Equine veterinary journal2026; doi: 10.1002/evj.70331

Phenotypic associations between young horse assessments and orthopaedic diagnoses in insured Swedish Warmblood horses.

Bonow, S
·
Hernlund, E
·
Eriksson, S
·
Strandberg, E
·
Viklund, ÅG

Abstract: Lameness is the most common health problem in riding horses, and insurance data have previously been used to investigate the prevalence of orthopaedic diagnoses in Swedish Warmblood (SWB) horses. Young horse performance testing is an important part of the SWB breeding programme and contributes data to the genetic evaluation. Assessed traits from these tests have been shown to be useful indicator traits of performance in show jumping and dressage, but their associations with orthopaedic health have not previously been investigated. Objective: To study the associations between assessed traits from young horse tests and orthopaedic diagnoses, and to investigate if such traits can be useful as indicator traits of future orthopaedic health in SWB horses. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Insurance data from 5991 SWB horses between 4 and 14 years, born in 2010-2020, and assessed at a young horse test were included. Horses were classified as jumping or dressage horses. The data were analysed with survival analysis, using the number of days from birth to first orthopaedic diagnosis as time scale. Results: High scores for the numerically scored trait 'trot at hand' were significantly associated with less risk of orthopaedic diagnoses for both jumping and dressage horses (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). Also, horses with greater height at the withers had a significantly higher risk of having orthopaedic diagnoses. Eleven of 48 linearly scored traits were significantly associated with orthopaedic diagnoses. Conclusions: The insurance data may have uncertainties and will not fully describe the prevalence of orthopaedic diagnoses in the SWB population. Additionally, pre-selection of horses attending young horse tests may introduce some bias in the data on assessed traits. Conclusions: Relatively few traits were significantly associated with orthopaedic diagnoses, suggesting that traits currently assessed at young horse tests have limited value as indicator traits of orthopaedic health. Unassigned: A claudicação é o problema de saúde mais comum em cavalos de esporte, e dados de seguradoras já foram utilizados anteriormente para investigar a prevalência de diagnósticos ortopédicos em cavalos da raça Swedish Warmblood (SWB). Os testes de desempenho de cavalos jovens constituem uma parte importante do programa de melhoramento genético da raça SWB e contribuem com dados para a avaliação genética. As características avaliadas nesses testes demonstraram ser úteis como características indicadoras de desempenho em salto e adestramento, mas suas associações com a saúde ortopédica ainda não haviam sido investigadas. Objective: Estudar as associações entre características avaliadas em testes de cavalos jovens e diagnósticos ortopédicos, e investigar se essas características podem ser úteis como indicadores da saúde ortopédica futura em cavalos da raça SWB. Unassigned: Estudo de coorte retrospectivo. MÉTODOS: Foram incluídos dados de seguradoras de 5.991 cavalos da raça SWB, com idade entre 4 e 14 anos, nascidos entre 2010 e 2020, e avaliados em testes de cavalos jovens. Os cavalos foram classificados como animais de salto ou de adestramento. Os dados foram analisados por meio de análise de sobrevivência, utilizando‐se o número de dias desde o nascimento até o primeiro diagnóstico ortopédico como escala de tempo. Results: Pontuações elevadas para a característica “trote à mão” foram significativamente associadas a menor risco de diagnósticos ortopédicos tanto em cavalos de salto quanto em cavalos de adestramento (p<0,05 e p<0,001, respectivamente). Além disso, cavalos com maior altura na cernelha apresentaram risco significativamente maior de receber diagnósticos ortopédicos. Entre 48 características avaliadas por pontuação linear, 11 foram significativamente associadas a diagnósticos ortopédicos. PRINCIPAIS LIMITAÇÕES: Os dados de seguradoras podem apresentar incertezas e não descrevem completamente a prevalência de diagnósticos ortopédicos na população SWB. Além disso, a pré‐seleção de cavalos que participam dos testes de cavalos jovens pode introduzir algum viés nos dados referentes às características avaliadas. CONCLUSÕES: Relativamente poucas características foram significativamente associadas a diagnósticos ortopédicos, sugerindo que as características atualmente avaliadas em testes de cavalos jovens têm valor limitado como indicadores da saúde ortopédica.

