Musculoskeletal Injury and Illness Patterns in British Eventing Horses: A Descriptive Study.

Simple Summary: The description of health patterns of eventing horses outside of veterinary clinics is limited. It is important to determine the relative impact of different health problems in this group of horses. The study aimed to describe the prevalence and patterns of lameness/illness in registered British eventing horses in 2018 by use of an online survey. Data were collated and descriptive analyses undertaken. In total, 1677 surveys were completed, and 49.4% reported a previous lameness/musculoskeletal problem, with 26% in the previous six months. The most frequently reported musculoskeletal problems were to the foot (421), joints (382), wounds (340), back (333), ligament (205), tendon (213), bones (140) and muscles (135). The most frequent non-musculoskeletal problems were to the skin (183), gastric ulceration (173), colic (145) and infection (88). Injuries to the sole of the foot/muscles/tendons were most frequently sustained in competition, suspensory ligament/splint bone/stifle/hock injuries were more frequently sustained in training and foot abscesses/penetration injuries at rest. Horses with deep digital flexor tendon injuries were out of training for the most amount of time (>12 months) and horses with hock/sole bruising/foot abscesses for the least amount of time (<2 weeks). A greater understanding of health problems in eventing horses could be useful for veterinarians working with them. There has been little investigation into the health patterns of the eventing horse population outside veterinary clinics. To target health problems in the eventing horse population, it is important to determine the relative impact of different health problems. The objectives were to describe the prevalence and patterns of lameness/illness in registered British eventing horses. An online survey was released for all horses registered with British eventing in 2018. Data were collated and descriptive analyses undertaken. A total of 1677 surveys were completed, among which 49.4% reported a previous lameness/musculoskeletal problem, 26% being in the previous six months. The most frequently reported musculoskeletal problems were in the foot (421), joints (382), wounds (340), back (333), ligament (205), tendon (213), bones (140) and muscles (135). The most frequent non-musculoskeletal problems related to the skin (183), gastric ulceration (173), colic (145) and infection (88). Injuries to the hoof sole/muscles/tendons were most frequently sustained in competition, suspensory ligament/splint bone/stifle/tarsal injuries were more frequently sustained in training and abscess/foot penetration at rest. DDFT injuries were most frequently out of training for >12 months, SDFT/stifle/suspensory ligament for <12 months, tendon sheath/splint bone for <3 months and tarsal/sole bruising/abscess for <2 weeks. A greater understanding of injuries/illnesses frequently sustained could be useful for veterinarians working with event horses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]