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.
Authors: Crawford Kylie L, Finnane Anna, Greer Ristan M, Phillips Clive J C, Woldeyohannes Solomon M, Perkins Nigel R, Ahern Benjamin J
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary This prospective investigation tracked musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) across 13 months in Queensland racing yards, comparing incidence and injury profiles between two-year-olds and older horses through weekly trainer interviews and Poisson regression analysis. Two-year-olds sustained significantly more MSI overall (p < 0.001), with a notably higher prevalence of dorsal metacarpal disease and traumatic lacerations, whilst older horses showed greater susceptibility to suspensory ligament desmitis, superficial digital flexor tendonitis, sesamoid fractures, and fetlock joint pathology. Seasonal variation affected injury risk in two-year-olds but not older cohorts, and interestingly, training track and rainfall patterns had no measurable influence on injury incidence. The injury type substantially influenced subsequent athletic performance, with some conditions preventing trials or racing for 11–23 months post-injury (p < 0.001), highlighting both the heterogeneity of MSI consequences and the divergent biomechanical demands placed on young versus mature racehorses. Whilst these findings from metropolitan training operations suggest a lower-than-expected overall MSI rate (0.6%), the age-dependent injury architecture warrants targeted prevention strategies: younger horses require prophylactic focus on skeletal maturation vulnerabilities, whilst older athletes need targeted soft tissue and joint management—though practitioners should acknowledge these data may not generalise to regional training environments.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Two-year-old racehorses require age-specific injury prevention strategies, as their injury pattern and seasonal risk differ substantially from older horses
- •Dorsal metacarpal disease and traumatic lacerations should be priority concerns for young horse trainers, while older horses need enhanced monitoring for ligament and tendon pathology
- •Injury prognosis and return-to-work timelines should be tailored by injury type rather than assuming uniform recovery across all musculoskeletal conditions
Key Findings
- •Overall incidence of musculoskeletal injuries was low at 0.6%, but two-year-old horses had significantly higher incidence than older horses (p < 0.001)
- •Type of musculoskeletal injury differed between age groups: two-year-olds had more dorsal metacarpal disease and traumatic lacerations; older horses had more suspensory ligament desmitis, flexor tendonitis, sesamoid fractures, and fetlock injuries
- •Injury type significantly affected return to racing, with 11-23 months follow-up showing differential outcomes by injury classification (p < 0.001)
- •Season affected musculoskeletal injury incidence in two-year-old horses (p < 0.001) but not older horses; training track and rainfall had no significant effect