Evaluation of catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries in Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses at three Midwestern racetracks.

The research is a comparative analysis of catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries (CMIs) in Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses during races at three Midwestern tracks from 2000 to 2006, aiming to highlight key differences and to guide veterinarians towards vulnerable parts of each breed’s body.

Methodology

• The study is a retrospective cohort analysis, researching past events and their outcomes.
• It focuses on 139 Thoroughbred and 50 Quarter Horse racehorses that had to be euthanized due to CMIs over the seven years.
• These racehorses experienced CMIs during races at any one of three Midwestern racing tracks.
• Data were sourced from veterinary officials from the three racing jurisdictions, who provided injury reports and the total number of race starts for each year.
• CMIs per 1,000 starts were calculated for each racetrack.

Results

• The total number of race starts for both breeds across the three race tracks during this period was 129,460. The overall incidence of CMIs was 1.46 per 1000 race starts.
• There were no marked differences in CMI incidence among the racetracks.
• Thoroughbreds were older than Quarter Horses at first race, with median ages of 3 years compared to 2 years.
• More Thoroughbreds experienced a CMI in a claiming race whereas more Quarter Horses experienced a CMI in a futurity trial.
• The primary sites of CMIs varied between the two breeds: a left forelimb CMI was more common in Thoroughbreds while the right forelimb was more frequently affected in Quarter Horses.

Conclusion

• The study identified breed-specific difference in the incidence and nature of CMIs, which can help in focused veterinary examination, treatment and preventative strategies.
• The findings suggested that Thoroughbred racehorses are more likely to sustain a CMI in their left forelimb, while Quarter Horse racehorses majority have this injury in their right forelimb.
• These findings offer a basis for further research, and potential early warning system for equine athletes in regard to CMIs depending on their breed and type of races they are involved in.