Summary This study examined material from Thoroughbred horses, the majority of which had been in race training, for evidence of pathology in the third metacarpal (McIII) and third metatarsal (MtIII) bones which might be related to the occurrence of distal condylar fractures. Whole bone samples were studied and documented by macrophotography prior to macroradiography and computed tomographic (CT) imaging. Microradiographs were made from 100 μm thick mediolateral sections cut perpendicular to the dorsal and palmar/plantar articular surfaces of distal condylar regions of McIII and MtIII. Blocks were prepared for morphological imaging using the backscattered electron mode of scanning electron microscopy (BSE SEM). Linear defects in mineralised articular cartilage and subchondral bone were found in the palmar/plantar aspects of the condylar grooves adjacent to the sagittal ridge. These were closely related to the pattern of densification of the subchondral bone and were associated with intense focal remodelling of the immediately adjacent and subjacent bone. Parasagittal fractures of the condyles originated in similar defects. A unifying hypothesis for the aetiopathogenesis of these fractures is presented.

Bone exhibits positive form birefringence dominated by and dependent upon the orientation of its collagen. The biomechanical efficacy of bone as a tissue is largely determined by collagen fibers of preferred orientation and distribution (and corresponding orientation of mineral crystallites), and evidence is accumulating to demonstrate that this efficacy extends to function at the organ level. This study has three aims. The first is to provide a background to the study of circularly polarized light (CPL) investigations of collagen fiber orientation in bone. The significance of preferred collagen fiber orientation in bone, linearly polarized light and CPL imaging principles, and a short history of CPL studies of mammalian functional histology are reviewed. The second is to describe, in some detail, methodological considerations relating to specimen preparation and imaging appropriate for the quantitative analysis of preferentially oriented collagen. These include section transparency, section thickness, the uniformity of the illuminating system, and CPL paraphernalia. Finally, we describe a grey-level standard useful for quantitative CPL, based upon mineralized turkey tendon, which shall be provided to investigators upon request. When due consideration is paid to specimen preparation and imaging conditions, quantitative assessment of collagen fiber orientation provides insight into the effects of mechanical loading on the skeleton. Anat Rec (Part B: New Anat) 274B: 157-168, 2003.

Abstract. Mechanical test specimens were prepared from the cranial and caudal cortices of radii from eight horses. These were subjected to destructive tests in either tension or compression. The ultimate stress, elastic modulus and energy absorbed to failure were calculated in either mode of loading. Analysis was performed on the specimens following mechanical testing to determine their density, mineral content, mineral density distribution and histological type. A novel technique was applied to sections from each specimen to quantify the predominant collagen fibre orientation of the bone near the plane of fracture. The collagen map for each bone studied was in agreement with the previously observed pattern of longitudinal orientation in the cranial cortex and more oblique to transverse collagen in the caudal cortex. Bone from the cranial cortex had a significantly higher ultimate tensile stress (UTS) than that from the caudal cortex (160 MPa vs 104 MPa; P<0.001) though this trend was reversed in compression, the Caudal cortex becoming relatively stronger (185MPa vs 217MPa; P<0.01). Bone from the cranial cortex was significantly stiffer than that from the caudal cortex both in tension (22 GPa vs 15 GPa; P<0.001) and compression (19 GPa vs 15 GPa; P<0.01). Of all the histo-compositional variables studied, collagen fibre orientation was most closely correlated with mechanical properties, accounting for 71% of variation in ultimate tensile stress and 58% of variation in the elastic modulus. Mineral density and porosity were the only other variables to show any significant correlation with either UTS or elastic modulus. The variations in mechanical properties around the equine radius, which occur in close association with the different collagen fibre orientations, provide maximal safety factors in terms of ultimate stress, yet contribute to greater bending of the bone as it is loaded during locomotion, and thus lower safety factors through the higher strains this engenders.Correspondence to .' A. Boyde

The risk of fatal distal limb fractures in thoroughbreds racing in the UK was calculated and shown to vary considerably between the different types of race. Flat turf racing was associated with the lowest risk (0.4 per 1000 starts) and national hunt flat racing was associated with the highest risk (2.2 per 1000 starts). The types of fracture were classified by detailed radiographic and postmortem examinations of all the cases recorded over two years, and the distribution of the different types of fracture in the five main types of racing was examined. Overall, lateral condylar fractures of the third metacarpus were the most common, and they were also the most common in national hunt-type races (hurdle, steeplechase and national hunt flat races). In all-weather flat racing biaxial proximal sesamoid fractures were most common, and in turf flat racing fractures of the first phalanx were most common. The risk of fractures of more than one bone was greater in national hunt-type races.

Abstract.A novel technique for determining the collagen fibre orientation pattern of cross-sections of cortical bone was used to study mid-diaphyseal sections from the equine radius. Several in vivo strain gauge studies have demonstrated that this bone is loaded in bending during locomotion in such a way that the cranial cortex is consistently subjected to longitudinal tensile strains and the caudal cortex to longitudinal compressive strains. Twenty-three radii from 17 horses were studied. All the bones obtained from adult horses exhibited a consistent pattern of collagen fibre orientation across the cortex. The cranial cortex, subjected to intermittent tension, and the lateral and medial cortices, through which the neutral axis passes, contained predominantly longitudinally oriented collagen fibres. The caudal cortex, subjected to longitudinal compression during life, contained predominantly oblique/transverse collagen. This pattern was less evident in bones from foals. Microscopic analysis of the bones studied showed that primary lamellar bone was composed of predominantly longitudinal collagen fibres, irrespective of cortex. However, there was a strong relationship between cortical location and fibre orientation within remodelled bone. Secondary osteons which formed in the caudal (compressive) cortex contained predominantly oblique/transverse collagen, while those which formed elsewhere contained longitudinal collagen. This observation explained the developmental appearance of the characteristic macroscopic pattern of collagen fibre orientation across the whole cortex in the adult. These findings provide evidence for the existence of a relationship between the mechanical function of a bone with its architecture, and now demonstrate that it extends to the molecular level.

POD can be considered to be a manifestation of traumatic overload arthrosis, but the role of subchondral bone adaptation is complex and warrants further investigation.

No abstract

Summary 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.