Common Horse Racing Injuries
Due to their size and high activity, horses most commonly experience limb trauma. If your horse is racing, an injury may become more likely. This is because they move fast and often perform tight movements that cause their limbs to twist suddenly.
If your horse becomes injured, it can not only be expensive but also mean that your horse will need to rest and recover for a period of time.
Here we go into some of the most common race horse injuries. To help minimize the risk of injury, you can offer your horse adequate training, exercise, a healthy diet and more, as outlined in this post. When in doubt, reach out to our Ocala equine vets for a consultation or examination.
Injuries to the Suspensory Ligament
The suspensory ligament is a thick ligament that runs down the back of the cannon bone and divides into two branches that attach to the inside and outside sesamoid bones on the back of the fetlock.
This ligament supports the ankle of the horse, which is an important task given the amount of push, pull and pressure that area of their body endures. Sometimes, that pressure is too much, and the ligament sustains an injury.
These injuries may be difficult to spot, but monitoring your horse for any signs of a torn ligament, such as discomfort, swelling, and warmth in the area, is important. Your horse may require an MRI and nerve block and will need to rest for at least 12 weeks, while recovery may take up to 12 months.
Deep Digital Flexor Tendon Injuries (DDFT)
The flexor tendons, both the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) and the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT), run down the back of the limb from the knee (hock). It is common for sports horses to injure these tendons.
While mild injuries are pretty straightforward and don't hold serious concern, sometimes serious cases, including ruptures, can occur and hold the possibility of damage to the tendon health, leading to potentially life-threatening infections.
Rest and anti-inflammatory medications are the most common treatment methods for these injuries in sports horses. That said, several helpful items may also be used. Speak with your equine vet to learn more about treating tendon injuries in your horse.
Bone Bruises
Bone bruises are injuries that occur when your horse is moving. The weight of your horse coming down as they run creates an impact that leads to bruising of the bone.
Your horse will most likely experience some lameness when they suffer a bone bruise. However, they can bounce right back with anti-inflammatory medications and a long rest period (typically around 12 weeks).
Joint Inflammation
This type of injury is common in sports horses. The consistent stress on their joints can cause severe swelling, eventually leading to osteoarthritis.
Luckily, the odds of making a full recovery are high as long as you help keep your horse resting. Once they are ready, you can slowly begin to reintroduce their regular activities.
Soft Tissue Injuries
If a horse is suffering from lameness, it is likely that it has suffered some type of soft tissue injury. Unfortunately, this type of injury commonly goes undiagnosed and can be difficult to treat properly.
If your horse has a soft tissue injury, it may have been caused by sudden trauma or overworking the affected area. Whether your horse has been overworked or caught a leg on a fence or bush, the result may be moderate to severe swelling, which requires your horse to use the affected limb as little as possible until it heals.
Preventing these Common Types of Race Horse Injuries
Here are some easy to follow tips on preventing horse racing injuries:
Implement warm-ups before working. Warming up your horse before the event or work is crucial to ensuring they don't experience any preventable injuries to muscles, joints and tendons.
Understand conditioning. Conditioning is not something that can be rushed. So, while you may want to condition your horse before every event, only do so if you have enough time to do it well.
Only work in a high-quality location. Working your horse in an area with high-quality grounds is important. This will help ensure that accidents are less likely to occur.
Monitor your horse's performance. By monitoring your horse's performance, you can help ensure that you notice any potential issue or condition before it becomes more serious.
Ensure the health of your working horse. Your house will not only need a balanced diet of hay and grain, but vitamins, minerals and a proper balance of fats and proteins.
How to Manage Horse Injuries
Any potential treatment for your horse will need to be done under the supervision of a vet. You will need to reach out to have your horse examined before a treatment plan can be made.
If your horse is suffering from inflammation of their joints, the vet will likely recommend rest until the joint is back to normal. This should take no more than two weeks. This is the same method of treating sore muscles. Once your horse is well-rested and relieved of the discomfort, they can begin to work again.
When should you reach out to your equine vet?
Generally, you will want a vet to look at and diagnose any injury that your horse sustains. You wouldn't want to risk further injury by not treating your horse appropriately. Contact your vet at the first sign that your horse is in discomfort.
Note: The advice in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding animals or professional advice regarding equine regulations. To diagnose your animal's condition and help navigate regulations governing the care and transportation of equine animals, please make an appointment with your vet.