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Type, prevalence, and risk factors for the development of orthopedic injuries in endurance horses during training and competition.
Abstract: To report the type, prevalence, and risk factors for the development of orthopedic injuries in endurance horses. Methods: 235 endurance horses. Methods: Medical records of horses examined between January 2007 and December 2018 were reviewed. Recorded data were birth; breed; sex; dates of first and last examinations; presence of any conformation fault, lameness, positive flexion test result, and orthopedic injury; starts in endurance competitions; level of athletic activity; professional status of trainer or rider; and whether an orthopedic injury developed in > 1 limb or during or within 2 days after competition, lameness resolved after treatment, reinjury occurred, horse was eliminated from competition after treatment, and the horse required retirement from endurance competitions. Anatomic locations of injuries were classified as proximal portion of the metacarpal area, midportion of the metacarpal area, metacarpo- or metatarsophalangeal (fetlock) area, tarsus, or foot. For each outcome, multivariable logistic regression models were developed after bivariable logistic regression and collinearity analyses. Results: 351 orthopedic injuries were detected in 76.6% of the horses, with 27.1% that affected the fetlock area, 21.4% the proximal portion of the metacarpal area, 21.1% the foot, 12.8% the tarsus, 9.1% the midportion of the metacarpal area, and 8.5% other sites. High suspensory disease (21.4%) was the most common condition, followed by arthropathy of the metacarpo- or metatarsophalangeal joint (19.4%) and solar pain (14%). Age at first examination (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.37 to 2.11), months of observation (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.05), conformation fault of forelimbs (OR, 4.08; 95% CI, 1.53 to 10.89), and amateur status (OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.86 to 7.99) remained significant in the final multivariable regression model for the development of orthopedic injuries. Conclusions: A large number of endurance horses developed ≥ 1 orthopedic injury during training or competition. Clinical and diagnostic examinations should be focused with particular attention to the metacarpophalangeal joints, proximal portion of the metacarpal area, and foot.
Publication Date: 2021-05-05 PubMed ID: 33944587DOI: 10.2460/javma.258.10.1109Google Scholar: Lookup 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.
- Journal Article
Summary
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This research explores the types, prevalence, and risk factors associated with orthopedic injuries in endurance horses during training or competitions. The findings reveal a high occurrence of orthopedic injuries in these horses, particularly affecting areas such as the fetlock area, metacarpal area, and foot, with risk factors including age, conformation fault of forelimbs, and amateur status.
Objective and Methodology
- This study aimed to identify the type, prevalence, and risk factors for development of orthopedic injuries in endurance horses. To do this, researchers examined the medical records of 235 endurance horses over a span of eleven years, from January 2007 to December 2018.
- The data collected included the horse’s birth, breed, sex, dates of first and last examinations, presence of any conformation fault, lameness, positive flexion test result, and orthopedic injury. Additionally, information regarding the horse’s participation in endurance competitions, level of athletic activity, professional status of the trainer or the rider, and whether an orthopedic injury developed in more than one limb were also recorded.
Results
- In the study, 76.6% of the horses developed 351 orthopedic injuries. The most common injury location was the fetlock area (27.1%), followed by the proximal portion of the metacarpal area (21.4%), the foot (21.1%), the tarsus (12.8%), the midportion of the metacarpal area (9.1%), and 8.5% in other sites.
- The most common conditions detected were high suspensory disease (21.4%), followed by arthropathy of the metacarpo- or metatarsophalangeal joint (19.4%) and solar pain (14%).
Risk Factors
- Risk factors correlating to the development of orthopedic injuries include age at first examination, months of observation, conformation fault of forelimbs, and amateur status.
- Using a statistical measure called multivariable logistic regression model, a significant relationship was found between these factors and incidence of orthopedic injuries.
Conclusions
- The study concluded that a large number of endurance horses tend to develop at least one orthopedic injury during training or competitions, indicating that these horses were at high risk.
- Therefore, it suggested that clinical and diagnostic examinations should focus on particular areas of these horses, including the metacarpophalangeal joints, proximal portion of the metacarpal area, and the foot.
Cite This Article
APA
Paris A, Beccati F, Pepe M.
(2021).
Type, prevalence, and risk factors for the development of orthopedic injuries in endurance horses during training and competition.
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 258(10), 1109-1118.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.258.10.1109 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Forelimb
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses
- Lameness, Animal / epidemiology
- Lameness, Animal / etiology
- Prevalence
- Risk Factors
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- de Chiara M, Montano C, De Matteis A, Guidi L, Buono F, Auletta L, Del Prete C, Pasolini MP. Agreement between subjective gait assessment and markerless video gait-analysis in endurance horses. Equine Vet J 2026 Jan;58(1):60-67.
- Van Cauter R, Caudron I, Lejeune JP, Rousset A, Serteyn D. Distal sagittal forelimb conformation in young Walloon horses: Radiographic assessment and its relationship with osteochondral fragments. PLoS One 2024;19(10):e0311965.
- Tranquille CA, Chojnacka K, Murray RC. Musculoskeletal Injury and Illness Patterns in British Eventing Horses: A Descriptive Study. Animals (Basel) 2024 Sep 13;14(18).
- Schiavo S, Beccati F, Pokora R, Lin ST, Milmine RC, Bak L, Peter VG, Murray RC. Lesion Distribution in the Metacarpophalangeal and Metatarsophalangeal Region of 341 Horses Using Standing Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jun 25;14(13).
- Pakula PD, Halama A, Al-Dous EK, Johnson SJ, Filho SA, Suhre K, Vinardell T. Characterization of exercise-induced hemolysis in endurance horses. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1115776.
- Likon I, Dyson S, Nagy A. Magnetic Resonance Imaging Measurements of the Proximal Palmar Cortex of the Third Metacarpal Bone and the Suspensory Ligament in Non-Lame Endurance Horses before and after Six Months of Training. Animals (Basel) 2023 Mar 20;13(6).
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