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Topic:Risk Factors
Risk factors in horses refer to variables or conditions that increase the likelihood of disease, injury, or other adverse health outcomes in equine populations. These factors can be intrinsic, such as age, breed, and genetic predisposition, or extrinsic, including environmental conditions, management practices, and exposure to infectious agents. Understanding risk factors is important for developing preventive strategies and improving health management in horses. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the identification, assessment, and mitigation of risk factors in equine health, with the aim of enhancing disease prevention and promoting overall well-being in horses.
A review of horse-related injuries in a rural Colorado hospital: implications for outreach education. The literature contains many studies on the types of injuries sustained in horseback riding incidents. Most advocate the use of equestrian helmets to prevent head trauma. However, information is limited on other specific prevention strategies. Methods: A 4-year, retrospective, and prospective review of medical records pertaining to horse-related injuries in a southwestern Colorado hospital yielded a sample of 85 patients who had been injured while riding or tending to horses. In addition to the record review, patients were interviewed during ED discharge, inpatient treatment, or in a follow-up...
Evaluation of horseshoe characteristics and high-speed exercise history as possible risk factors for catastrophic musculoskeletal injury in thoroughbred racehorses. 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...
Training-related factors associated with dorsometacarpal disease in young Thoroughbred racehorses in the UK. Dorsometacarpal disease (DMD) is common in young Thoroughbred (TB) racehorses, often interfering with their training programme. No reports exist on incidence rate or associated risk factors in the UK. Objective: To estimate the incidence rate of DMD in TB horses in training for flat racing in the UK and identify associated risk factors, particularly in relation to training regimens. Methods: Data were drawn from a large prospective study in which TB horses in 13 training yards were monitored for a period of up to 2 years, recording daily training information and details of musculoskeletal inju...
Insulin resistance and compensation in Thoroughbred weanlings adapted to high-glycemic meals. Insulin resistance has been suggested to increase the risk of certain diseases, including osteochondrosis and laminitis. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of adaptation to high-glycemic meals on glucose-insulin regulation in healthy Thoroughbred weanlings. Twelve Thoroughbred foals were raised on pasture and supplemented twice daily with a feed high in either sugar and starch (SS; 49% nonstructural carbohydrates, 21% NDF, 3% crude fat on a DM basis) or fat and fiber (FF; 12% nonstructural carbohydrates, 44% NDF, 10% crude fat on a DM basis). As weanlings (age 199 +/- 5 d; BW 274 +/- 5 k...
[Kick injuries of veterinarians during examination and treatment of horses: a retrospective study in Switzerland]. The risk of injury to veterinarians treating horses is high, particularly when performing painful procedures. The present retrospective study investigated this risk, including the frequency and severity of kick injuries, by submitting questionnaires to 700 veterinary practitioners in Switzerland. Evaluation of 216 completed questionnaires revealed that the frequency of kick injuries was affected by the professional experience of the veterinarian, veterinarians being an owner of a horse, the season, the type of procedure, the percentage of equine patients in the practice population, the treatme...
Factors affecting long-term survival of horses recovering from surgery of the small intestine. Epiploic foramen entrapment (EFE) has been associated with a particularly poor post operative prognosis for equine colic cases, but the reasons for this are unknown. Objective: To identify variables associated with post operative survival following surgery for small intestinal disease; develop a model describing long-term post operative survival; and identify reasons for the poor prognosis associated with EFE. Methods: Data from 382 horses undergoing surgery were used to identify variables associated with survival. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model for post operative survival was ...
Modelling long-term survival of horses following surgery for large intestinal disease. Large intestinal diseases are an important cause of equine colic that require surgical management, but there is little published information about long-term survival of such cases. Objective: To identify variables associated with post operative mortality and to develop a model for post operative survival following surgery for large intestinal disease. Methods: Clinical data and long-term follow-up information from 275 horses undergoing surgery for large intestinal disease were used. A multivariable, Cox proportional hazards model for post operative death was developed and the fit of the model ...
