evaluate...
Farries G, Gough KF, Parnell AC, McGivney BA, McGivney CL, McGettigan PA, MacHugh DE, Katz LM, Hill EW.Despite strong selection for athletic traits in Thoroughbred horses, there is marked variation in speed and aptitude for racing performance within the breed. Using global positioning system monitoring during exercise training, we measured speed variables and temporal changes in speed with age to derive phenotypes for GWAS. The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that genetic variation contributes to variation in end-point physiological traits, in this case galloping speed measured during field exercise tests. Standardisation of field-measured phenotypes was attempted by assessing horse...
Koskinen MJ, Virtala AK, McNally T.To assess racing performance of National Hunt thoroughbred (NH) racehorses with a definite diagnosis of palatal dysfunction treated with a laryngeal tie-forward procedure (LTF) and soft palate cautery (SPC) with or without transendoscopic laser excision of the aryepiglottic folds (TLEAF) and to determine correlation between performance measures. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: National Hunt racehorses treated with LTF, SPC ± TLEAF (n = 44) and nonaffected controls (n = 88). Methods: Performance was evaluated by using Racing Post ratings (RPR), race earnings (RE), and perform...
Barrett E, Arkins S.Few studies are available concerning prevalences of abnormalities in the Thoroughbred horse population. Objective: Determine the prevalence of commonly observed abnormalities in a National Hunt Thoroughbred population using results of pre-purchase examinations conducted at Thoroughbred sales venues. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Methods: Veterinary pre-purchase examination certificates for 13,603 3- and 4-year-old Thoroughbred National Hunt horses from Tattersalls Ireland, Goffs Ireland and Doncaster Bloodstock Sales Ltd. (DBS) Sales were analysed. All conditions noted by the v...
Ropka-Molik K, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Musiał AD, Velie BD.Arabian horses are commonly believed to be one of the oldest and most influential horse breeds in the world. The high financial benefits obtained from races tend to search for genetic markers strongly correlated with the results achieved. To date, the modern approaches such as transcriptome, miRNAome, and metabolome analyses have been used to investigate the genetic background of racing performance as well as endurance capacity in Arabians. The analysis of polymorphisms at the genome level has also been applied to the detection of genetic variants associated with exercise phenotype in the Arab...
Morrice-West AV, Hitchens PL, Walmsley EA, Stevenson MA, Whitton RC.Musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) in racehorses are commonly due to bone fatigue, a function of the number of cycles (strides) and the magnitude of load applied to the limb. These parameters can be estimated using speed and distance, with greater than 6000 m/month at a gallop (>14 m/s), in combination with canter distances greater than 44,000 m/month, reported to increase fracture risk. Despite their importance, there are limited data on the distances and speeds horses are exposed to during training. Objective: Estimate training volume at different speeds undertaken by Australian Thoroughbr...
Moyer CT, Bramlage LR, Werre SR, Ruggles A, Embertson R, Hopper S.To describe the presence of fragments in the dorsal proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint and to report flat racing performance after surgical treatment. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Thirty-nine affected thoroughbred flat racehorses and 169 age- and sex-matched maternal siblings. Methods: Medical records from 2000 to 2015 were reviewed for thoroughbred horses that underwent arthroscopic removal of osteochondral fragments in the dorsal aspect of the PIP joint. The horses' 2-year-old year, 3-year-old year, and career athletic performances were compared with their matched siblings. Resul...
Self Davies ZT, Spence AJ, Wilson AM.The horse has evolved to gallop economically at high speed. Limb force increases with speed but direct measures of limb ground reaction forces (GRFs) at gallop are sparse. This study reports GRFs for multiple limbs, using force plates, across seven Thoroughbred racehorses during ridden galloping. The results show peak vertical GRF values of 13.6 N kg (non-lead hindlimb), 12.3 N kg (lead hindlimb), 14.0 N kg (non-lead forelimb) and 13.6 N kg (lead forelimb) at 11.4 m s and recorded values are consistent with those predicted from duty factor. The distribution of body weight b...
