Associations between turn out practices and rates of musculoskeletal disease and injury in Thoroughbred foals and yearlings on stud farms in the United Kingdom.
Authors: Mouncey Rebecca, Arango-Sabogal Juan C, de Mestre Amanda, Verheyen Kristien L
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Early-life movement patterns fundamentally shape musculoskeletal development in young horses, yet stud farm management practices vary considerably in how they facilitate or restrict locomotor activity during this critical growth window. Mouncey and colleagues prospectively tracked turn-out practices and veterinary records for 134 Thoroughbred foals across six UK studs from birth until departure, analysing whether daily duration, paddock size and group composition influenced musculoskeletal disease and injury rates using multivariable Cox regression models. The cohort experienced 5.3 musculoskeletal cases per 100 foal-months; notably, restricted turn-out regimens of 9–23 hours daily (rather than continuous access) were associated with a 4.6-fold increase in injury risk, whilst each additional acre of paddock space during the critical fourth month of life reduced subsequent disease rates by 24% between six and eighteen months of age. For practitioners managing young stock, these findings suggest that maintaining consistent, uninterrupted turn-out access and prioritising larger grazing areas—particularly in the pre-weaning period—represents a evidence-based approach to mitigating musculoskeletal pathology in developing foals. The authors acknowledge that reliance on veterinary-attended cases likely underestimates true disease burden, and the relatively small farm sample may limit broader generalisability, yet the protective effect of spacious, unrestricted grazing aligns with our understanding of how variable terrain and self-directed activity optimise bone and soft-tissue adaptation during growth.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Avoid inconsistent turn out schedules and disruptions to routine; foals maintained on 24/7 turn out had significantly lower injury rates than those with interrupted access
- •Prioritize larger paddock areas (particularly before weaning) as this simple management change reduced subsequent musculoskeletal disease by up to 24% per acre
- •These findings support maintaining consistent, unrestricted turn out practices on stud farms, as restricted or variable turn out substantially increases musculoskeletal injury risk in young stock
Key Findings
- •Overall incidence of musculoskeletal disease or injury was 5.3 cases/100 foal-months at risk
- •Turn out times between 9–23 hours daily (over 7-day periods) were associated with 4.6-fold increased injury rate compared to 24/7 turn out
- •Each additional acre of turn out area during the 4th month of life reduced musculoskeletal disease/injury rates between 6–18 months of age by 24%
- •Disruptions to turn out routines increase injury risk; larger paddock access before weaning may provide protection against subsequent musculoskeletal problems