Incidence rate of musculoskeletal injuries and determinants of time to recovery in young Australian Thoroughbred racehorses.

The research paper explores the rate of musculoskeletal injuries among young Thoroughbred horses in Australia, and examines factors that affect their recovery time. In sum, the study found that 2-year-old horses were nearly three times more likely to sustain such injuries than 3-year-old horses, that shin soreness was the most common injury, and that speed of the horse impacted recovery time.

Methodology

• The researchers collected training and injury data every two weeks from 14 horse trainers in New South Wales.
• The incidence rates of initial injuries were calculated and then categorised based on the age and sex of the horses.
• Survival analysis methods were deployed to study the time required for horses to recover from their first musculoskeletal injury, with recovery time determined as the period until the horse could start a race or barrier trial.

Results

• The study involved 248 racehorses, among which 428 injuries were recorded.
• Two-year-old horses were nearly three times more likely than their 3-year-old counterparts to sustain a musculoskeletal injury.
• Within six months, 55% of the horses had recovered.
• The longest recovery time was observed in horses which, prior to their injury, had a fast gallop speed of less than 890 meters per minute.

Conclusions

• Shin soreness was the most common musculoskeletal injury among the young Thoroughbred horses followed in this study.
• Two-year-old horses had a higher incidence rate of MS injuries than 3-year-old ones. The research could not conclude whether this increased risk was due to the age of the horse, the onset of training, or a mixture of both factors.
• The horses that performed at higher exercise speeds prior to their injury were observed to recover faster.
• The study also suggested that the recovery time could be influenced by factors related to the trainer, as there was a significant effect of trainer on recovery time.
• The researchers called for further studies to better understand what determines the time required for horses to recover from musculoskeletal injuries.