Abstract: REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Equine fatalities during racing continue to be a major welfare concern and falls at fences are responsible for a proportion of all equine fatalities recorded on racecourses. OBJECTIVES: To identify and quantify risk factors for horse falls in National Hunt (NH) racing and to report the frequency of falling and falling-associated fatalities. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 2879 horse starts in hurdle and steeplechase races on 6 UK racecourses. Any horse that suffered a fall at a steeplechase or hurdle fence during the race was defined as a case. Data were obtained by interview and observations in the parade ring and from commercial databases. Multivariable logistic regression models, allowing for clustering at the level of the track, were used to identify the relationship between variables and the risk of falling. RESULTS: There were 124 falling cases (32 in hurdling and 92 in steeplechasing) identified. The injury risk of fallers was 8.9% and fatality risk 6.5%. Duration of journey to the racecourse, behaviour in the parade ring and weather at the time of the race were associated with falling in both hurdle and steeplechase racing. Age, amount of rainfall and going were also associated with falling in steeplechase racing. CONCLUSIONS: Falls at fences are significant contributors to equine fatalities during NH racing. Potentially modifiable risk factors identified were the condition of track surfaces and journey time to the racecourse. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: It is hoped that information from this study may be used in future interventions to improve horse and jockey safety in racing. The study has also identified areas requiring further research, such as equine behaviour and its effect on racing performance, and the effect of light conditions on jumping ability.

Abstract: REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Fractures below the level of the radius or tibia (distal limb fractures) are the most common cause of equine fatality on UK racecourses; however, little is known about their epidemiology or aetiology. Identification of risk factors could enable intervention strategies to be designed to reduce the number of fatalities. OBJECTIVES: To identify horse-level risk factors for fatal distal limb fracture in Thoroughbreds on UK racecourses. METHODS: A case-control study design was used. Fractures in case horses were confirmed by post mortem examination and 3 matched uninjured controls were selected from the race in which the case horse was running. One hundred and nine cases were included and information was collected about previous racing history, horse characteristics and training schedules. Conditional logistic regression was used to identify the relationship between a number of independent variables and the likelihood of fracture. RESULTS: Horses doing no gallop work during training and those in their first year of racing were at significantly increased risk of fracture on the racecourse. Case horses were also more likely to have trained on a sand gallop, i.e. a gallop described by trainers as being primarily composed of sand. CONCLUSIONS: Modifications to training schedules, specifically within the first year of racing, may have a large impact on the risk of fatal distal limb fracture on the racecourse. Horses should do some gallop work in training and our results suggest that the minimum distance galloped should be between 805-2012 m (4-10 furlongs)/week. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: The information from this study can be used to alter training schedules in an attempt to reduce the incidence of fatal distal limb fracture in Thoroughbred racehorses. Training should include some gallop work, and further studies, recording the exact level of work, will help to identify an optimum range of training speeds and distances which will reduce the liklihood of catastrophic fracture on the racecourse.