Descriptive epidemiology of fracture, tendon and suspensory ligament injuries in National Hunt racehorses in training.
Authors: Ely E R, Avella C S, Price J S, Smith R K W, Wood J L N, Verheyen K L P
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Fracture and Soft Tissue Injury Rates in National Hunt Racehorses in Training Fractures and tendon/ligament injuries represent significant welfare and economic concerns in National Hunt racing, yet robust epidemiological data from training yards have been lacking. Ely and colleagues collected detailed injury records from 1223 horses across 14 UK training yards over two racing seasons, documenting 9466 horse-months at risk to establish reliable incidence rates and identify risk factors. Fractures occurred at 1.1 per 100 horse-months with considerable variation between trainers (suggesting management and training methodology play important roles), whilst tendon and suspensory ligament injuries were more common at 1.9 per 100 horse-months and additionally increased significantly with age; notably, ex-store horses sustained substantially more racecourse tendon injuries than those transitioning from flat racing. The overwhelming majority of soft tissue injuries involved the superficial digital flexor tendon (89%), with pelvic and third metacarpal fractures dominating the fracture profile, though injury location differed between training and racing environments. These baseline incidence figures provide essential benchmarks for evaluating whether future interventions—whether targeting training intensity, surface management, conditioning protocols, or horse selection—successfully reduce injury burden in this population.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Trainers should be aware that fracture and tendon injury rates vary substantially between yards, suggesting management and training practices significantly influence injury risk
- •Younger horses and those transitioning from store backgrounds require heightened monitoring for tendon and ligament injuries, particularly during racecourse activity
- •The predominance of superficial digital flexor injuries (89% of tendon/ligament cases) should inform conditioning programmes, farriery support, and early detection protocols in training yards
Key Findings
- •Fracture incidence rate was 1.1 per 100 horse months in National Hunt training yards, with significant variation by trainer but not by age, gender or background
- •Tendon and ligament injury incidence rate was 1.9 per 100 horse months, varying significantly by trainer and age, with ex-store horses more likely to suffer racecourse injuries than ex-flat horses
- •Pelvis and third metacarpal bone were the most common fracture sites, while superficial digital flexor injuries accounted for 89% of all tendon and ligament injuries
- •Study provides accurate baseline incidence estimates for fractures and tendon/ligament injuries in National Hunt racehorses in training to enable monitoring of future interventions