Training Young Horses: The Science behind the Benefits.
- Journal Article
- Review
Summary
The research paper is a literature review assessing whether two-year-old horses should be trained and raced, based on epidemiological studies and physiological data from equine bone, articular cartilage, and tendons.
Objective of the Study
The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of training and racing two-year-old horses. The study takes into account several factors including:
- The adaptation of tissues for the racing rigors
- The risk of injury
- The prevalent use of pain-relieving substances in horse racing.
This research’s Approach
The research takes a systematic approach, that involves reviewing various epidemiological studies and physiological data on the skeletal system of horses, especially, the bone, articular cartilage, and tendons. The following were analyzed:
- Studies related to the age at which horses should be trained and raced
- Research on the physiological changes that occur in a horse’s skeletal system in response to racing and training
- Observations and experiments on the use and impact of pain-relieving substances in the racing industry
Key Findings
The key finding from this literature review is that horses that begin their training or racing at the age of two tend to have a lower risk of injury. Additionally, the horses appear to have tissues better adapted for racing rigors. However, the paper also highlights a significant issue in the racing industry – the widespread use of substances designed to mitigate pain. These substances, despite their intentions, put horses at a greater risk of injury, even those as young as two years old. The authors argue that these substances should be used very cautiously, indicating a concern for the wellbeing of the horses in the industry.
Implications of the Study
The findings draw attention to ascertain clear guidelines for when racing and training should begin for horses. Importantly, it highlights the risks involved with the prevalent use of pain-relieving substances within the industry, bringing the focus on the need for more regulations and guidelines in this area. The research could be beneficial for:
- Racing industry policymakers for enforcing a safer and healthier environment for the horses
- Professional trainers for gaining a better understanding of the optimal period for training and racing horses
- Veterinarians for advising on the responsible use of pain-mitigating substances in younger horses
Cite This Article
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, 474 S. Shaw Ln, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
- Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, 474 S. Shaw Ln, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Conflict of Interest Statement
References
- What Is the Apollo Curse?—The Turf Board. [(accessed on 4 January 2021)]; Available online: http://www.theturfboard.com/what-is-the-apollo-curse/
- Stover SM. The Epidemiology of Thoroughbred Racehorse Injuries. Clin. Tech. Equine Pract. 2003;2:312–322.
- Rogers CW, Bolwell CF, Tanner JC, van Weeren PR. Early Exercise in the Horse. J. Vet. Behav. 2012;7:375–379.
- Santschi EM, White BJ, Peterson ES, Gotchey MH, Morgan JM, Leibsle SR. Forelimb Conformation, Sales Results, and Lifetime Racing Performance of 2-Year-Old Thoroughbred Racing Prospects Sold at Auction. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2017;53:74–80.
- Velie BD, Knight PK, Thomson PC, Wade CM, Hamilton NA. The association of age at first start with career length in the Australian Thoroughbred racehorse population.. Equine Vet J 2013 Jul;45(4):410-3.
- Hitchens PL, Morrice-West AV, Stevenson MA, Whitton RC. Meta-analysis of risk factors for racehorse catastrophic musculoskeletal injury in flat racing.. Vet J 2019 Mar;245:29-40.
- Grayson Jockey Club Supplemental Tables of Equine Injury Database Statistics for Thoroughbreds. [(accessed on 6 January 2021)];2018 Available online: http://jockeyclub.com/pdfs/eid_10_year_tables.pdf.
- Rosanowski SM, Chang YM, Stirk AJ, Verheyen KLP. Epidemiology of race-day distal limb fracture in flat racing Thoroughbreds in Great Britain (2000-2013).. Equine Vet J 2019 Jan;51(1):83-89.
- Nunamaker DM, Butterweck DM, Provost MT. Fatigue fractures in thoroughbred racehorses: relationships with age, peak bone strain, and training.. J Orthop Res 1990 Jul;8(4):604-11.
- Hoekstra KE, Nielsen BD, Orth MW, Rosenstein DS, Schott HC 2nd, Shelle JE. Comparison of bone mineral content and biochemical markers of bone metabolism in stall- vs. pasture-reared horses.. Equine Vet J Suppl 1999 Jul;(30):601-4.
- Ross M, Dyson S. Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse. 2nd ed. Elsevier; Amsterdam, The Netherlands: 2010.
- Mason TA, Bourke JM. Closure of the distal radial epiphysis and its relationship to unsoundness in two year old thoroughbreds.. Aust Vet J 1973 May;49(5):221-8.
- Mirtz TA, Chandler JP, Eyers CM. The effects of physical activity on the epiphyseal growth plates: a review of the literature on normal physiology and clinical implications.. J Clin Med Res 2011 Feb 12;3(1):1-7.
