Epidemiology of fractures: The role of kick injuries in equine fractures.

Authors: Donati B, Fürst A E, Hässig M, Jackson M A

Journal: Equine veterinary journal

DOI: 10.1111/evj.12819 PubMed: 29441693Log in to save

Summary

Nearly 44% of fractures presenting to a Swiss referral hospital over a 24-year period resulted from kick injuries, making inter-equid trauma the leading identifiable cause of fracture in a mixed equine population. Researchers reviewed 1,144 cases with documented fracture aetiology, stratifying outcomes by injury mechanism and analysing predictive factors for recovery using logistic regression modelling. Kick-induced fractures demonstrated notably different injury patterns compared with other causes: they were predominantly open injuries (44.7%) affecting the limbs (85.6%), yet overall recovery rates remained encouraging at 70.1%. Severe comminution and high-grade lameness at presentation emerged as significant negative prognostic indicators regardless of causation, though the referral-based population likely excluded both minor self-limiting fractures and acute fatalities. For equine professionals managing group-housing systems, these findings underline the importance of environmental design and risk-mitigation strategies to reduce aggressive interactions, as kick injuries represent a preventable source of serious orthopaedic trauma with substantial welfare and economic implications.

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Practical Takeaways

•Implement management strategies to reduce kick injuries in group-housing systems, as kicks are the leading cause of fractures in equine populations
•Early assessment of lameness severity and fracture comminution grade is critical for prognostic counseling, as these factors strongly influence recovery outcomes
•Open fractures from kicks carry higher infection risk and warrant aggressive wound management and monitoring protocols

Key Findings

•Kicks from other equids accounted for 43.6% of all fractures with known cause in a referred equine population
•Kick-related fractures frequently resulted in open fractures (44.7%) and predominantly affected limb bones (85.6%)
•Overall recovery rate was 70.1%, with high-grade lameness and severe comminution identified as negative predictors of recovery
•The study population was biased toward referral cases, excluding minor fractures and catastrophic cases requiring immediate euthanasia

Conditions Studied

fracturesopen fractureslimb fracturescomminuted fractureslameness

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