End-to-end jejuno-ileal anastomosis following resection of strangulated small intestine in horses: a comparative study. Small intestinal resection and anastomosis is a relatively common procedure in equine surgical practice. This study was designed to test objectively the subjective opinions of surgeons at the Liphook Equine Hospital that an end-to-end jejuno-ileal anastomosis (JIA) is an effective and clinically justifiable procedure, contrary to conventional recommendations. Objective: An end-to-end JIA carries no greater risk of morbidity and mortality than an end-to-end jejunojejunal anastomosis (JJA). Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed on a population of 100 horses that had undergon...
Risk factors for faecal sand excretion in Icelandic horses. Sandy soil is often mentioned as a risk factor in the development of sand-related gastrointestinal disease (SGID) in the horse. There are other variables, but few studies confirm any of these. Objective: To investigate soil type, pasture quality, feeding practice in the paddock, age, sex and body condition score as risk factors for sand intake in the horse. Methods: Faeces were collected from 211 Icelandic horses on 19 different studs in Denmark together with soil samples and other potential risk factors. Sand content in faeces determined by a sand sedimentation test was interpreted as evidenc...
Survival and complication rates in 300 horses undergoing surgical treatment of colic. Part 1: Short-term survival following a single laparotomy. A minority of equine colic cases prove fatal unless treated surgically; however, few studies have considered long-term survival and complication rates, and few have attempted to identify factors that might affect outcomes. Such information is required for owners and veterinary surgeons to make informed decisions about the most appropriate treatment for individual cases. Objective: To document short-term survival rates of 300 horses undergoing colic surgery and analyse factors that might have predisposed to short-term death. Methods: History, clinical and surgical findings, treatments and outco...
Risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries of the lower limbs in Thoroughbred racehorses in New Zealand. To investigate risk factors for injury to musculoskeletal structures of the lower fore- and hind-limbs of Thoroughbred horses training and racing in New Zealand. Methods: A case-control study analysed by logistic regression was used to compare explanatory variables for musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) in racehorses. The first dataset, termed the Training dataset, involved 459 first-occurrence cases of lower-limb MSI in horses in training, and the second, the Starting dataset, comprised a subset of those horses that had started in at least one trial or race in the training preparation that ended ...
Risk factors for injury to the superficial digital flexor tendon and suspensory apparatus in Thoroughbred racehorses in New Zealand. To investigate risk factors for injury to the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) and suspensory apparatus (SA) of the forelimbs in Thoroughbred racehorses in New Zealand. Methods: Poisson and negative binomial regression, with exposure time represented by cumulative training days for each horse, were used to relate explanatory variables to the incidence rate (IR) of cases of inflammation of the SDFT (n=51), and injuries involving the SA (n=48) in a population of 1,571 commercially- trained racehorses over 554,745 study days. Only the first occurrence of an injury for any one horse was el...
Quantitative assessment of the risks of reducing the routine swabbing requirements for the detection of Taylorella equigenitalis. The transmission of contagious equine metritis (CEM) on stud farms in Britain, Ireland and other European countries is prevented by following the recommendations in the Horserace Betting Levy Board's Code of Practice on CEM. A quantitative risk assessment was undertaken to estimate the likely impact of removing the recommendation, from the 2002 code, to culture endometrial or cervical swabs microaerophilically for the presence of Taylorella equigenitalis, the causative organism. The scientific literature was reviewed for evidence about the anatomical distribution of T. equigenitalis at differe...
Factors associated with the wastage and achievements in competition of event horses registered in the United Kingdom. The aims of this study were to estimate the wastage of horses registered for eventing in Britain, to investigate the reasons for this wastage and to evaluate factors affecting the horses' achievement of grade I status (at least 61 points) while registered. An analysis of the database of the British Eventing register found that 33.7 per cent of horses registered for the first time in 1999 were not re-registered for eventing in subsequent years. By using multivariable logistic regression analysis, it was shown that horses that were kept at an event yard were more likely to be re-registered than ...