- Florencio-Silva R, Sasso GR, Sasso-Cerri E, Simões MJ, Cerri PS. Biology of Bone Tissue: Structure, Function, and Factors That Influence Bone Cells.. Biomed Res Int 2015;2015:421746.
- Woo SL, Kuei SC, Amiel D, Gomez MA, Hayes WC, White FC, Akeson WH. The effect of prolonged physical training on the properties of long bone: a study of Wolff's Law.. J Bone Joint Surg Am 1981 Jun;63(5):780-7.
- Hadjidakis DJ, Androulakis II. Bone remodeling.. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2006 Dec;1092:385-96.
- Franz-Odendaal TA, Hall BK, Witten PE. Buried alive: how osteoblasts become osteocytes.. Dev Dyn 2006 Jan;235(1):176-90.
- Smith RK, Goodship AE. The effect of early training and the adaptation and conditioning of skeletal tissues.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2008 Apr;24(1):37-51.
- Allen MR, Burr DB. Bone Modeling and Remodeling. In: Burr D.B., Allen M.R., editors. Basic and Applied Bone Biology. Elsevier; Amsterdam, The Netherlands: 2014. pp. 75–90.
- Hiney KM, Nielsen BD, Rosenstein D. Short-duration exercise and confinement alters bone mineral content and shape in weanling horses.. J Anim Sci 2004 Aug;82(8):2313-20.
- Hiney KM, Nielsen BD, Rosenstein D, Orth MW, Marks BP. High-intensity exercise of short duration alters bovine bone density and shape.. J Anim Sci 2004 Jun;82(6):1612-20.
- Warden SJ, Fuchs RK, Castillo AB, Nelson IR, Turner CH. Exercise when young provides lifelong benefits to bone structure and strength.. J Bone Miner Res 2007 Feb;22(2):251-9.
- Logan AA, Nielsen BD, Robison CI, Manfredi JM, Buskirk DD, Schott HC, Hiney KM. Calves, as a model for juvenile horses, need only one sprint per week to experience increased bone strength.. J Anim Sci 2019 Jul 30;97(8):3300-3312.
- Rubin CT, Lanyon LE. Regulation of bone formation by applied dynamic loads.. J Bone Joint Surg Am 1984 Mar;66(3):397-402.
- Lanyon LE, Rubin CT. Static vs dynamic loads as an influence on bone remodelling.. J Biomech 1984;17(12):897-905.
- Guadalupe-Grau A, Fuentes T, Guerra B, Calbet JA. Exercise and bone mass in adults.. Sports Med 2009;39(6):439-68.
- Nielsen BD, Potter GD, Morris EL, Odom TW, Senor DM, Reynolds JA, Smith WB, Martin MT. Changes in the Third Metacarpal Bone and Frequency of Bone Injuries in Young Quarter Horses during Race Training—Observations and Theoretical Considerations. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 1997;17:541–549.
- Porr CA, Kronfeld DS, Lawrence LA, Pleasant RS, Harris PA. Deconditioning reduces mineral content of the third metacarpal bone in horses.. J Anim Sci 1998 Jul;76(7):1875-9.
- Firth EC. The response of bone, articular cartilage and tendon to exercise in the horse.. J Anat 2006 Apr;208(4):513-26.
- Hitchens PL, Hill AE, Stover SM. Relationship Between Historical Lameness, Medication Usage, Surgery, and Exercise With Catastrophic Musculoskeletal Injury in Racehorses.. Front Vet Sci 2018;5:217.
- Spooner HS, Nielsen BD, Woodward AD, Rosenstein DS, Harris PA. Endurance Training Has Little Impact on Mineral Content of the Third Metacarpus in Two-Year-Old Arabian Horses. J. Equine Vet. Sci. Sci. 2008;28:359–362.
- Witkowska-Piłaszewicz O, Bąska P, Czopowicz M, Żmigrodzka M, Szarska E, Szczepaniak J, Nowak Z, Winnicka A, Cywińska A. Anti-Inflammatory State in Arabian Horses Introduced to the Endurance Training.. Animals (Basel) 2019 Aug 27;9(9).
- Nielsen BD, O'Connor CI, Rosenstein DS, Schott HC, Clayton HM. Influence of trotting and supplemental weight on metacarpal bone development.. Equine Vet J Suppl 2002 Sep;(34):236-40.
