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Equine veterinary journal2009; 40(7); 650-657; doi: 10.2746/042516408x363242

Days lost from training by two- and three-year-old Thoroughbred horses: a survey of seven UK training yards.

Abstract: The first major epidemiological study of injury incidence in the UK flat racing Thoroughbred (TB), published in 1985, found lameness to be the single largest reason for days when horses failed to train. It was considered advisable to ascertain if progress has been made in reducing the problem of musculoskeletal injuries in the intervening period. Objective: To quantify injury incidence and days lost from training by 2- and 3-year-old TBs in UK training yards during 2002 and 2003. Methods: One-hundred-and-eighty-two yearling TBs were recruited at the end of 2001 and daily training and injury records maintained over the following 2 training and racing seasons. Days were defined as lost from training when a horse failed to train at a slow canter speed or faster, and could be assigned to one of 4 categories: lameness, medical, traumatic and unknown. The incidence and number of days lost due to specific injuries and medical conditions was determined by further subdividing the lameness and medical categories. Results: The study period provided a total of 52,601 2-year-old and 29,369 3-year-old days available for training, with 2-year-olds failing to train on a significantly greater proportion of days available than 3-year-olds. Lameness was the most important condition causing horses to miss training, with stress fractures being the most important cause of lameness. Medical conditions were a relatively minor cause of days lost from training, accounting for approximately 5% of untrained days in the 2 age groups. Conclusions: In UK flat racehorses there has been little change in the proportion of days lost from training due to lameness over the last 20 years. Conclusions: This study highlights the need for further efforts to reduce the problem of lameness in the racing TB.
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Publication Date: 2009-01-24 PubMed ID: 19165934DOI: 10.2746/042516408x363242Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

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The research article discusses a study on causes of days lost from training among young Thoroughbred horses in UK flat racing yards, focusing on lameness, medical conditions, traumas and unknown causes. It found that lameness was the primary reason for lost training days, with minimal changes in this issue over the past 20 years, emphasizing the need for more efforts to tackle lameness in racing horses.

Study Overview

  • The article presents a study conducted in seven UK training yards, exploring why young flat racing Thoroughbreds missed training days during the 2002 and 2003 racing seasons.
  • The study involved 182 yearlings that were tracked over two training and racing seasons.
  • The research was intended to identify changes, if any, in musculoskeletal injuries rate since a major epidemiological study conducted in 1985.

Methodology

  • In this study, horses were classified as “untrained” for the day if they could not train at a slow canter speed or faster.
  • The causes for lost training days were categorized into lameness, medical, traumatic and unknown.
  • Further subdivision was done within lameness and medical categories to identify specific injuries and medical conditions leading to missed training days.

Results

  • Throughout the study period, a significantly greater proportion of 2-year-old horses failed to train compared to 3-year-olds.
  • Lameness, particularly due to stress fractures, emerged as the leading cause for lost training days.
  • Medical conditions were found to contribute to around 5% of untrained days in both 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds.

Conclusions

  • The study found that in the 20 years since the 1985 epidemiological study, there has been little reduction in the rate of lameness causing lost training days amongst Thoroughbred horses in the UK.
  • The research therefore highlights the need for further efforts to curtail the prevalence of lameness in racehorses, as this issue seems to persist across decades.

Cite This Article

APA
Dyson PK, Jackson BF, Pfeiffer DU, Price JS. (2009). Days lost from training by two- and three-year-old Thoroughbred horses: a survey of seven UK training yards. Equine Vet J, 40(7), 650-657. https://doi.org/10.2746/042516408x363242

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 0425-1644
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 40
Issue: 7
Pages: 650-657

Researcher Affiliations

Dyson, P K
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Royal College Street, London NW1 0TU, UK.
Jackson, B F
    Pfeiffer, D U
      Price, J S

        MeSH Terms

        • Age Factors
        • Animals
        • Female
        • Fractures, Stress / physiopathology
        • Fractures, Stress / veterinary
        • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
        • Horse Diseases / etiology
        • Horse Diseases / physiopathology
        • Horses / injuries
        • Horses / physiology
        • Incidence
        • Lameness, Animal / epidemiology
        • Lameness, Animal / etiology
        • Lameness, Animal / physiopathology
        • Male
        • Musculoskeletal Diseases / epidemiology
        • Musculoskeletal Diseases / physiopathology
        • Musculoskeletal Diseases / veterinary
        • Musculoskeletal System / injuries
        • Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
        • Respiratory Tract Diseases / epidemiology
        • Respiratory Tract Diseases / physiopathology
        • Respiratory Tract Diseases / veterinary
        • Time Factors
        • United Kingdom / epidemiology
        • Wounds and Injuries / epidemiology
        • Wounds and Injuries / physiopathology
        • Wounds and Injuries / veterinary

        Citations

        This article has been cited 25 times.
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