Musculoskeletal modeling and dynamic simulation of the thoroughbred equine forelimb during stance phase of the gallop. Because thoroughbred racehorses have a high incidence of forelimb musculoskeletal injuries, a model was desired to screen potential risk factors for injuries. This paper describes the development of a musculoskeletal model of the thoroughbred forelimb and a dynamic simulation of the motion of the distal segments during the stance phase of high-speed (18 m/s) gallop. The musculoskeletal model is comprised of segment, joint, muscle-tendon, and ligament information. The dynamic simulation incorporates a proximal forward-driving force, a distal ground reaction force model, muscle activations, and ...
Incidence and risk factors associated with exertional rhabdomyolysis syndrome in National Hunt racehorses in Great Britain. A telephone survey of 51 National Hunt racing yards with 1140 horses in training was made in April and May 2003 to establish the incidence of exertional rhabdomyolysis syndrome during the previous year. A case-control study was used to investigate the risk factors for the syndrome in eight yards selected on the basis that cases had been confirmed by the analysis of serum muscle enzymes. The overall incidence of syndrome was 6.1 cases per 100 horses per year, and 55 per cent of the yards reported at least one case. The risk factors identified were sex, the average length of the training gallop,...
Risk factors for cross-country horse falls at one-day events and at two-/three-day events. The cross-country phase of eventing competitions has been associated with injuries and fatalities to horses and riders. A case-control study was carried out to identify variables that were associated with increased or decreased risk of a horse fall on the cross-country phase at event competitions. After initial analysis, the dataset was split according to the categories of one-day events as compared to two- or three-day events to establish whether significant risk factors varied between the different types of eventing competitions. Data were collected for 121 cases (horse falls) at one-day eve...
Climatic and aeroallergen risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in horses. To estimate the association between climate and airborne pollen and fungal factors and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in horses. Methods: Data from 1,444 horses with a diagnosis of COPD. Methods: The Veterinary Medical Database was used to identify records of horses admitted to veterinary teaching hospitals in the United States and Canada between 1990 and 1999. Rainfall, mean minimum and maximum temperature, and maximum monthly pollen and fungal spore (mold) counts recorded at the city closest to where the hospital is located were identified for each month data were reported to t...
Epidemiological clues to preventing colic. Colic remains a significant problem in the horse in terms of welfare and economics; in some equine populations it is the single most common cause of death. Many causes of colic are cited in the equestrian and veterinary literature but little scientific evidence exists to substantiate these theories. Recent epidemiological investigations have confirmed that colic is complex and multi-factorial in nature. Studies have identified a number of factors that are associated with increased risk of colic including parasite burden, certain feed types, recent change in feeding practices, stabling, lack of...
Post-anaesthetic myelomalacia in a horse. This article describes a rare neurological complication of anaesthesia in a 2 year-old Clydesdale colt undergoing castration. Anaesthesia was induced with glyceryl guaiacol ether and ketamine and maintained with halothane. Following an uneventful anaesthetic of 40 minutes, the horse recovered from anaesthesia in a padded recovery stall. After approximately 70 minutes in the recovery stall, the horse attempted to stand and adopted a dog sitting position. One hundred and fifty minutes later, the horse became distressed and was sedated with xylazine. Clinical examination of the horse did not reve...
Risk factors for fatal lateral condylar fracture of the third metacarpus/metatarsus in UK racing. Lateral condylar fractures of the third metacarpus/metatarsus are the most common cause of equine fatality on UK racecourses. Identification of risk factors for such injuries and the subsequent implementation of intervention strategies could significantly reduce the total number of racecourse fatalities. Objective: To identify horse-, race- and course-level risk factors for fatal lateral condylar fracture in Thoroughbreds on UK racecourses. Methods: Case-control study designs were used. Case horses were defined as those that were subjected to euthanasia having sustained an irreparable lateral ...
Household youth on minority operated farms in the United States, 2000: exposures to and injuries from work, horses, ATVs and tractors. It is likely that youth living on minority operated farms (<3% of U.S. farms) face hazards similar to the general farm population; however, since minority youth are not well represented by general farm surveys, this information hasn't been confirmed. Methods: Nonfatal injury and exposure data were obtained from the 2000 Minority Farm Operator Childhood Agricultural Injury Survey (M-CAIS). Results: On racial minority farms, there were an estimated 28,600 household youth. Of these, about 41% worked, 26% rode a horse, 23% drove an ATV, and 23% operated a tractor. On Hispanic farms, there ...