- Firth EC, Rogers CW, van Weeren PR, Barneveld A, McIlwraith CW, Kawcak CE, Goodship AE, Smith RK. The effect of previous conditioning exercise on diaphyseal and metaphyseal bone to imposition and withdrawal of training in young Thoroughbred horses.. Vet J 2012 Apr;192(1):34-40.
- Billinghurst RC, Brama PA, van Weeren PR, Knowlton MS, McIlwraith CW. Significant exercise-related changes in the serum levels of two biomarkers of collagen metabolism in young horses.. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2003 Oct;11(10):760-9.
- Reilly GC, Currey JD, Goodship AE. Exercise of young thoroughbred horses increases impact strength of the third metacarpal bone.. J Orthop Res 1997 Nov;15(6):862-8.
- Riggs CM, Boyde A. Effect of exercise on bone density in distal regions of the equine third metacarpal bone in 2-year-old thoroughbreds.. Equine Vet J Suppl 1999 Jul;(30):555-60.
- Bell RA, Nielsen BD, Waite K, Rosenstein D, Orth M. Daily access to pasture turnout prevents loss of mineral in the third metacarpus of Arabian weanlings.. J Anim Sci 2001 May;79(5):1142-50.
- Sophia Fox AJ, Bedi A, Rodeo SA. The basic science of articular cartilage: structure, composition, and function.. Sports Health 2009 Nov;1(6):461-8.
- Rich T, Patterson-Kane JC. Science-in-brief: What is needed to prevent tendon injury in equine athletes? A conversation between researchers and industry stakeholders.. Equine Vet J 2014 Jul;46(4):393-8.
- Bertone AL, Palmer JL, Jones J. Synovial fluid cytokines and eicosanoids as markers of joint disease in horses.. Vet Surg 2001 Nov-Dec;30(6):528-38.
- Chu CR, Szczodry M, Bruno S. Animal models for cartilage regeneration and repair.. Tissue Eng Part B Rev 2010 Feb;16(1):105-15.
- Murray RC, Birch HL, Lakhani K, Goodship AE. Biochemical composition of equine carpal articular cartilage is influenced by short-term exercise in a site-specific manner.. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2001 Oct;9(7):625-32.
- Holopainen JT, Brama PA, Halmesmäki E, Harjula T, Tuukkanen J, van Weeren PR, Helminen HJ, Hyttinen MM. Changes in subchondral bone mineral density and collagen matrix organization in growing horses.. Bone 2008 Dec;43(6):1108-14.
- van de Lest CH, Brama PA, Van Weeren PR. The influence of exercise on the composition of developing equine joints.. Biorheology 2002;39(1-2):183-91.
- van Weeren PR, Firth EC, Brommer H, Hyttinen MM, Helminen AE, Rogers CW, Degroot J, Brama PA. Early exercise advances the maturation of glycosaminoglycans and collagen in the extracellular matrix of articular cartilage in the horse.. Equine Vet J 2008 Mar;40(2):128-35.
- Brama PA, Tekoppele JM, Bank RA, Barneveld A, Firth EC, van Weeren PR. The influence of strenuous exercise on collagen characteristics of articular cartilage in Thoroughbreds age 2 years.. Equine Vet J 2000 Nov;32(6):551-4.
- Murray RC, Whitton RC, Vedi S, Goodship AE, Lekeux P. The effect of training on the calcified zone of equine middle carpal articular cartilage.. Equine Vet J Suppl 1999 Jul;(30):274-8.
- Thorpe CT, Clegg PD, Birch HL. A review of tendon injury: why is the equine superficial digital flexor tendon most at risk?. Equine Vet J 2010 Mar;42(2):174-80.
- Nakagawa Y, Totsuka M, Sato T, Fukuda Y, Hirota K. Effect of disuse on the ultrastructure of the achilles tendon in rats.. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1989;59(3):239-42.
- Birch HL, McLaughlin L, Smith RK, Goodship AE. Treadmill exercise-induced tendon hypertrophy: assessment of tendons with different mechanical functions.. Equine Vet J Suppl 1999 Jul;(30):222-6.
- Patterson-Kane JC, Becker DL, Rich T. The pathogenesis of tendon microdamage in athletes: the horse as a natural model for basic cellular research.. J Comp Pathol 2012 Aug-Oct;147(2-3):227-47.
- Herchenhan A, Kalson NS, Holmes DF, Hill P, Kadler KE, Margetts L. Tenocyte contraction induces crimp formation in tendon-like tissue.. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2012 Mar;11(3-4):449-59.
- Smith RK, Birch H, Patterson-Kane J, Firth EC, Williams L, Cherdchutham W, van Weeren WR, Goodship AE. Should equine athletes commence training during skeletal development?: changes in tendon matrix associated with development, ageing, function and exercise.. Equine Vet J Suppl 1999 Jul;(30):201-9.
