Prevalence and risk of orthopedic diagnoses in insured Swedish Warmblood horses.
Abstract: Sweden has a strong tradition of insuring horses for veterinary costs, and orthopedic diagnoses are the most common for insurance claims. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in prevalence and risk of orthopedic diagnoses for Swedish warmblood (SWB) horses classified as jumping (J) or dressage (D) horses. Also, other factors that may influence orthopedic health were investigated, i.e., sex, birth cohort, and participation in young horse tests and competition. The data consisted of 15,619 insured SWB horses born between 2010 and 2020. Horses were classified as J or D horses according to pedigree. The prevalence of orthopedic diagnoses was investigated using logistic regression analysis and presented as Least Squares means. The time from birth to first orthopedic diagnosis was investigated using survival analysis. D horses were at a higher risk of having orthopedic diagnoses compared with J horses (50.9 % vs 43.9 %, P < 0.0001). Male horses were at a higher risk than females (49.7 % vs 45.0 %, P < 0.0001), and tested horses were at a higher risk than non-tested horses (49.9 % vs 44.9 %, P < 0.0001). No significant difference was seen between competed and non-competed horses regarding the risk of having orthopedic diagnoses, but the groups were predisposed to different subgroups of orthopedic diagnoses. Survival analysis showed that later cohorts were more likely to have insurance claims for orthopedic diagnoses at a younger age than earlier cohorts. In conclusion, insurance data can be a useful tool to study which factors influence the orthopedic health status of the SWB horse population.
Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2025-06-11 PubMed ID: 40516222DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106596Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research investigates the correlation between different types of activity, sex, birth cohort, and competition participation on the prevalence and risk of orthopedic diagnoses in Swedish Warmblood horses. The study concluded that dressage horses had a higher risk of orthopedic issues than jumping horses, male horses have a higher risk than females, and tested horses have a higher risk than non-tested ones.
Methodology and Data Analysis
- The researchers carried out their study on 15,619 insured Swedish Warmblood horses born between 2010 and 2020.
- They classified the horses into either jumping (J) or dressage (D) horses based on their pedigree.
- A logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the prevalence of orthopedic diagnoses, the results of which were presented as Least Squares means.
- The time from birth to first orthopedic diagnosis was investigated with survival analysis.
Results
- Dressage horses showed a higher risk of having orthopedic issues than jumping horses, with 50.9% vs 43.9% occurrence respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.0001).
- Male Swedish Warmblood horses showed a higher risk for orthopedic diagnoses than females (49.7% vs 45.0%, P < 0.0001).
- Horses that were tested had a higher risk of having orthopedic diagnoses than those that were not tested (49.9% vs 44.9%, P < 0.0001).
- No significant difference was observed between competing and non-competing horses, however, they were predisposed to different subgroups of orthopedic diagnoses.
- Survival analysis revealed that later-born cohorts were likelier to have insurance claims for orthopedic diagnoses at a younger age than earlier-born cohorts.
Conclusions
- The study concluded that insurance data could serve as a useful tool for studying the factors influencing the orthopedic health status of the Swedish Warmblood horse population.
- Further studies might be needed to find the reasons behind the difference in prevalence in different horse categories, sexes, and cohorts to optimize training and care practices to prevent orthopedic issues.
Cite This Article
APA
Bonow S, Hernlund E, Eriksson S, Strandberg E, Gelinder Viklund Å.
(2025).
Prevalence and risk of orthopedic diagnoses in insured Swedish Warmblood horses.
Prev Vet Med, 242, 106596.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106596 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Biosciences, P.O. Box 7023, Uppsala SE-750 07, Sweden. Electronic address: sandra.bonow@slu.se.
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Biosciences, P.O. Box 7023, Uppsala SE-750 07, Sweden.
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Biosciences, P.O. Box 7023, Uppsala SE-750 07, Sweden.
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Biosciences, P.O. Box 7023, Uppsala SE-750 07, Sweden.
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Biosciences, P.O. Box 7023, Uppsala SE-750 07, Sweden.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Horses
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Sweden / epidemiology
- Prevalence
- Male
- Female
- Risk Factors
- Musculoskeletal Diseases / veterinary
- Musculoskeletal Diseases / epidemiology
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of Competing Interest Åsa Gelinder Viklund has regular commitments for Swedish Warmblood Association, regarding the routine genetic evaluation.
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