Baldwin CM, Smith MRW, Allen S, Wright IM.Slab fractures of the third carpal bone (C3) are a common injury of Thoroughbred racehorses. Results of arthroscopically guided repair have not been reported since the initial description of the technique in 1986. Additionally, fracture details and racing outcomes in a population of Thoroughbreds racing under UK jurisdiction have not previously been described. Objective: To report the frequency distribution of C3 slab fractures and to determine the impact on racing performance following arthroscopically guided repair in a population of Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Retrospective case serie...
Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Szmatoła T, Łątka J, Długosz B, Ropka-Molik K.Horse musculature has been shaped through evolution by environmental and human factors, which has resulted in several extraordinary adaptations to physical effort. Skeletal muscle plasticity results from the response to mechanical stimulation causing hypertrophy, where sarcomeres increase the muscle's cross-sectional area under the influence of contractile forces. The aim of the present study was the evaluation of transcript abundance of the telethonin () gene, which is a part of the sarcomere macromolecular mechanosensory complex in the gluteus medius muscle, and the whole blood of Arabian ho...
Hertzsch R, Richter A.Based on their performance-enhancing potential, caffeine and theophylline are prohibited substances in equine sports. Residues in horses can be caused by wilful application or by unintended uptake of contaminated feed. The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities recently introduced international residue limits (IRLs) to facilitate the discrimination between pharmacological relevant and irrelevant concentrations in doping samples. The objective of this study was to investigate the scientific validity of these IRLs. A systematic analysis was performed to assess the IRLs by different ...
Owens TG, Barnes M, Gargano VM, Julien L, Mansilla WD, Devries TJ, Mcbride BW, Merkies K, Shoveller AK.Soaking hay and steaming hay are strategies that are used to reduce respirable dust particles for horses but may result in variable nutrient losses, including nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) and minerals. Since these losses have not been quantified in Canadian hay yet, the first aim of this study was to identify nutrient losses from first-cut timothy-alfalfa hay grown in southern Ontario, Canada, after soaking for 30 min or steaming for 60 min. It is uncertain whether horses prefer hay when it is dry, soaked, or steamed. To address this, 13 Standardbred racehorses were offered 2 of these hay...
Bayly W, Lopez C, Sides R, Bergsma G, Bergsma J, Gold J, Sellon D.Public pressure exists in the United States to eliminate race-day furosemide administration despite its efficacy in decreasing the severity of equine exercise pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH). No effective alternative prophylaxis strategies have been identified. Objective: To investigate alternative protocols to race-day furosemide that might mitigate EIPH. Methods: Seven fit Thoroughbreds with recent EIPH. Methods: Double-blinded placebo-controlled Latin square crossover using a treadmill followed by a blinded placebo-controlled crossover study at a racetrack. First, horses exercised supramaximall...
Trevorrow P.In this sensational case, it was alleged that after jinking unexpectedly and throwing its rider, racehorse Ile de Chypre, had been nobbled by an ultrasonic emitter concealed within a pair of binoculars. Ile de Chypre was 4-1 favourite at the King George V Handicap at Ascot on June 16, 1988 and a good distance away from the pack, a clear winner albeit for this alleged act of sensational intervention.
Graham RJTY, Rosanowski SM, McILWRAITH CW.Osteochondral fragmentation of the carpus is a common cause of lameness in racehorses. Prognosis following arthroscopic removal of the fragments was reported in 1987, but little is known of recent success rates. Objective: To identify associations between the severity and location of osteochondral fragments in the carpus, and to describe the racing performance of horses pre- and post-surgery in Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. To identify factors associated with a horse racing post-surgery. Methods: Retrospective study of clinical records (2006-2016). Methods: Surgical and racing records for ...
