Association of growth, feeding practices and exercise conditions with the prevalence of Developmental Orthopaedic Disease in limbs of French foals at weaning.

The research article investigates the effects of various factors such as breed, gender, growth, feeding practices, and exercise conditions on the occurrence of Developmental Orthopaedic Disease (DOD) in foals. The study found that warmblood foals, those with high wither height, and those exposed to certain exercise conditions had higher risks. Nutritional factors seem less significant due to limited variability in horse regimens.

Study Overview and Methodology

• The study aimed to understand better the different factors contributing to Developmental Orthopaedic Disease (DOD) in the limbs of young horses (foals) at the time they are weaned off their mothers’ milk.
• A total of 21 horse-breeding farms in Normandy, France, voluntarily participated. The study followed 401 foals of three different breeds from the mares’ eighth month of pregnancy until the foals were about six months old–their weaning period.
• The data collected from these farms included growth, feeding practices, and exercise conditions. Radiographs were taken at the end of the study to determine the presence of DOD or osteochondrosis (OC), a similar condition specifically affecting joint cartilage.

Results and Findings

• The results showed that 47% of the 378 foals with complete data were affected by DOD, and 36% were affected by OC.
• The risk of developing DOD and OC was significantly higher in foals that belonged to warmblood breed compared to Thoroughbreds. Moreover, foals that showed high wither height (the measurement from the top of the shoulder blades) at 30 days of age, and those who had a rapid increase in wither height, had an increased risk of developing DOD.
• Exercise conditions like large pasture area and irregular exercise were also found to be significant risk factors for both DOD and OC.
• The study found no clear association between the feeding practices and DOD and OC prevalence due to the limited variability in diet adopted for horses and possible overlapping effects between nutritional parameters and factors like breed and growth.

Implications

• The study concludes that measures such as monitoring the growth rate of foals, reducing supplies to faster growing ones, limiting pasture areas offered, and setting a regular exercise routine for foals could help reduce the prevalence of DOD and OC.
• This research is particularly useful as adjusted effects of potential risk factors for DOD have not been proposed elsewhere as per the researchers’ knowledge.