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Equine veterinary journal2023; doi: 10.1111/evj.14038

Associations between turn out practices and rates of musculoskeletal disease and injury in Thoroughbred foals and yearlings on stud farms in the United Kingdom.

Abstract: Early-life locomotor activity during turn out may alter susceptibility to musculoskeletal disease and injury via modulation of behaviours and tissue development during growth. Objective: Investigate associations between turn out practices and rates of musculoskeletal disease and injury in young Thoroughbreds on stud farms in the United Kingdom. Methods: Prospective cohort. Methods: Daily records were kept on location and duration of turn out for 134 Thoroughbred foals on six stud farms, from birth until leaving the farm or study exit. Data on veterinary-attended episodes of musculoskeletal disease or injury were collated concurrently. Average daily turn out times (hours), areas (acres) and group size (n foals) were calculated for rolling 7- and 30-day periods of age. Multivariable Cox regression, including farm as a random effect, was used to investigate associations between turn out practices and musculoskeletal disease and injury. Results: The overall incidence of musculoskeletal disease or injury was 5.3 cases/100 foal-months at risk (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.2-6.6). Compared with 24/7 turn out, average daily turn out times of between 9 and 23 hours over a 7-day period were associated with a 4.6-fold increase in musculoskeletal injury rate (95% CI: 1.7-12.3; P < 0.001), adjusting for farm and paddock area. Each 1-acre increase in the average daily turn out area during the 4th month of life, reduced the rate of musculoskeletal disease and injury between 6 and 18 months of age by 24% (hazard ratio 0.76, 95% CI: 0.58-0.99; P < 0.001), adjusting for farm and turn out time. Conclusions: Non-random sample of participants may affect generalisability. Use of veterinary-attended events likely underestimates disease/injury rates. Conclusions: Results suggest that disruptions or alterations to turn out time routines increase injury risk and should be avoided where possible. Turn out in larger paddocks, particularly before weaning, may confer protection against subsequent musculoskeletal disease and injury.
© 2023 The Authors. Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2023-12-26 PubMed ID: 38146768DOI: 10.1111/evj.14038Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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This research article examines the relation between turn out practices (the process of letting horses run free in a field or paddock for exercise or grazing) and the occurrence of musculoskeletal disease and injury in Thoroughbred foals and yearlings on stud farms in the UK. It concludes that changes in turn out routines can increase injury risks, while larger turn out areas, particularly before weaning, can reduce the likelihood of musculoskeletal disease or injury.

Introduction

  • The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the practices of turn out on young Thoroughbreds and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disease and injury.
  • The hypothesis was that early-life locomotor activity could modulate behaviors and tissue development during growth, potentially influencing the susceptibility to musculoskeletal disease or injury.

Methods

  • A prospective cohort of 134 Thoroughbred foals from six stud farms was studied from birth until their departure from the farm or study exit.
  • Daily records were kept for the location and duration of turn out for each foal.
  • Alongside this, data related to any veterinary-attended episodes of musculoskeletal disease or injury were collated.
  • Average daily turn out times, areas, and group sizes were computed for rolling 7- and 30-day periods of age.
  • These data were then analyzed using multivariable Cox regression to investigate the associations between turn out practices and musculoskeletal disease and injury, while considering the farm as a random effect.

Results

  • The overall incidence of musculoskeletal disease or injury per 100 foal-months at risk was 5.3.
  • Compared to 24/7 turnout, average daily turnout times between 9 and 23 hours over a 7-day period led to a 4.6-fold increase in musculoskeletal injury rates.
  • Every additional acre increase in the average daily turn out area during the 4th month of life reduces the rate of musculoskeletal disease and injury between 6 and 18 months of age by 24%.

Conclusions

  • The non-random sample of participants might affect the generalizability of the study’s findings.
  • The use of veterinary-attended events possibly underestimates the rates of disease or injury.
  • The research advises against alterations to turn out time routines as it may increase the risk of injury.
  • It suggests that turn out in larger paddocks, especially before weaning, may protect against subsequent musculoskeletal disease and injury.

Cite This Article

APA
Mouncey R, Arango-Sabogal JC, de Mestre A, Verheyen KKL. (2023). Associations between turn out practices and rates of musculoskeletal disease and injury in Thoroughbred foals and yearlings on stud farms in the United Kingdom. Equine Vet J. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.14038

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English

Researcher Affiliations

Mouncey, Rebecca
  • Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, UK.
Arango-Sabogal, Juan C
  • Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, UK.
  • Département de Pathologie et Microbiologie, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Q, Canada.
de Mestre, Amanda
  • Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
Verheyen, Kristien K L
  • Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, UK.

Grant Funding

  • HBLB vet/prj/791 / Horserace Betting Levy Board
  • The Racing Foundation
  • the Royal Veterinary College's Mellon Fund for Equine Research

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Mouncey R, de Mestre AM, Verheyen KL. Born to run? Racing and training outcomes, population dynamics and traceability of a Thoroughbred birth cohort. Vet Rec 2025 Oct 4;197(7):e5777.
    doi: 10.1002/vetr.5777pubmed: 41000051google scholar: lookup
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