Tuomola K, Mäki-Kihniä N, Kujala-Wirth M, Mykkänen A, Valros A.Oral lesions in the bit area are common in horses, but not comprehensively studied in harness racing horses. This study describes the type and occurrence of oral soft tissue lesions in the area affected by the bit, hereafter called the bit area, in trotters after a race. Based on our results, we suggest a system for scoring lesions according to size, type (bruise or wound), age, and depth (superficial or deep). The data was collected during a welfare program for trotters, conducted by The Finnish Trotting and Breeding Association (Suomen Hippos ry). The rostral part of the mouth of 261 horses ...
Hitchens PL, Ryan K, Koch SI, Scollay MC, Peterson ML.Jockey injuries in North American racing are not well understood. The types and severity of injuries as well as exposure need to be better characterized in order to reduce risk. We consider existing data sources and the opportunity to combine this data with a new data collection effort to better understand and potentially reduce risk to riders. Using a two-phase approach, data appears to be available which would allow useful information on jockey injuries that could inform efforts for risk reduction quickly and with modest resources. Initial successes can help to develop support for a more com...
Nomura M, Shiose T, Ishikawa Y, Mizobe F, Sakai S, Kusano K.Despite growing recognition of post-race exertional heat illness (EHI) in the horse racing industry, reports on its prevalence are limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of post-race EHI and climate conditions at racecourses in Japan. The overall prevalence of EHI from 1999 to 2018 was 0.04% (387 cases for 975,247 starters) in races operated by the Japan Racing Association (JRA). The yearly prevalence has been increasing, exceeding 0.07% in the last four years of the studied period. The overall prevalence in summer (May-September) was 0.086% (352 cases for 409,908...
McGivney BA, Hernandez B, Katz LM, MacHugh DE, McGovern SP, Parnell AC, Wiencko HL, Hill EW.Durability traits in Thoroughbred horses are heritable, economically valuable and may affect horse welfare. The aims of this study were to test the hypotheses that (i) durability traits are heritable and (ii) genetic data may be used to predict a horse's potential to have a racecourse start. Heritability for the phenotype 'number of 2- and 3-year-old starts' was estimated to be = 0.11 ± 0.02 (n = 4499). A genome-wide association study identified SNP contributions to the trait. The neurotrimin (NTM), opioid-binding protein/cell adhesion molecule like (OPCML) and prolylcarboxypeptidase ...
Butler D, Valenchon M, Annan R, Whay HR, Mullan S.The purpose of this paper is to highlight some of the key challenges to racehorse welfare as perceived by racing industry stakeholders. The paper draws upon statements and transcripts from 10 focus group discussions with 42 participants who were taking part in a larger study investigating stakeholders' perceptions of racehorse welfare, which participants recognised as maintaining the physical and mental well-being of a performance animal. Analysis of the 68 statements participants identified as challenges produced nine themes. Among these, 26% (18 statements) of the challenges were health rela...
Katzman SA, Spriet MP, Beck BR, Barrett MF, Hendrickson DA.A 6-year-old Quarter Horse gelding used for barrel racing was evaluated for acute onset of non-weight-bearing lameness of the left hind limb following strenuous exercise. Nuclear scintigraphic imaging revealed focal increased radiopharmaceutical uptake centrally within the left talus. Subsequent standard radiographic and ultrasonographic examinations of the tarsus failed to identify the cause of the increased radiopharmaceutical uptake; however, the lameness was definitively localized to the tarsocrural joint by intra-articular anesthesia. Subsequent MRI sequences of the left tarsus revealed a...
Le Moyec L, Robert C, Triba MN, Bouchemal N, Mach N, Rivière J, Zalachas-Rebours E, Barrey E.Endurance racing places high demands on energy metabolism pathways. Metabolomics can be used to investigate biochemical responses to endurance exercise in humans, laboratory animals, and horses. Although endurance horses have previously been assessed in the field (i.e., during races) using broad-window Nuclear Magnetic Resonance metabolomics, these studies included several different race locations, race distances, age classes, and race statuses (finisher or elimination). The present NMR metabolomics study focused on 40 endurance horses racing in three race categories over 90, 120, or 160 km. T...
