Profiling training preparation in young Australian Thoroughbred racehorses

Abstract

MS injuries in young racehorses have limited impact on long-term performance, although care must be taken in interpreting the results because they could be confounded by variables not considered in this analysis. This study also begins to unravel the complicated relationship between age and previous exposure to training, with results supporting the hypothesis that the intensity of training increases with increasing age.

Risk factors for interruptions to training occurring before the first trial start of 2-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses

“…A pilot study indicated that whilst some horses enter training and progress uneventfully to their first official trial, other horses are delayed as a result of interruptions to their training programme (Bolwell et al 2010a). Previous studies have investigated training-related factors affecting the time to first official trial/race start (Bailey et al 1999;Cogger et al 2008) and general racing performance (Verheyen et al 2009;Ely et al 2010). These studies focused on factors such as exercise, age, trainer and specific types of injury as opposed to the occurrence of an interruption, or the type of interruption.…”

Linear and temporal changes in the trot of 2-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses in relation to early exercise and race training

“…The race training regimen was typical of that used in Australasia 11,18,20 . The horses spent 6-8 weeks being broken to saddle and acclimatized to the training environment.…”

“…The rate of increase in the workload of the 2-yearold racehorses, specifically the distance at which the horses are cantered at low speed, is related to the incidence of dorsal metacarpal disease 7,8 , which is the major reason for lost training days within Australasia [9][10][11] . Before the appearance of obvious clinical signs of dorsal metacarpal disease, trainers often notice that horses are unwilling to stride out and work to their full potential.…”

In this issue

“…Musculoskeletal (MS) injuries are a major economic cost to the Thoroughbred racing industry. In this study, training and injury data were collected at fortnightly intervals from 14 trainers at 5 racetracks in New South Wales 1 . The study included horses that were eligible to race as 2‐year‐olds and the incidence rates of initial injuries were assessed according to age‐class and sex.…”