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Publication Date: 2026-09-23 PubMed ID: 42776085DOI: 10.1002/evj.70331Google Scholar: Lookup

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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 investigated whether traits assessed in young Swedish Warmblood horses during performance tests can predict future orthopedic health problems, particularly lameness.
The research found some associations between specific traits and orthopedic diagnoses, but overall these traits showed limited value as predictors of orthopedic health issues.

Background

Lameness is the most common health issue affecting sport horses, including Swedish Warmblood (SWB) horses commonly used for show jumping and dressage.
Previous studies have used insurance data to understand the prevalence of orthopedic diagnoses in SWB horses.
Young horse performance tests play a crucial role in the SWB breeding program, providing genetic evaluation data based on assessed traits during testing.
Some assessed traits have been linked to future performance success in disciplines like show jumping and dressage, but their relationships with orthopedic health have not been explored before.

Objective

The primary aim was to analyze associations between traits assessed during young horse tests and the occurrence of orthopedic diagnoses later in life in SWB horses.
The study also sought to determine if these traits could serve as indicator traits to predict future orthopedic health issues.

Methods

Type of study: Retrospective cohort study.
Data source: Insurance records from 5991 SWB horses born between 2010 and 2020.
Age range of horses: 4 to 14 years at the time of analysis.
Classification: Horses were categorized into jumping horses and dressage horses according to their discipline.
Trait assessment: Horses were scored on multiple traits during young horse performance tests, including numerical and linear scoring traits.
Statistical analysis: Survival analysis was used, with time measured as the number of days from birth until the first recorded orthopedic diagnosis.

Key Results

A higher score in the trait “trot at hand”—a numerically scored trait reflecting the quality of the trot when led—was significantly linked with a lower risk of developing orthopedic diagnoses in both jumping and dressage horses (with p-values indicating strong statistical significance).
Horses with greater height at the withers showed a significantly increased risk of receiving orthopedic diagnoses, indicating that taller animals may be more prone to orthopedic issues.
Out of 48 linearly scored traits assessed, only 11 showed significant associations with orthopedic diagnoses, demonstrating that most tested traits were not predictive of orthopedic health problems.

Limitations

Insurance data may have uncertainties, such as incomplete records or misclassification, possibly affecting the accuracy of orthopedic diagnosis prevalence.
The population evaluated in young horse tests is preselected, introducing potential bias because not all horses undergo such testing, potentially limiting generalizability.
As an observational retrospective study, causality cannot be established, only associations.

Conclusions

The study suggests that only a few traits assessed during young horse tests have meaningful associations with later orthopedic problems, such as “trot at hand” and height at the withers.
Consequently, the traits currently used in these young horse tests have limited value as predictive indicator traits for future orthopedic health in Swedish Warmblood horses.
Further research may be needed to identify better early predictors of orthopedic health or to improve the assessment methodologies in young horse testing.

Cite This Article

APA

Bonow S, Hernlund E, Eriksson S, Strandberg E, Viklund ÅG. (2026). Phenotypic associations between young horse assessments and orthopaedic diagnoses in insured Swedish Warmblood horses. Equine Vet J. https://doi.org/10.1002/evj.70331

Publication

Equine veterinary journal

ISSN: 2042-3306

NlmUniqueID: 0173320

Country: United States

Language: English

Researcher Affiliations

Bonow, Sandra

Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.

Hernlund, Elin

Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.

Eriksson, Susanne

Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.

Strandberg, Erling

Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.

Viklund, Åsa Gelinder

Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.

Grant Funding

H-23-47-771 / The Swedish-Norwegian Foundation for Equine Research

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