Shaw DJ, Rosanowski SM.Epiglottic entrapment is a condition in racing horses, associated with abnormal respiratory noises and exercise intolerance. Epiglottic entrapment has been linked to both poor and superior athletic performance, leading to concerns regarding whether surgery is indicated, and whether surgical correction may have a deleterious effect on future race performance. The objective of the current study was to assess the race-day performance of horses racing with epiglottic entrapment and the effect of surgical correction on performance outcomes using an intra-oral technique in anaesthetised horses. A ca...
McCoy AM, Beeson SK, Rubin CJ, Andersson L, Caputo P, Lykkjen S, Moore A, Piercy RJ, Mickelson JR, McCue ME.Several horse breeds have been specifically selected for the ability to exhibit alternative patterns of locomotion, or gaits. A premature stop codon in the gene DMRT3 is permissive for "gaitedness" across breeds. However, this mutation is nearly fixed in both American Standardbred trotters and pacers, which perform a diagonal and lateral gait, respectively, during harness racing. This suggests that modifying alleles must influence the preferred gait at racing speeds in these populations. A genome-wide association analysis for the ability to pace was performed in 542 Standardbred horses (n = 17...
Legg KA, Breheny M, Gee EK, Rogers CW.Jumps racing involves a higher risk of accident and fatality than flat racing. The wide accessibility of media, combined with alternate views regarding the place of animals in society, raises the question of the acceptability of the continuation of jumps racing. Racing data and media articles from Newztext and Google news search were collected for the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 jumps racing seasons, during which the fatality rate was 5.8 per 1000 starters. Jumps racing articles comprised 3.4% of all race reporting, and the volume of discussion about jumps racing was minimal (2.9% of jumps race ar...
Byrne CA, Lumsden JM, Lang HM, O'Sullivan CB.Synovial sepsis of unknown origin is a rare cause of lameness in the adult horse, and a haematogenous pathogenesis has been proposed in previous cases. Objective: To describe the features and outcome of synovial sepsis of unknown origin in adult Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Hospital records for admissions between 2005 and 2015 were reviewed to identify adult horses diagnosed with synovial sepsis of unknown origin. Presentation, clinicopathological, microbiological and diagnostic imaging findings were recorded. Treatment methods, surgical findings, compl...
Chidlow H, Giguère S, Sanchez LC.Limited information exists on the long-term outcome of foals that survive following hospitalisation for disease as a neonate. Significant financial investment is required to raise foals to racing age, therefore improved understanding of factors that affect long-term outcome and future athletic performance is important. Objective: To analyse racing performance in Thoroughbred foals hospitalised as neonates, compared with their maternal siblings and to determine factors associated with failure to race and racing performance. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Medical records of Thorou...
Asano R, Suzuki K, Otsuka T, Otsuka M, Sakurai H.Concentrations of trace elements (As, Al, Pb, Cd, Hg, Se, Si, P, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cr, Ni and Mn) in the mane hair obtained from 9 female and 15 male healthy racing Thoroughbred horses aged 2-5 years were analyzed by the inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) method. No significant differences between the female and male horses were observed in the mean concentrations of those minerals. Significantly positive correlations with age were observed in Cd (r=0.546, p<0.01) and Mo (r=0.733, p<0.001). Significantly negative correlations with age were observed i...
Ho EN, Yiu KC, Wan TS, Stewart BD, Watkins KL.Anti-diabetics such as sulfonylurea and thiazolidinedione derivatives are hypoglycemic drugs used for the treatment of diabetes. However, they can also be used as a stopper in horseracing. This paper describes a convenient method for the separation and simultaneous detection of 10 anti-diabetic drugs (namely glipizide, glibenclamide, glimepiride, gliclazide, tolazamide, tolbutamide, nateglinide, repaglinide, rosiglitazone and pioglitazone) in equine plasma and urine by LC-MS-MS. Methods: The anti-diabetics were isolated from equine plasma and urine by liquid-liquid extraction with 1,2-dichloro...
