Abnormal radiographic findings in 865 French standardbred trotters and their relationship to racing performance.
Abstract: Developmental orthopaedic lesions are commonly found in French Standardbred horses. One of the main questions asked by trainers, owners and veterinarians is what impact these lesions have on the racing career and racing performances of horses. Objective: To study the prevalence and distribution of developmental orthopaedic lesions in young French Standardbred trotters and to relate them to racing performance. Methods: Feet, fetlock, tarsus and stifle regions were radiographed in 865 two-year-old French Standardbred trotters. Abnormal radiographic findings (ARF) were evaluated for 12 anatomical sites identified in these areas, and a severity index given. Performance criteria were: success in qualification for racing, maximal and mean index of trot (ITR), an annual index calculated on the basis of the logarithm of earnings per starts, total earnings at 5 years, placed races compared to starts and longevity of the racing career. Analysis of variance were calculated to study the relationships between racing performance and the number of ARF or the severity index. Results: A total of 363 horses (42.0%) showed ARF. Prevalence of ARF was 18.3% in the plantar aspect of the hind fetlock and 10.6% in the proximal tarsus. Among the total population, 833 horses were considered for performance evaluation, 478 of them were qualified for racing. The number of ARF significantly affected racing longevity. However, the number of ARF did not affect performance categories according to maximal ITR. Concerning distribution of ARF, the number of plantar lesions in the fetlock significantly affected mean ITR. The index of severity did not provide more information for prognosis than the number of ARF. Conclusions: Longevity is the only criteria affected by ARF. When evaluating different sites, only the plantar fetlock region showed a significant relationship with mean ITR. Conclusions: Number of ARF and radiographic score (RS) affect mean ITR and longevity but do not affect maximal ITR. A horse with a good racing ability will be a good performer but might have a racing career shortened because of orthopaedic problems in relation to developmental orthopaedic lesions.
Publication Date: 2007-04-04 PubMed ID: 17402458DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05579.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The study investigates the influence of developmental orthopaedic lesions on the racing performance of French Standardbred trotters. The key findings include that such lesions can significantly affect a horse’s racing career longevity but not necessarily their racing performance.
Research Background
- The study was prompted by widespread developmental orthopaedic lesions found among French Standardbred trotters. Trainers, owners, and veterinarians sought to understand the impact these lesions have on a horse’s racing career and performances.
Methodology
- A total of 865 two-year-old French Standardbred trotters’ feet, fetlock, tarsus and stifle regions were radiographed.
- The radiographs were evaluated for abnormal radiographic findings (ARFs) at 12 specified anatomical sites, and a severity index was assigned accordingly.
- Performance measures included success in racing qualification, maximal and mean Index of Trot (ITR), an annual index calculated on the basis of the logarithm of earnings per starts, total earnings at 5 years, the number of placed races compared to starts, and the length of the racing career.
- A variation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between racing performance and ARFs or the severity index.
Results
- Out of 865 horses, 363 (42.0%) showed ARFs, with the highest prevalence in the plantar aspect of the hind fetlock (18.3%) and the proximal tarsus (10.6%).
- Of 833 horses evaluated for performance, 478 qualified for racing. Findings showed that the number of ARFs significantly influenced the longevity of a horse’s racing career but not the performance categories set by maximal ITR.
- The number of plantar lesions in the fetlock significantly impacted the mean ITR, while the severity index didn’t offer any additional predictive information on prognosis beyond what the number of ARFs could provide.
Conclusions
- The study concluded that the main impact of ARFs is on a horse’s racing career longevity, while their racing performance remained unaffected as per the maximal ITR.
- The plantar fetlock region was the only identified site where ARFs had a significant relationship with mean ITR.
- Furthermore, the number of ARFs and the radiographic scores did affect the mean ITR and career longevity but didn’t affect maximal ITR.
- The study highlights that a horse can still perform well despite orthopaedic problems. However, these issues can potentially shorten the horse’s racing career.
Cite This Article
APA
Couroucé-Malblanc A, Leleu C, Bouchilloux M, Geffroy O.
(2007).
Abnormal radiographic findings in 865 French standardbred trotters and their relationship to racing performance.
Equine Vet J Suppl(36), 417-422.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05579.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- UPSP 5304 de Physiopathologie Animale et Pharmacologie fonctionnelle, Ecole Nationale Veterinaire de Nantes, Atlanpole - La Chantrerie, 44 307 Nantes cedex, France.
MeSH Terms
- Analysis of Variance
- Animals
- Arthrography / methods
- Arthrography / veterinary
- Bone and Bones / abnormalities
- Bone and Bones / diagnostic imaging
- Carpus, Animal / abnormalities
- Carpus, Animal / diagnostic imaging
- Female
- Horses / abnormalities
- Horses / physiology
- Joints / abnormalities
- Longevity
- Male
- Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
- Prevalence
- Running / physiology
- Sports
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Faulkner J, Vanderperren K, Duchateau L, O'Sullivan C. Radiographic prevalence of juvenile osteochondral conditions of the proximal interphalangeal joint of Australian Thoroughbred racehorse yearlings and associations with sales results and race performance.. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:988826.
- McCoy AM, Ralston SL, McCue ME. Short- and long-term racing performance of Standardbred pacers and trotters after early surgical intervention for tarsal osteochondrosis.. Equine Vet J 2015 Jul;47(4):438-44.
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