[The appearance of stress on the movement apparatus in dressage, jumping and versatility horses].

The research investigates the stress experienced by dressage, jumping, and eventing horses during sports activities, specifically focusing on the stress in the extremities and how it leads to tendon, joint, and bone diseases. The study also notes the absence of specific injury statistics for German competition horses.

Emphasis on Sports-induced Stress in Horses

• The study begins by specifying that horses used for jumping and military events (three days events) are subjected to notably high levels of stress during their activities. In particular, the extremities or the limbs of these animals suffer the most stress.

Relationship Between Stress and Diseases

• The research further digs into the genesis or development of certain diseases in these horses as a result of this stress. Specifically, diseases of the tendons, joints, and bones are connected with the intense load concentrations occurring during the horse’s movement sequence. These diseases are serious ailments that could severely affect the performance and overall health of the horses.

Lack of Specific Statistics on Injuries

• The research underscores a gap in the available data: there is no special statistical database on injuries that focuses specifically on German competition horses. This calls for further research and collection of data that could potentially provide better insights into the frequency and type of injuries in dressage, jumping, and eventing horses.

Insights from Existing Data

• Despite the absence of focused injury data, the study makes use of available statistics on German competition horses to deduce preliminary insights. Interestingly, they observe that the data does not suggest a particularly high rate of horse loss due to their usage as sports horses. This finding subverts a possible assumption that rigorous sporting activity necessarily results in a high rate of injury or wear and tear in horses.