- Dowling BA, Dart AJ. Mechanical and functional properties of the equine superficial digital flexor tendon.. Vet J 2005 Sep;170(2):184-92.
- Docking SI, Daffy J, van Schie HT, Cook JL. Tendon structure changes after maximal exercise in the Thoroughbred horse: use of ultrasound tissue characterisation to detect in vivo tendon response.. Vet J 2012 Dec;194(3):338-42.
- Buchanan CI, Marsh RL. Effects of exercise on the biomechanical, biochemical and structural properties of tendons.. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2002 Dec;133(4):1101-7.
- Patterson-Kane JC, Firth EC. Tendon, ligament, bone, and cartilage: Anatomy, physiology, and adaptations to exercise and training. In: Hodgson D.R., McKeever K.M., McGowan C.M., editors. The Athletic Horse: Principles and Practice of Equine Sports Medicine. 2nd ed. Elsevier; Amsterdam, The Netherlands: 2014. pp. 202–242.
- Moffat PA, Firth EC, Rogers CW, Smith RK, Barneveld A, Goodship AE, Kawcak CE, McIlwraith CW, van Weeren PR. The influence of exercise during growth on ultrasonographic parameters of the superficial digital flexor tendon of young Thoroughbred horses.. Equine Vet J 2008 Mar;40(2):136-40.
- Cherdchutham W, Becker C, Smith RK, Barneveld A, van Weeren PR. Age-related changes and effect of exercise on the molecular composition of immature equine superficial digital flexor tendons.. Equine Vet J Suppl 1999 Nov;(31):86-94.
- Feed XL Horse Nutrition Calculator—Posts | Facebook. [(accessed on 4 January 2021)]; Available online: https://www.facebook.com/feedxl/posts/10157460652004853.
- Prochno HC, Barussi FM, Bastos FZ, Weber SH, Bechara GH, Rehan IF, Michelotto PV. Infrared Thermography Applied to Monitoring Musculoskeletal Adaptation to Training in Thoroughbred Race Horses.. J Equine Vet Sci 2020 Apr;87:102935.
- Morrice-West AV, Hitchens PL, Walmsley EA, Stevenson MA, Whitton RC. Training practices, speed and distances undertaken by Thoroughbred racehorses in Victoria, Australia.. Equine Vet J 2020 Mar;52(2):273-280.
- Nielsen BD. The Other Steroid. Am. Quart. Horse Racing J. 2008;20:127.
- CHRB Approves Continuing Education Program for Trainers; Poised to Further Tighten Corticosteroid, Thyroxin Use—Horse Racing News | Paulick Report. [(accessed on 4 January 2021)]; Available online: https://www.paulickreport.com/news/the-biz/chrb-approves-continuing-education-program-for-trainers-poised-to-further-tighten-corticosteroid-use/
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Kim SM, Cho GJ. Analysis of Various Facial Expressions of Horses as a Welfare Indicator Using Deep Learning.. Vet Sci 2023 Apr 10;10(4).
- Nielsen BD. A Review of Three Decades of Research Dedicated to Making Equine Bones Stronger: Implications for Horses and Humans.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Feb 22;13(5).
- Siegers E, van den Broek J, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan M, Munsters C. Longitudinal Training and Workload Assessment in Young Friesian Stallions in Relation to Fitness, Part 2-An Adapted Training Program.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Feb 14;13(4).
- Dzięgielewska A, Dunislawska A. Mitochondrial Dysfunctions and Potential Molecular Markers in Sport Horses.. Int J Mol Sci 2022 Aug 4;23(15).
- Vergara-Hernandez FB, Nielsen BD, Colbath AC. Is the Use of Bisphosphonates Putting Horses at Risk? An Osteoclast Perspective.. Animals (Basel) 2022 Jul 3;12(13).
- Sundby AE, Pechette Markley A, Shoben AB, Kieves NR. Internet Survey Evaluation of Demographic Risk Factors for Injury in Canine Agility Athletes.. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:869702.
- Inkilä L, Hyytiäinen HK, Hielm-Björkman A, Junnila J, Bergh A, Boström A. Part II of Finnish Agility Dog Survey: Agility-Related Injuries and Risk Factors for Injury in Competition-Level Agility Dogs.. Animals (Basel) 2022 Jan 18;12(3).
- Andersen PH, Broomé S, Rashid M, Lundblad J, Ask K, Li Z, Hernlund E, Rhodin M, Kjellström H. Towards Machine Recognition of Facial Expressions of Pain in Horses.. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jun 1;11(6).