Prevalence and risk factors associated with outcome of surgical removal of pedunculated lipomas in horses: 102 cases (1987-2002). To determine the prevalence of pedunculated lipomas and identify risk factors affecting postoperative complications and survival in horses at a veterinary teaching hospital undergoing surgery for colic caused by pedunculated lipomas. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 102 horses with a diagnosis of pedunculated lipoma. Methods: Age, breed, weight, and sex of horses with pedunculated lipomas were compared with the total equine hospital population and the population of horses admitted for abdominal surgery during the same period. Follow-up information was obtained by reevaluation or contact ...
Horse-related injuries in children: a review. Horseback riding is an increasingly popular activity among today's youth, providing them with the opportunity to learn responsibility and respect for animals. However, it can also be associated with severe injury, of which many physicians are unaware. In 2002, there were an estimated 13,400 emergency department visits nationwide for horse-related injuries among children younger than 15 years. When using a severity score to compare it with other childhood injuries, equestrian-related injury ranked second only to pedestrians being struck by a car, and had a higher score than all terrain vehicle,...
Molecular characterization of potentially zoonotic isolates of Giardia duodenalis in horses. Giardia isolates from eight horses from New York State (NY), USA and two horses from Western Australia (WA) were genetically characterized at the SSU-rDNA and triose-phosphate isomerase (TPI) genes. Phylogenetic analysis of the TPI gene provided strong support for the placement of both isolates of Giardia from horses in WA and a single isolate from a horse in NY within the assemblage AI genotype of G. duodenalis. Another two isolates from horses in NY placed within the assemblage AII genotype of G. duodenalis. Phylogenetic analysis of the TPI gene also provided strong bootstrap support for the...
Profiling the New Zealand Thoroughbred racing industry. 2. Conditions interfering with training and racing. To describe and enumerate conditions that interrupted training and racing in a population of Thoroughbred racehorses in New Zealand. Methods: A longitudinal study design was used to collect data on horses training under the care of 20 licensed racehorse trainers from venues in the mid to lower regions of the North Island between October 1997 and July 2000. Incidence rates were reported for first and second occurrences for different categories of musculoskeletal injury (MSI), and first occurrences of upper and lower respiratory tract disease, using training days as time-at-risk. The proportion ...
Serum hepatitis associated with commercial plasma transfusion in horses. This report describes 4 fatal cases of serum hepatitis associated with the administration of commercial plasma in the horse. Serum hepatitis in the horse is characterized by acute hepatic central lobular necrosis, and it has been associated with the administration of biological products of equine origin. None of these horses had a recent history of equine biologic-origin vaccination; however, they had received 1.5-5 L of commercial plasma, and in I horse, an additional 8 L of fresh blood. Acute, severe colic unresponsive to medical therapy, lethargy, or sudden death developed in these 4 horses...
Farm characteristics and management practices associated with development of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals. To identify farm characteristics and management practices associated with development of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals. Methods: Prospective case-control study. Methods: 5230 foals on 138 breeding farms with 9136 horses. Methods: During 2003, participating veterinarians provided data from 1 or 2 farms with > or =1 foal with R equi pneumonia and unaffected farms. Data from affected and unaffected farms were compared by use of logistic regression analysis. Results: A number of variables relating to farm size and desirable management practices were significantly associated with increased od...
Use of a Bayesian risk-mapping technique to estimate spatial risks for mare reproductive loss syndrome in Kentucky. To estimate spatial risks associated with mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) during 2001 among horses in a specific study population and partition the herd effects into those attributable to herd location and those that were spatially random and likely attributable to herd management. Animals-Pregnant broodmares from 62 farms in 7 counties in central Kentucky. Methods: Veterinarians provided the 2001 abortion incidence proportions for each farm included in the study. Farms were georeferenced and data were analyzed by use of a fully Bayesian risk-mapping technique. Results: Large farm-to-fa...
