Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Item Risk-Factors for Soft-Tissue Injuries, Lacerations and Fractures During Racing in Greyhounds in New Zealand(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021-12-03) Palmer AL; Rogers CW; Stafford KJ; Gal A; Bolwell CF; Bruyette DRecognition of injuries in racing animals is essential to identify potential risk factors so actions can be taken to reduce or mitigate the cause of the injury to safeguard the animal. Racing greyhounds are subject to musculoskeletal injuries associated with athletic pursuit, in particular soft-tissue injuries, lacerations, and fractures. The objective of this study was therefore to determine risk factors for soft-tissue injuries, lacerations and fractures occurring during racing, using a cohort of greyhounds racing in New Zealand between 10th September 2014 and 31st July 2020. Dog-level, race-level and track-level risk factors for each outcome were assessed using mixed-effects multivariable logistic regression including trainer as a random effect. Throughout the study period there were 218,700 race starts by 4,914 greyhounds, with a total of 4,385 injuries. Of these, 3,067 (69.94%) were classed as soft-tissue injuries, 641 (14.62%) were reported as lacerations, and 458 (10.44%) were fractures. Greyhounds with a low racing frequency (racing more than 7 days apart) had 1.33 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-1.67] times the odds of fracture compared to those racing more frequently. Older greyhounds had a greater odds of fracture compared with younger greyhounds. Racing every 7 days had a lower odds of soft-tissue injury compared with racing more than once a week. Dogs over 39 months had 1.53 (95% CI: 1.35-1.73) times the odds of sustaining a soft-tissue injury compared to the younger dogs. Greyhounds originating from Australia had a higher odds of fracture and laceration compared with New Zealand dogs. Better performing dogs (higher class) had a greater odds of fracture and laceration whilst maiden dogs had a higher odds of soft-tissue injury. Greyhounds starting from the outside box had a higher odds of fracture. There was considerable variation in the odds of soft-tissue injury at different racetracks. In conclusion, although the incidence of soft-tissue injuries was higher than other injury types, the repercussion of such injuries was less than those for fractures. The results from this study will help to inform intervention strategies aimed at reducing the rate of injuries in racing greyhounds, enhancing racing safety and greyhound welfare.Item Race-Level Reporting of Incidents during Two Seasons (2015/16 to 2016/17) of Thoroughbred Flat Racing in New Zealand.(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-04-15) Gibson MJ; Bolwell CF; Gee EK; Legg KA; Rogers CW; McDonnell SMThe objective of this study was to describe the incident and non-incident reports of Thoroughbred flat racing in New Zealand. Retrospective stipendiary stewards' reports of race day events during the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 racing season were examined. The primary injury and reporting outcomes were analysed to assess the horse- and race-level risk factors associated with the occurrence of incident and non-incident reports. The number of incident and non-incident events and binomial exact 95% confidence intervals were calculated per 1000 horse starts. Most reports were for non-incidents and examinations were requested for poor performance (10.3 per 1000 races, 95% CI = 9.5-11.1). Horses running in open-class races had greater odds of having an incident than horses in lower-rating classes. The incidence of musculoskeletal injuries (1.3 per 1000 races, 95% CI = 1.13-1.40) and fractures (0.6 per 1000 races, 95% CI = 0.39-0.74) were low and similar to previous New Zealand reports. There was a low incidence of epistaxis (0.8 per 1000 races, 95% CI = 0.69-0.92) possibly due to trainers screening susceptible horses before entering them in races, due to the regulatory consequences of an episode of epistaxis during a race.Item Race-Level Reporting of Incidents during Two Seasons (2015/16 to 2016/17) of Harness Racing in New Zealand(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-02-11) Gibson MJ; Roca Fraga FJ; Bolwell CF; Gee EK; Rogers CW; McDonnell SMThe objective of this study was to describe the incident and non-incident reporting of harness racing in New Zealand, the primary injury and reporting outcomes, and to examine horse- and race-level variables associated with the odds of these outcomes. Retrospective stipendiary stewards' reports of race day events during the 2015/16 to 2016/17 racing seasons were examined. The number of incident and non-incident events and binomial exact 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated per 1000 horse starts. Most reports were for non-incidents and an examination was requested for poor performance (11.06 per 1000 starts (95% CI = 10.23-11.89). Races with more than eight participants were 1.9 (95% CI = 1.13-3.4) times more likely to have an incident than races with eight or less participants. The low incidence of significant injuries such as fractures (0.13 per 1000 starts (95% CI = 0.03-0.23) reflects the lower risk of injury in harness racing compared to Thoroughbred racing. The high incidence of poor performance reports highlights the steward's role in maintaining animal welfare to a high standard.