Performance outcomes are not reduced following colic surgery in warmblood jumping horses.
Abstract: To provide performance data of warmblood jumping horses following colic surgery. Unassigned: This retrospective case series reviewed clinical records of 5 equine hospitals with the inclusion criteria of warmblood horses undergoing colic surgery between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2021, surviving to discharge, and being registered as a hunter or jumper with the US Equestrian Federation. Clinical data included age, sex, and lesion type. Performance data included discipline, jump height, number of starts, number of wins, and number of placings. Pre- and postoperative data were analyzed separately. Unassigned: 90 horses met the inclusion criteria. Sixty-eight percent of horses returned to competition (26% to a lower level, 27% to the same level, and 16% to a higher level). Jumpers were 3.38 (95% CI, 1.57 to 9.60) times more likely to return to competition than hunters. Neither discipline showed a significant difference between performance data before and after surgery. Each additional year of age was associated with a 0.71 (95% CI, 0.56 to 0.80) times lower chance for return to competition at the same level or higher. Compared to horses with large intestinal nonstrangulating lesions, horses with large intestinal strangulating lesions (0.31; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.99) and small intestinal strangulating lesions (0.34; 95% CI, 0.12 to 0.99) were less likely to return to competition at the same level or higher. Unassigned: The majority of jumping horses return to performance following colic surgery. Unassigned: This performance data should assist veterinarians, owners, and trainers to adopt a more positive attitude toward the effect of colic surgery on performance.
Publication Date: 2025-07-16 PubMed ID: 40669508DOI: 10.2460/javma.25.04.0244Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research explores the performance outcomes of warmblood jumping horses after undergoing colic surgery. It discovered that the majority of these horses can return to competition, without a significant decrease in their performance.
Research Methodology
- The study analyzed clinical records from five equine hospitals, targeting warmblood horses that underwent colic surgery between January 2011 and December 2021.
- Horses included in the study survived to discharge, and were registered as a hunter or jumper with the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
- The types of data collected included age, sex, type of lesion, discipline, jump height, number of starts, wins, and placings.
- The study separately analyzed data from before and after surgery to measure performance effects.
- The final sample contained 90 horses that met the criteria.
Key Findings
- The majority (68%) of horses were able to compete following surgery. Roughly a quarter returned to a lower level, while the rest returned to the same performance level or higher.
- The discipline of jumping appears to be more likely to be maintained post-surgery than the discipline of hunting, with jumpers being 3.38 times more likely to return to competition than hunters.
- The age of the horse was also a factor, with each additional year of age correlating to a 0.71 times lower likelihood for return to competition at the same or a higher level.
- Type of colic also influenced the competition return rate. Horses with large intestinal non-strangulating lesions had better odds of returning to regular competition compared to horses with strangulating lesions in either the large or small intestine.
Overall Conclusion
- The study concluded that most jumping horses could resume their competition careers after colic surgery.
- These findings may contribute to more positive attitudes towards the potential impacts of colic surgery on equine sport performance among horse owners, trainers, and veterinarians.
Cite This Article
APA
Chanutin SS, Elliott CRB, Fielding AS, Brown PM, McCreary CA, Bennet ED, Davis W.
(2025).
Performance outcomes are not reduced following colic surgery in warmblood jumping horses.
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 1-7.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.04.0244 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- 1Palm Beach Equine Clinic, Wellington, FL.
- 1Palm Beach Equine Clinic, Wellington, FL.
- 2Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center, Ringoes, NJ.
- 3Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Lexington, KY.
- 4Equine Medical Center of Ocala, Ocala, FL.
- 5School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Garscube Campus, Glasgow, Scotland.
- 1Palm Beach Equine Clinic, Wellington, FL.
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