FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / J Am Vet Med Assoc / Prevalence of, and factors associated with, musculoskeletal ...
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association1994; 204(4); 620-626;

Prevalence of, and factors associated with, musculoskeletal racing injuries of thoroughbreds.

Abstract: All horses diagnosed by a commission veterinarian of the Kentucky Racing Commission as having sustained a musculoskeletal injury, defined as an obvious change in soundness immediately before, during, or after a race held between Jan 1, 1992 and May 31, 1993 were included in a study to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with racing injuries involving the musculoskeletal system of horses competing at 4 Thoroughbred racetracks in Kentucky. During the 17-month study, there were 35,484 racing starts among 7,649 horses in 3,824 official Kentucky Racing Commission races. During this period, 132 musculoskeletal racing injuries were diagnosed among 117 horses. Twenty-eight injured horses were male, 46 were geldings, and 43 were female. The prevalence of horses with racing injuries per racing start was 0.33% (117/35,484). The injuries of 51 horses were classified as catastrophic, and 66 as noncatastrophic. The prevalence of horses with catastrophic injuries per racing start was 0.14% (51/35,484). The proportion of horses with injuries of the left forelimb, sesamoid, and third metacarpal bone in the catastrophic group was significantly (P < or = 0.05) greater than those of horses in the noncatastrophic group. The proportion of horses with injuries of the superficial digital flexor tendon among those in the catastrophic group was significantly less than that of horses in the noncatastrophic group. The distance of the race was significantly shorter and the number of turns less among horses with catastrophic injuries than among horses with noncatastrophic injuries.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 1994-02-15 PubMed ID: 8163419
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • 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.

The study examines the prevalence and causes of bone and muscle injuries in racehorses in Kentucky. Over a 17-month period, 132 orthopedic injuries were identified among competitors, with certain factors like race distance and the number of turns being linked to the severity of the injury.

Research Objectives

  • The primary purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of musculoskeletal racing injuries in racehorses over a 17-month period.
  • Another key objective was to find out the associated factors that contribute to these injuries.

Study Methods

  • All injuries were diagnosed by a commission veterinarian of the Kentucky Racing Commission between January 1, 1992, and May 31, 1993.
  • An injury was defined as any obvious change in a horse’s soundness observed immediately before, during, or after a race.
  • The study included horses racing at four Thoroughbred racetracks in Kentucky. During this period, 7,649 horses competed in 3,824 official Kentucky Racing Commission races.

Findings and Conclusions

  • A total of 132 musculoskeletal injuries were recorded among 117 horses, with a prevalence rate of 0.33% per racing start.
  • Of these injured horses, 28 were male, 46 were geldings, and 43 were female.
  • The researchers categorized 51 of these injuries as catastrophic and the remaining 66 as noncatastrophic, with the catastrophic injury prevalence being 0.14% per racing start.
  • The study also found a significant correlation between the type of injury and its severity. More specifically, horses with catastrophic injuries showed a greater incidence of injuries to the left forelimb, sesamoid, and third metacarpal bone, as compared to those with noncatastrophic injuries.
  • In contrast, horses in the catastrophic group were less likely to sustain injuries to the superficial digital flexor tendon.
  • Moreover, the study noted that catastrophic injuries were more common in races with shorter distances and fewer turns.

In conclusion, this study offers valuable insights into the factors contributing to musculoskeletal injuries in racehorses and might help in developing preventive measures.

Cite This Article

APA
Peloso JG, Mundy GD, Cohen ND. (1994). Prevalence of, and factors associated with, musculoskeletal racing injuries of thoroughbreds. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 204(4), 620-626.

Publication

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
ISSN: 0003-1488
NlmUniqueID: 7503067
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 204
Issue: 4
Pages: 620-626

Researcher Affiliations

Peloso, J G
  • Department of Large Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843-4475.
Mundy, G D
    Cohen, N D

      MeSH Terms

      • Animals
      • Athletic Injuries / epidemiology
      • Athletic Injuries / etiology
      • Athletic Injuries / veterinary
      • Breeding
      • Extremities / injuries
      • Female
      • Horses / injuries
      • Kentucky / epidemiology
      • Male
      • Musculoskeletal System / injuries
      • Prevalence
      • Retrospective Studies

