HERE'S THOSE FASCINATING STUDIES SIGHTSOUND THOUGHFULLY POSTED PT 1 OF 2 :
sighthound Wrote:
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> Caveat - not a practicing equine vet. Horses
> carry more weight on the forehand than rear.
> Brief lit search found a couple of interesting
> things, apologize in advance TGJB if too long or
> inappropriate to board content or current
> discussion:
>
> Characterisation of the type and location of
> fractures of the third metacarpal/metatarsal
> condyles in 135 horses in central Kentucky (1986-
> 1994).
> Equine Vet J 31[4]:304-8 1999 Jul - Zekas LJ,
> Bramlage LR, Embertson RM, Hance SR Rood and
> Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky
> 40580-2070, USA.
> The objective of this retrospective study was to
> provide a detailed description of the
> characteristics of condylar fractures represented
> in a population of 135 horses who sustained 145
> fractures. Records and radiographic studies were
> examined. Fifty-nine percent of the horses were
> male and the majority Thoroughbreds. The
> distribution of fractures was 37%
> incomplete-nondisplaced, 30% complete-nondisplaced
> and 32% complete-displaced. *** The right front
> was more likely to sustain a complete-displaced
> fracture, whereas the left front was more likely
> to sustain an incomplete-nondisplaced fracture.
> Forelimbs (81%) and lateral condyles (85%) were
> more likely to be involved. Contrary to previous
> studies, the right forelimb was slightly more
> often involved than the left. Fractures tended to
> involve the middle portion of the condyle (59%).
> The mean length of all fractures was 75+/-3.8 mm.
> Axial fractures and medial condyle fractures
> tended to be longer. Fifteen percent of the
> fractures had definitive articular comminution.
> Ninety- five percent of fractures with articular
> comminution were associated with complete
> fractures. When fractures entered the middle area
> of the condyle, 23% had articular comminution.
> Eight of the fractures spiralled, all involved
> forelimbs. Concurrent lesions included proximal
> phalanx chip fractures, sesamoid fractures,
> sesamoiditis, proximal phalanx fractures, 'splint'
> bone periostitis and ligamentous injuries. The
> complete description of the fractures in this
> group of horses allows us better to define the
> condylar fracture, compare these fractures to
> previous studies and establish new data for use in
> defining prognosis.
>
> High-speed exercise history and catastrophic
> racing fracture in thoroughbreds.
> Am J Vet Res 57[11]:1549-55 1996 Nov Estberg L ;
> Stover SM ; Gardner IA ; Drake CM ; Johnson B ;
> Ardans A OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation
> between several racing speed history
> characteristics and risk of fatal skeletal injury
> (FSI) in racing Thoroughbreds. ANIMALS: 64
> Thoroughbreds euthanatized during a 9-month period
> in 1991 at a California racemeet because of a
> catastrophic fracture incurred while racing
> (cases), identified retrospectively. For each race
> in which an FSI occurred, 1 control horse was
> randomly selected from the noncatastrophically
> injured participants. PROCEDURE: Racing and
> officially timed workout histories were obtained
> for each horse. Several history characteristics
> were calculated to summarize racing career
> patterns and high-speed exercise schedules prior
> to date of injury and included age at first race,
> proportion of career spent laid up, average
> duration of laid up periods, average lifetime
> racing frequency, time from last lay up to date of
> injury, and total and rate of distance accumulated
> 1 to 6 months prior to date of injury. History
> characteristics associated with FSI were screened
> by paired t-test and studied in detail, using
> conditional logistic regression. *** RESULTS:
> High total and high average daily rates of
> exercise distance accumulation within a 2-month
> period were associated with higher risks for FSI
> during racing, yet career patterns, such as age at
> first race or total proportion of career spent
> laid up, were not found to be associated with risk
> for FSI. A horse that had accumulated a total of
> 35 furlongs of race and timed-work distance in 2
> months, compared with a horse with 25 furlongs
> accumulated, had an estimated 3.9-fold increase in
> risk for racing-related FSI (95% confidence
> interval = 2.1, 7.1). A horse that had accumulated
> race and timed-work furlongs at an average rate of
> 0.6 furlong/d within a 2-month period, compared
> with a horse with an average of 0.5 furlong/d, had
> an estimated 1.8-fold increase in risk for
> racing-related FSI (95% confidence interval = 1.4,
> 2.6). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
> Thoroughbred racehorses that either accumulate
> large total high-speed distances or rapidly
> accumulate high-speed distances within a 2-month
> period may be at increased risk for FSI during
> racing.
>
> Horseshoe characteristics as possible risk factors
> for fatal musculoskeletal injury of thoroughbred
> racehorses. Am J Vet Res 57[8]:1147-52 1996 Aug
> Kane AJ ; Stover SM ; Gardner IA ; Case JT ;
> Johnson BJ ; Read DH ; Ardans AA OBJECTIVE: To
> evaluate selected shoe characteristics as risk
> factors for fatal musculoskeletal injury (FMI) and
> specifically for suspensory apparatus failure
> (SAF) and cannon bone condylar fracture (CDY) of
> Thoroughbred racehorses in California. DESIGN:
> Case-control study. ANIMALS: Thoroughbred
> racehorses (n = 201) that died of were
> euthanatized at California racetracks between
> August 1992 and July 1994. PROCEDURE: Shoe
> characteristics were compared between case horses
> affected by FMI (155), SAF (79), and CDY (41) and
> control horses that died for reasons unrelated to
> the appendicular musculoskeletal system (non-FMI;
> 46). Multivariable logistic regression was used to
> estimate odds ratios for FMI, SAF, and CDY.
> RESULTS: Toe grabs were identified as possible
> risk factors for FMI, SAF, and CDY. The odds of
> FMI, SAF, and CDY were 1.8, 6.5, and 7.0,
> respectively, times greater for horses shod with
> low toe grabs than for horses shod without toe
> grabs on front shoes. Horses shod with regular toe
> grabs on front shoes had odds 3.5, 15.6, and 17.1
> times greater (P < 0.05) for FMI, SAF, and CDY,
> respectively, compared with horses shod without
> toe grabs. The odds of horses shod with rim shoes
> were a third (P < 0.05) of those shod without
> rim shoes for either FMI or SAF. The apparent
> association between toe grab type and CDY may, in
> part, be attributable to concurrent SAF and CDY
> injuries in many horses. *** CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
> Avoiding the use of toe grabs should decrease the
> incidence of FMI, especially SAF, in Thoroughbred
> racehorses. The use of rim shoes that are more
> consistent with natural hoof shape may decrease
> injury risk.