Plisak U, Szczepaniak J, Żmigrodzka M, Giercuszkiewicz-Hecold B, Witkowska-Piłaszewicz O.Several anti-inflammatory cytokines have been proposed as markers for exercise monitoring in humans such as the interleukin 1 receptor agonist (IL-ra), or interleukin 13 (IL-13). Equine athletes may be considered a model for human exercise physiology research, however there is a lack of such studies of this species. Thus, we decided to examine the changes of IL-1ra and IL-13 in serum concentration during aerobic (endurance) and anaerobic (race) exercise in horses of different fitness levels in comparison with the well-known anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 10 (IL-10). The group of endura...
Gold JR, Knowles DP, Coffey T, Bayly WM.Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) refers to bleeding from the lungs in association with strenuous exercise. It has been documented in race horses but little information exists on EIPH in barrel racing horses. Objective: Our goals were to evaluate the presence of EIPH in barrel racing horses and estimate its prevalence in the Pacific Northwest. Methods: 149 barrel racing horses enrolled at events in WA (11), ID (3), and MT (33). Methods: Observational cross-sectional study. Data collected included signalment, history of illness, respiratory disease, race division, and pre-race medica...
Stepnik MW, Radtke CL, Scollay MC, Oshel PE, Albrecht RM, Santschi EM, Markel MD, Muir P.To examine the fracture failure surfaces from Thoroughbred horses that had sustained a catastrophic condylar fracture. Methods: Bone specimens from the failure surface were obtained from 12 Thoroughbred racehorses with catastrophic injury and 2 non-racing horses with accidental long bone fracture. Methods: Bone specimens from the failure surface of each fracture were incubated with gold microspheres to label microcracks before examination at x50 to x60,000 using scanning electron microscopy. Microcracking at the failure surface was assessed using a visual analog scale. Results: Branching array...
Mumford JA, Rossdale PD.Racehorses perform badly for many different reasons. Trainers often expect clinicians to determine the cause in individual cases and, more especially, where most of the immates of the stable are apparently affected by loss of form. Clinical examinations may reveal signs including fever, serous nasal discharge and the occasional cough. Haematology and blood biochemistry are commonly used aids to diagnosis in the field and may be helpful, but there is a need for facilities for virological investigations to be made readily available for use by clinicans as an adjunct to more commonplace laborator...
Kusano K, Yamazaki M, Kiuchi M, Kaneko K, Koyama K.The oxidant and antioxidant equilibrium is known to play an important role in equine medicine and equine exercise physiology. There are abundant findings in this field; however, not many studies have been conducted for reference ranges of oxidative stress biomarkers in horses. This study was conducted to determine the reference values of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) and biological antioxidant potential (BAP) using blood samples from 372 (191 males, 181 females) Thoroughbred racehorse aged 2 to 5 (3.43 ± 1.10 (mean ± SD)) years old. There were obvious gender differences in oxidative b...
Sukmawinata E, Sato W, Mitoma S, Kanda T, Kusano K, Kambayashi Y, Sato T, Ishikawa Y, Goto Y, Uemura R, Sueyoshi M.Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBLEC) have become a major health concern in both human and veterinary medicine. These bacteria could become a critical problem in equine medicine due to the limited number of antimicrobial drugs available. However, there are no previous reports of ESBLEC isolated from horses in Japan. The objectives of this study were to investigate the occurrence of ESBLEC isolated from feces in healthy Thoroughbred racehorses in Japan. Feces samples were collected from 147 healthy Thoroughbred racehorses by equine veterinarians at the Japan Racing ...