      Citations

      This article has been cited 14 times.
      1. Roberts JH, Halper J. Growth Factor Roles in Soft Tissue Physiology and Pathophysiology. Adv Exp Med Biol 2021;1348:139-159.
        doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-80614-9_6pubmed: 34807418google scholar: lookup
      2. Crawford KL, Finnane A, Phillips CJC, Greer RM, Woldeyohannes SM, Perkins NR, Kidd LJ, Ahern BJ. The Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Injuries in Thoroughbred Racehorses in Queensland, Australia: How These Vary for Two-Year-Old and Older Horses and with Type of Injury. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jan 21;11(2).
        doi: 10.3390/ani11020270pubmed: 33494508google scholar: lookup
      3. Crawford KL, Finnane A, Greer RM, Phillips CJC, Woldeyohannes SM, Perkins NR, Ahern BJ. Appraising the Welfare of Thoroughbred Racehorses in Training in Queensland, Australia: The Incidence and Type of Musculoskeletal Injuries Vary between Two-Year-Old and Older Thoroughbred Racehorses. Animals (Basel) 2020 Nov 5;10(11).
        doi: 10.3390/ani10112046pubmed: 33167429google scholar: lookup
      4. Pfeiffenberger M, Bartsch J, Hoff P, Ponomarev I, Barnewitz D, Thöne-Reineke C, Buttgereit F, Gaber T, Lang A. Hypoxia and mesenchymal stromal cells as key drivers of initial fracture healing in an equine in vitro fracture hematoma model. PLoS One 2019;14(4):e0214276.
        doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214276pubmed: 30947253google scholar: lookup
      5. Brown HR, Peloso JG, Werner WC, Mecholsky JJ, Cohen ND, Vogler JB. A Thoroughbred racehorse with a unicortical palmar lateral condylar fracture returned to training 14 days after surgery: a hypothesis on the role of a single bone screw on crack propagation. J Equine Sci 2019 Mar;30(1):7-12.
        doi: 10.1294/jes.30.7pubmed: 30944541google scholar: lookup
      6. Spargo KE, Rubio-Martinez LM, Wheeler DP, Fletcher L, Carstens A. Catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries in Thoroughbred racehorses on racetracks in Gauteng, South Africa. J S Afr Vet Assoc 2019 Feb 28;90(0):e1-e5.
        doi: 10.4102/jsava.v90i0.1640pubmed: 30843400google scholar: lookup
      7. Pongratz U, Licka T. Algometry to measure pain threshold in the horse's back - An in vivo and in vitro study. BMC Vet Res 2017 Mar 29;13(1):80.
        doi: 10.1186/s12917-017-1002-ypubmed: 28356118google scholar: lookup
      8. Maeda Y, Hanada M, Oikawa MA. Epidemiology of racing injuries in Thoroughbred racehorses with special reference to bone fractures: Japanese experience from the 1980s to 2000s. J Equine Sci 2016;27(3):81-97.
        doi: 10.1294/jes.27.81pubmed: 27703403google scholar: lookup
      9. Kihara R, Kasashima Y, Arai K, Miyamoto Y. Injury induces a change in the functional characteristics of cells recovered from equine tendon. J Equine Sci 2011;22(3):57-60.
        doi: 10.1294/jes.22.57pubmed: 24833988google scholar: lookup
      10. Halper J, Kim B, Khan A, Yoon JH, Mueller PO. Degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis as a systemic disorder characterized by proteoglycan accumulation. BMC Vet Res 2006 Apr 12;2:12.
        doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-2-12pubmed: 16611357google scholar: lookup
      11. Leblond A, Villard I, Leblond L, Sabatier P, Sasco AJ. A retrospective evaluation of the causes of death of 448 insured French horses in 1995. Vet Res Commun 2000 Mar;24(2):85-102.
        doi: 10.1023/a:1006408522233pubmed: 10720095google scholar: lookup
      12. Zhang Z, Li J, Mai Z, Yang Y, Fu H, Cao X, Li T, Guo Q, Ma Y. Clinical study on the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on healing of proximal sesamoid bone fractures in Yili horses. Sci Rep 2025 Aug 28;15(1):31697.
        doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-17424-0pubmed: 40877380google scholar: lookup
      13. Schild CO, Nyaoke A, Asin J, Henderson EE, Blea JA, Stover SM, Uzal FA. A retrospective study of radial fractures in racehorses in California, 2006-2022. J Vet Diagn Invest 2025 Jul 23;:10406387251336267.
        doi: 10.1177/10406387251336267pubmed: 40702641google scholar: lookup
      14. Orozco Lopez D, Garcia-Lopez JM, Carpenter R, Bras JJ, Richardson DW, Ortved KF. Treatment of traumatic disruption of the suspensory apparatus in Thoroughbred racehorses at risk of proximal interphalangeal joint subluxation using a locking compression-distal femur plate for double arthrodesis. Vet Surg 2025 Apr;54(3):439-452.
        doi: 10.1111/vsu.14219pubmed: 39895425google scholar: lookup
      Subscribe to our newsletter
      Join 99,357 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.