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Item Turf track surface interaction with speed and musculoskeletal injury risk in Thoroughbred racehorses(John Wiley and Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd, 2025-07-24) Legg KA; Gibson MJ; Gee EK; Rogers CWBackground: Injury modelling based on changes in speed and stride characteristics of racehorses has become a primary industry focus for the Thoroughbred racing industry. However, speed and stride characteristics are strongly associated with track condition; therefore, reliable quantification of surface variables for use in future models is imperative. Objectives: This study aimed to understand the interaction of objective turf track condition score (TCS) measurement with racing speed and injury in flat racing Thoroughbred horses. Study Design: Retrospective time series analysis. Methods: Race-day data from 16 flat racing seasons (2008/9–2023/24, n = 40,824 races) were used to compare monthly TCS (based on penetrometer measurements), the coefficient of variability (CV) for TCS, race speed (over the final 600 m) and the number of race starts. Injury data from 7 seasons (2015–17, 2019–24) were used to calculate the monthly incidence rate (IR per 1000 race starts) of musculoskeletal injury (MSI). A mixed effects linear model was used to assess the relationship between speed, TCS, race distance and horse rating. Results: Race starts (n = 437,506), TCS and speed showed strong seasonal fluctuations, with more starts, lower and more variable TCS (4, IQR 3–5, CV = 0.44) and higher race speed (16.7 m/s, IQR 16.1–17.2) in summer compared with winter (TCS 10, IQR 8–10, CV = 0.22, p < 0.001 and speed 15.1 m/s, IQR 14.3–15.8, p < 0.001). Race speed had a strong negative quadratic relationship with TCS (β₂ = −0.03, p < 0.001), a negative linear correlation with race distance and was positively correlated with horse rating. There were 433 MSI (IR = 2.22, 95% CI 2.20–2.44), with an immediate (0 lag time) positive association with seasonal changes in TCS (r = −0.28). Main Limitations: Low monthly numbers of MSI constrained analysis of interaction with track variables. Conclusions: TCS provides a reliable quantitative measure of track condition which could be used to refine future models of injury risk in racing Thoroughbreds.Item Human Injuries Associated with the Transport of Horses by Road(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2023-05-10) Riley CB; Padalino B; Rogers CW; Thompson KR; Arfuso FThere is an increased understanding of shared human-animal risk in terms of "one welfare", whereby when animals are at risk, so are people, so preventing injury to one species may also prevent injury to the other. Because transport-related injuries to horses are common, the authors considered this paradigm to study road equine transport-related injuries to humans in New Zealand. The aim was to determine their frequency and associated factors by distributing a survey to horse industry participants through industry organisations asking about their horse activities, road transport experiences, and any related self-injury. There were 112/1067 (10.5%) handlers injured while preparing (13/112), loading (39/112), traveling (6/112), or unloading (33/112). Of these, 40% had multiple injury types, and 33% had several body regions affected. Hand injuries were most common (46%), followed by the foot (25%), arm (17%), and head or face (15%). Median recovery time was 7 days. Injuries were associated with the responder's industry educational background, years of driving experience, and reporting a horse injured during road transport in the past two years. Wearing helmets and gloves, and adopting strategies designed to eliminate equine injuries associated with the road transport of horses to reduce the risk of injury to their handlers are recommended.Item Infrared Spectroscopy of Synovial Fluid Shows Accuracy as an Early Biomarker in an Equine Model of Traumatic Osteoarthritis(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2024-03-22) Panizzi L; Vignes M; Dittmer KE; Waterland MR; Rogers CW; Sano H; McIlwraith CW; Riley CB; Kaneps AJOsteoarthritis is a leading cause of lameness and joint disease in horses. A simple, economical, and accurate diagnostic test is required for routine screening for OA. This study aimed to evaluate infrared (IR)-based synovial fluid biomarker profiling to detect early changes associated with a traumatically induced model of equine carpal osteoarthritis (OA). Unilateral carpal OA was induced arthroscopically in 9 of 17 healthy thoroughbred fillies; the remainder served as Sham-operated controls. The median age of both groups was 2 years. Synovial fluid (SF) was obtained before surgical induction of OA (Day 0) and weekly until Day 63. IR absorbance spectra were acquired from dried SF films. Following spectral pre-processing, predictive models using random forests were used to differentiate OA, Sham, and Control samples. The accuracy for distinguishing between OA and any other joint group was 80%. The classification accuracy by sampling day was 87%. For paired classification tasks, the accuracies by joint were 75% for OA vs. OA Control and 70% for OA vs. Sham. The accuracy for separating horses by group (OA vs. Sham) was 68%. In conclusion, SF IR spectroscopy accurately discriminates traumatically induced OA joints from controls.Item Plasma and Synovial Fluid Cell-Free DNA Concentrations Following Induction of Osteoarthritis in Horses(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2023-03-14) Panizzi L; Dittmer KE; Vignes M; Doucet JS; Gedye K; Waterland MR; Rogers CW; Sano H; McIlwraith CW; Riley CB; Zucca EBiomarkers for osteoarthritis (OA) in horses have been extensively investigated, but