Räsänen LA, Lampinen KJ, Pösö AR.To study whether end products of 2 pathways of anaerobic energy metabolism, lactate and purines, that accumulate in the blood after intense exercise indicate any relation to exercise performance. Methods: Venous blood samples were taken within 1 and 15 minutes after a trotting race of 2,100 m. Methods: 16 Clinically healthy Standardbred trotters. Methods: Blood and plasma lactate concentrations were measured by enzymatic analyzer, and purines, uric acid and allantoin, were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The concentrations of metabolites were then correlated to racing tim...
Oki H, Sasaki Y, Willham RL.Data collected by the Japan Racing Association (JRA) were individual horse racing times at eight racecourses (Hakodate, Fukushima, Niigata, Tokyo, Nakayama, Chukyo, Kyoto and Hanshin) and at five distances (1000 m, 1200 m, 1400 m, 1600 m, and 1800 m) from 1982 to 1990. Important sources of variation in racing time were examined using a nested model and expressing the variance components as percentages of the total on both turf and dirt. At all racecourses and at all distances where races were on both turf and dirt, racing times were less on turf than dirt. Differences were from 2.09s to 3.91s ...
Franklin SH, Naylor JR, Lane JG.Tongue-ties are frequently used in an attempt to prevent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP). The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of a tongue-tie in horses clinically affected with the disorder. Videoendoscopic recordings and measurements of respiratory airflow were made simultaneously during high intensity treadmill exercise in 6 Thoroughbred racehorses with confirmed DDSP, with and without a tongue-tie. DDSP was confirmed in all 6 horses without the tongue-tie but occurred in only 4 horses with the tongue-tie in place. In one horse the palate displaced only on slowi...
Pinchbeck GL, Clegg PD, Boyde A, Barr ED, Riggs CM.Palmar/plantar osteochondral disease (POD) is a common, debilitating condition in Thoroughbred racehorses; however, training- and racing-related factors associated with this disease are unknown. Objective: To determine horse-, racing- and training-related risk factors for POD. The general hypotheses were that early training and racing, and increased intensity of racing and training, lead to increased severity of POD. Methods: The metacarpo/metatarsophalangeal joints of 164 Thoroughbred racehorses were examined at post mortem and graded for third metacarpal and metatarsal POD. The relationships...
Endo A, Okada S, Morita H.Diversity and compositions of the Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, and Bifidobacterium group in the feces of six healthy, actively racing horses (Thoroughbreds) were analyzed by using PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and real-time PCR with primer sets specific for each group. PCR-DGGE analysis of the feces showed that Lactobacillus equi, Lactobacillus johnsonii, a phylogenetic relative of Lactobacillus salivarius, a phylogenetic relative of Lactobacillus gastricus, and Weissella confusa were predominant in almost all of the feces tested, and Streptococcus bovis/Streptococcus equ...
Back H, Penell J, Pringle J, Isaksson M, Ronéus N, Treiberg Berndtsson L, Ståhl K.While clinical respiratory disease is considered a main cause of poor performance in horses, the role of subclinical respiratory virus infections is less clear and needs further investigation. Objective: In this descriptive longitudinal study the relationship of markers of subclinical respiratory viral activity to occurrence of poor performance in racing Standardbred trotters was investigated. Methods: 66 elite Standardbred trotters were followed for 13 months by nasal swabs analysed with qPCR for equine influenza virus, equine arteritis virus, equine rhinitis B virus (ERBV), equine herpesvi...
Filby M, Jackson C, Turner M.The horseracing training industry has largely been ignored in terms of active occupational health research. Objective: To provide baseline statistics on the specific nature and type of accidents that occurred in English horseracing stables during 2008. Methods: All 716 training yards/stables registered with the British Horseracing Authority were contacted in April/May 2009 to complete the Racing Injury Accident Statistical Survey. The survey asked respondents to detail all recorded accidents and injuries during 2008. Results: Two hundred and fifty-six yards (36%) provided usable responses. The...
