Injuries in the event horse: Training versus competition

doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2006.11.009

The Veterinary Journal

Volume 175, Issue 1, January 2008, Pages 76-81

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2006.11.009 Get rights and content

Abstract

Two related studies on injuries sustained by event horses during competition and during training are reported. During the cross-country phase of competition, the most common injuries were lacerations and abrasions to the carpus and stifle. Superficial digital flexor tendonitis and exertional rhabdomyolysis were significantly more common during Cours Complete Internationale (CCI) competitions compared to one-day event (ODE) competitions. The difference in injury types at ODEs and CCI competitions probably relates to the increased athletic demands of the CCI and the closer veterinary observation at these competitions. The results of the training study indicate that 21% of horses intending to compete in a CCI did not start due to injury. Forty-three percent of these injuries involved soft tissue structures with injuries to the superficial digital flexor tendon and the suspensory ligament each accounting for 33%. The most important area for future research is investigation of the risk factors for these career-threatening soft tissue injuries.

Introduction

Eventing is a popular equestrian sport that places significant demands on the equine musculoskeletal system; however, there is a lack of objective information relating to the incidence and prevalence of particular injuries sustained by event horses. Two reports provide objective information. Gibson et al. (2002) reported on ultrasonographic abnormalities of the palmar metacarpus/metatarsus of horses at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. As not all horses with ultrasonographic lesions were lame, the paper by Gibson et al. (2002) provides a descriptive report of ultrasonographic abnormalities without an indication of their clinical significance.

Murray et al., 2004a, Murray et al., 2004b provided objective information regarding injuries incurred when horses sustained a fall during the cross-country phase of eventing competitions. Of 345 horses that fell, 32.5% incurred one or more injuries, with the majority sustaining superficial lacerations or bruising as a result of falling in water. More serious injuries such as fractures or tendon damage occurred in 7.2% of horses that fell.

It is likely that injuries sustained by event horses during competition will differ from those sustained during training (Bathe, 2002). The common conditions treated in event horses have been reported (Bathe, 2002, Dyson, 1996) but there has been no comprehensive study of injuries occurring in training and at competitions. We report here the results of two related studies designed to investigate injuries in the event horse. The aim of the competition study was to document injuries occurring at one-day event (ODE) and Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Cours Complete Internationale (CCI) competitions during one season (2002). The aim of the training study was to determine the prevalence and type of injury in event horses during training for a CCI during a single season (2003).

Section snippets

The competition study

A prospective study was designed to document injuries occurring during British Eventing affiliated competitions or CCI competitions in the United Kingdom in the year 2002. Competitions classified in this study as ODE include British Eventing affiliated one-day events and FEI Concours Internationale Combiné (CIC) competitions.

The risk period of interest was between arrival and departure from the competition venue. Each attending veterinarian was provided with a form that requested basic

Competition study

Information was returned from 125 competitions (116 ODE, 9 CCI), representing 86% of eventing competitions during 2002. During this period, there were 366 horses examined by a veterinary surgeon at the competitions.

Of all injuries, 290 (79%) occurred during the cross-country phase. This represented 0.45% or 4.5 horses injured per 1000 cross-country starts overall. Only injuries occurring on the cross-country were included in the subsequent analysis. Only one injury was noted in 85% of these

Discussion

The two related studies provide baseline information on the injuries sustained by event horses during competition and during training. The most common injuries during competition were skin wounds whereas the most common injuries during training affected the tendons and ligaments of the distal limbs, primarily the superficial digital flexor tendons and the suspensory ligament. The study of injuries at ODE competitions supports previous evidence that the majority of injuries affect the carpus (

Conclusions

The two studies reported provide baseline information regarding the frequency and types of injury sustained by event horses during competition and during training. The findings are not surprising but begin to provide an objective measure of the significant injuries to horses participating in this demanding equestrian sport. These studies can be utilised to direct future research efforts related to injuries in the event horse.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all of the veterinary surgeons that assisted with data collection for the injury study, and to all the riders that provided information for the training study. In addition, we extend our sincere appreciation to the Veterinary Committee of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (Competition Injuries) and to the PetPlan Charitable Trust (Training Injuries) for funding these studies.

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J.K. Murray et al.
Memory decay and performance-related information bias in the reporting of scores by event riders
Preventative Veterinary Medicine
(2004)
A.P. Bathe
Lameness in the three day event horse
British Eventing Rule Book
British Eventing
(2003)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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