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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Orthopaedic Injuries in 272 Dressage Horses: A Retrospective...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2025; 15(20); 2972; doi: 10.3390/ani15202972

Orthopaedic Injuries in 272 Dressage Horses: A Retrospective Study.

Abstract: There is limited information regarding orthopaedic injuries in dressage horses. This study assessed the prevalence of injuries in a mixed referral and first opinion population of 272 horses training and competing in dressage, 238 of which were followed up one to five years after injury. Warmblood (55.8%) and Iberian (38.6%) breeds predominated. The median age was 8 years (interquartile range [IQR] 5,11; range 1,21). Horses were examined due to lameness (85.3%) or poor performance (14.7%). The median lameness grade was 2/5 (IQR 2,4; range 0,4). Forelimb lameness was more prevalent than hindlimb lameness ( < 0.001). Unilateral lameness (55.2%) was more common than multilimbed lameness (44.9%). Hypermetria (14.3%), hypermetria and weakness (2.2%) or weakness alone (1.1%) did not affect follow-up outcome compared with horses without neurological gait dysfunction. Soft tissue injuries were more common in Iberian horses than in Warmbloods ( = 0.006), but considering all injuries there was no difference in outcome between breeds. Injury type (soft tissue, osseous, osteoarthritis, developmental disease) did not influence follow-up outcome. Following targeted treatment and tailored rehabilitation programs, 42% of 238 horses returned to the same level of work as pre-injury or higher, 45% returned to work at a lower level and 13% were retired due to orthopaedic injury. In-depth clinical assessment and diagnostic anaesthesia are important for the identification of all problems and development of the most appropriate treatment and management protocols.
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Publication Date: 2025-10-14 PubMed ID: 41153899PubMed Central: PMC12560884DOI: 10.3390/ani15202972Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

Overview

  • This study analyzed the types and outcomes of orthopaedic injuries in 272 dressage horses, focusing on their recovery and return to work after injury.

Study Population and Purpose

  • The study examined 272 dressage horses, primarily Warmbloods (55.8%) and Iberian breeds (38.6%), with a median age of 8 years.
  • These horses were either referred for specialized evaluation or were first opinion cases presenting with lameness or poor performance.
  • The goal was to identify the prevalence and types of orthopaedic injuries and assess long-term outcomes after treatment and rehabilitation.

Clinical Presentation and Data Collection

  • The majority of horses (85.3%) were examined due to lameness, while 14.7% were investigated for poor performance without obvious lameness.
  • Lameness severity was graded, with a median lameness grade of 2 on a scale of 0 to 5.
  • Forelimb lameness was significantly more common than hindlimb lameness.
  • More than half of the horses had unilateral lameness, while almost 45% had lameness involving more than one limb.
  • Some horses showed neurological gait abnormalities like hypermetria or weakness, but these signs did not affect their recovery outcomes.

Types of Injuries and Breed Differences

  • Injuries were categorized as soft tissue injuries, osseous (bone) injuries, osteoarthritis, or developmental diseases.
  • Iberian horses had a significantly higher prevalence of soft tissue injuries compared to Warmbloods.
  • However, when considering all types of injuries and recovery, no significant differences in outcome were found between the two breeds.
  • The type of injury did not influence the likelihood of successful rehabilitation or return to pre-injury performance levels.

Outcomes Following Treatment and Rehabilitation

  • Out of 238 horses with follow-up data (1 to 5 years post-injury):
    • 42% returned to the same or a higher level of work compared to pre-injury.
    • 45% returned to work but at a lower level than before injury.
    • 13% were retired due to their orthopaedic injuries.
  • This shows that although orthopaedic injuries can impact performance, a significant portion of horses can successfully return to work following appropriate treatment.

Clinical Implications

  • Accurate and detailed clinical assessments, including diagnostic anaesthesia, are vital to identify all sources of lameness or poor performance.
  • Such thorough diagnostics allow the development of targeted treatments and individually tailored rehabilitation protocols, optimizing recovery chances.
  • This approach can help maximize the number of horses returning to their previous or improved level of dressage competition after injury.

Cite This Article

APA
Boado A, Pollard D, Lopez-Sanroman FJ, Dyson S. (2025). Orthopaedic Injuries in 272 Dressage Horses: A Retrospective Study. Animals (Basel), 15(20), 2972. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15202972

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 15
Issue: 20
PII: 2972

Researcher Affiliations

Boado, Ana
  • Independent Researcher, Avenida Salmoral 4, Manzanares el Real, 28492 Madrid, Spain.
  • Medicine and Surgery Department, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Complutense, Moncloa-Aravaca, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Pollard, Danica
  • Independent Researcher, Rodham Road, Christchurch, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE14 9NU, UK.
Lopez-Sanroman, Francisco Javier
  • Medicine and Surgery Department, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Complutense, Moncloa-Aravaca, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Dyson, Sue
  • Independent Researcher, Church Road, Market Weston, Diss, Suffolk IP22 2NX, UK.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Boado A, Pollard D, Dyson S. Retrospective Analysis of Suspensory Ligament Branch Injuries in 70 Dressage Horses. Animals (Basel) 2025 Oct 23;15(21).
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