Parkin TD.The management and prevention of racehorse injuries have been
studied for many years but it is only in the last decade that
quantitative epidemiological techniques have been applied to
racehorse injury and fatality (Estberg et al. 1995, 1996, 1998a,b;
Kane et al. 1996; Bailey et al. 1997, 1998, 1999; Cohen et al.
1997, 2000; Carrier et al. 1998; Hernandez et al. 2001, 2005; Hill
et al. 2001, 2003; Wood et al. 2001; Pinchbeck et al. 2002, 2003;
Parkin et al. 2004a,b, 2005, 2006; Takahashi et al. 2004; Perkins
et al. 2005a,b; Verheyen et al. 2005, 2006; Cogger et al. 2006;
Boden et al. ...
Oikawa M, Kusunose R.The purpose of this report is to describe the results of epidemiological surveys of racing-related fractures in Thoroughbred horses in Japan. In the period 1987-2000, a total of 10,203 fractures were diagnosed in 556,705 runners, resulting in an overall incidence of 1.83%. The annual incidence of fractures in flat racing during the 14-year period fluctuated between 1.44% and 2.19%. The majority of fractures affected the forelimbs. We found significant effects of track condition on injury incidence. The incidence of fractures decreased as track conditions on turf became softer and increased as ...
Shaffer SK, To C, Garcia TC, Fyhrie DP, Uzal FA, Stover SM.Proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) fracture is the most common fatal injury in Thoroughbred (TB) racehorses in the United States. Epidemiological and pathological evidence indicates PSB fracture is likely the acute culmination of a chronic stress-related process. However, the aetiopathogenesis of PSB fracture is poorly understood. Objective: To characterise bone abnormalities that precede PSB fracture. Methods: Two retrospective case-control groups of PSBs from TB racehorses with, and without, unilateral biaxial PSB fracture. Methods: Proximal sesamoid bones were harvested post-mortem from TB raceho...
Peterson ML, Reiser RF, Kuo PH, Radford DW, McIlwraith CW.Differences in racing times have been noted on synthetic track surfaces that appear to depend on the temperature of the track. No published study to date has considered this effect in a systematic manner. Objective: To investigate the relationship between temperature of track and speed of horses racing on a synthetic surface. Potential changes in the wax component of the synthetic track were investigated as one possible cause of changes in the track speed at the temperatures observed. Methods: At Del Mar racetrack (California, USA), the air, surface and subsurface temperatures at 4 depths in t...
Loughridge AB, Hess AM, Parkin TD, Kawcak CE.Changes in subchondral bone density, induced by the repetitive cyclical loading of exercise, may potentiate fatigue damage and the risk of fracture. Objective: To use computed tomography (CT) to characterise bone density patterns at the articular surface of the third metacarpal bone in racehorses with and without lateral condylar fractures. Methods: Case control METHODS: Computed tomographic images of the distal articulating surface of the third metacarpal bone were obtained from Thoroughbred racehorses subjected to euthanasia in the UK. Third metacarpal bones were divided into 3 groups based ...
Velie BD, Raadsma HW, Wade CM, Knight PK, Hamilton NA.Post exercise epistaxis, the manifestation of a severe form of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH), has been observed in many equine racing populations. Although multiple analyses have suggested that non-genetic factors may lead to the development of this condition, relatively little consensus has been reached regarding its genetic aetiology. The objective of this study was to provide insight into both genetic and non-genetic factors that may contribute to the expression of epistaxis in the Australian Thoroughbred racing population. Racing records and reported epistaxis occurrences w...
