Mild radiographic abnormalities of thoracolumbar spinous processes are not associated with decreased performance in 100 Warmblood jumping horses in active competition.

This research highlights that mild abnormalities in the thoracolumbar spine portion of Warmblood jumping horses, as seen in radiographs, do not necessarily impede their performance.

Objective of Study

The study attempts to understand the possible association between clinical signs of back pain and the radiographic abnormalities observed in the spine of Warmblood jumping horses. Despite back pain being a well-known deterring factor in a horse’s performance, this study is directed at discovering if mild radiographic abnormalities could also influence a horse’s performance negatively.

Methodology

• The researchers conduct an observational study selecting 100 Warmblood jumping horses that were in active competition in 2018.
• The chosen pool did not exhibit any signs of lameness or neurological distress. Their competition fence height range varied between 0.90m and 1.60m.
• Radiographs of these horses’ thoracolumbar spines were taken and reviewed for various signs of abnormality.
• The signs inspected included narrowed interspinous space, sclerosis, enthesopathy, and lucency, graded as absent, mild, or moderate-severe.
• Four observers were allocated the task of assessing these radiographs, and their agreement was measured using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient.
• Other factors like age of the horse, the current level of performance, the highest career level and years of competition were recorded to gauge their correlation with radiographic abnormalities.

Observations

• The study revealed that no horses were without radiographic abnormalities.
• The agreement between the observations of the four observers was categorized as moderate to good.
• Narrowed interspinous spaces and sclerosis were found to be more common, especially between T15-L1. Enthesopathy was primarily detected at the withers between T8-T13.
• The highest career level showed a positive correlation with narrowed interspinous spaces and sclerosis.
• The current level of performance, age and years of competition of a horse did not display any significant correlation with the presence of radiographic abnormalities.

Conclusion

Mild radiographic abnormalities, specifically in the spinous processes of the thoracolumbar spine, are usually found in Warmblood jumping horses. But these mild abnormalities do not necessarily affect the performance of these horses negatively.