Self ZT, Spence AJ, Wilson AM.We used a radio tracking system to examine the speed of 373 racehorses on different gradients on an undulating racecourse during 33 races, each lasting a few minutes. Horses show a speed detriment on inclines (0.68 m · s(-1) · 1% gradient(-1), r(2) = 0.97), the magnitude of which corresponds to trading off the metabolic cost (power) of height gain with the metabolic cost (power) of horizontal galloping. A similar relationship can be derived from published data for human runners. The horses, however, were also slower on the decline (-0.45 m · s(-1) · 1% gradient(-1), r(2) = 0.92). Human ath...
Couetil L, Ivester K, Barnum S, Pusterla N.Equine asthma is a common cause of poor performance in racehorses but it is unclear if respiratory viruses contribute to its etiology. The objective of the study was to determine if respiratory viruses were associated with clinical signs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology in Thoroughbred racehorses. Equine herpesviruses (EHV-1, 2, 4, 5) and equine rhinitis A and B viruses (ERBV, ERAV) genomes were quantified by qPCR in nasopharyngeal, tracheal, and BALF samples collected after racing. The relationships between virus detection and load and clinical signs, performance, BALF cytolog...
Whitton RC, Walmsley EA, Wong ASM, Shannon SM, Frazer EJ, Williams NJ, Guerow JF, Hitchens PL.Long bone fractures in racehorses may present as stress fractures which have a good prognosis, or complete fractures, which often result in a fatal outcome. In order to identify differences in modifiable management practices that may contribute to these outcomes, racing histories of horses with humeral or tibial fractures and of matched controls were examined. A retrospective case-control study of Australian Thoroughbred racehorses diagnosed with a fracture of the humerus or tibia by scintigraphy or at post-mortem between 2002 and 2016 was undertaken. Control horses were matched from the same ...
Williams KJ, Derksen FJ, de Feijter-Rupp H, Pannirselvam RR, Steel CM, Robinson NE.Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) is common in horses following intense exertion, occurring in up to 75% of racing Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds. In spite of this, the pathogenesis of EIPH is poorly understood. In 7 racing Thoroughbred horses with EIPH, 6 sections were collected from the left and right lung, representing the cranial, middle, and caudal region of the dorsal and ventral lung (84 sites total). Grossly, both right and left lungs had numerous dark brown to blue-black foci along the caudodorsal visceral pleura. Tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, Masson...
Symons JE, Garcia TC, Stover SM.The effect of racetrack surface (dirt or synthetic) on distal hindlimb kinematics of racehorses running at competition speeds is not known. Objective: To compare distal hindlimb and hoof kinematics during stance of breezing (unrestrained gallop) racehorses between dirt and synthetic surfaces. Methods: Two-dimensional kinematic video analysis of 5 Thoroughbred racehorses galloping at high speeds (12-17 m/s) on a dirt racetrack and a synthetic racetrack. Methods: The positions of kinematic markers applied to the left hindlimb were recorded at 500 Hz. Position, velocity and acceleration of jo...
Gunther-Harrington CT, Arthur R, Estell K, Martinez Lopez B, Sinnott A, Ontiveros E, Varga A, Stern JA.Exercise induced cardiac fatigue (EICF) and cardiac dysrhythmias are well described conditions identified in high-level human athletes that increase in frequency with intensity and duration of exercise. Identification of these conditions requires an understanding of normal pre- and post-race cardiac assessment values. The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize selected indices of cardiac function, electrophysiologic parameters, and biochemical markers of heart dysfunction prior to and immediately after high level racing in Thoroughbred horses receiving furosemide; and (2) create pre...
Ropka-Molik K, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Piórkowska K, Szmatoła T, Bugno-Poniewierska M.Apoptosis plays an important role in the regulation of healthy tissue growth and development as well as in controlling the maintenance of homeostasis in exercising muscles. During an intensive physical effort, the regulation of cell death by apoptosis results in the replacement of unaccustomed muscle cells by new cells that are better suited to exercise. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of two genes (SH3FR1 and SH3RF2) that control apoptosis in muscle tissues during training periods characterized by different intensities. The gene expression levels were estimated using rea...