translation into clinical use has been limited due to cost, limited sensitivity, and practicality. Identifying novel biomarkers that overcome these limitations could facilitate early diagnosis and therapy. This study aimed to compare the concentrations of synovial fluid (SF) and plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) over time in control horses with those with induced carpal OA. Following an established model, unilateral carpal OA was induced in 9 of 17 healthy Thoroughbred fillies, while the remainder were sham-operated controls. Synovial fluid and plasma samples were obtained before induction of OA (Day 0) and weekly thereafter until Day 63, and cfDNA concentrations were determined using fluorometry. The SF cfDNA concentrations were significantly higher for OA joints than for sham-operated joints on Days 28 (median 1430 μg/L and 631 μg/L, respectively, p = 0.017) and 63 (median 1537 μg/L and 606 μg/L, respectively, p = 0.021). There were no significant differences in plasma cfDNA between the OA and the sham groups after induction of carpal OA. Plasma cfDNA measurement is not sufficiently sensitive for diagnostic purposes in this induced model of OA. Synovial fluid cfDNA measurement may be used as a biomarker to monitor early disease progression in horses with OA.Item A Bioeconomic Model for the Thoroughbred Racing Industry-Optimisation of the Production Cycle with a Horse Centric Welfare Perspective(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2023-01-30) Legg KA; Gee EK; Breheny M; Gibson MJ; Rogers CWThe Thoroughbred racing industry faces new and competing pressures to operate within a modern, changing society. Three major moderators drive the focus and productivity of the industry worldwide: economic sustainability, horse biology and social licence to operate. This review proposes that despite the apparent homogeneity in the structure of racing across jurisdictions due to international regulation of the sport, there are significant differences within each jurisdiction in each of the three moderators. This creates challenges for the comparison of injury risk factors for racehorses within the industry across different jurisdictions. Comparison of the relative distribution of racing and gambling metrics internationally indicates that the Asian jurisdictions have a high focus on gambling efficiency and high economic return of the product, with a high number of starts per horse and the highest relative betting turnover. In contrast, the racing metrics from the USA have proportionally low racing stakes and fewer horses per race. These differences provide insight into the sociology of horse ownership, with a shift from the long-term return on investment held by most jurisdictions to a short-term transitional view and immediate return on investment in others. Wastage studies identify varying risks influenced by the predominant racing culture, training methods, production focus and environment within individual jurisdictions. Increasing societal pressure to maintain high racehorse welfare and reduce the negative impact of gambling poses fluctuating risks to each jurisdiction's social licence to operate. Based on the data presented within this review, the authors propose that the use of a bioeconomic model would permit consideration of all three moderators on industry practice and optimisation of the jurisdiction-specific production cycle with a horse-centric welfare perspective.Item A Survey-Based Analysis of Injuries to Horses Associated with Transport by Road in New Zealand(MDPI (Basel Switzerland), 2022-02) Riley CB; Rogers CW; Thompson KR; Guiver D; Padalino B; Arfuso FNegative outcomes associated with the road transport of horses are a significant welfare issue. This study aimed to describe the injuries sustained by horses during road transport in New Zealand and factors associated with trauma while in transit. New Zealand horse industry participants were surveyed on their horse transport experiences and equine industry involvement. Participants were solicited through horse organisations. The data were tabulated, and a logistic regression was performed to identify significant (p < 0.05) factors associated with transport-related injury. In total, 201/1133 (17.7%/2 years) eligible surveys reported at least one horse injured during road transport. Most incidents occurred in transit (137/169; 81%), or when transported with one (76/193; 39.4%) or more (41/193; 21.2%) other horses. Most commonly, the hindlimbs, the head, or the forelimbs were injured (59.1%; 110/186 horses), ranging in severity from bruises to catastrophic orthopaedic trauma necessitating euthanasia. Eventing, not always checking horses' fitness for transport, using a tail guard or bandage, a stallion guard in the vehicle, bedding type on the floor, and behavioural problems were associated with injuries. This survey identified a significant incidence of injury and related death when horses are transported by road in New Zealand, and the key risk factors associated with the odds of injury.Item Growth and Bone Development in the Horse: When Is a Horse Skeletally Mature?(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-11-29) Rogers CW; Gee EK; Dittmer KE; Arfuso FWithin the lay literature, and social media in particular, there is often debate about the age at which a horse should be started and introduced to racing or sport. To optimize the welfare and longevity of horses in racing and sport, it is important to match exercise with musculoskeletal development and the ability of the musculoskeletal system to respond to loading. The justification for not exercising horses at a certain age is often in contrast to the scientific literature and framed, with incorrect generalizations, with human growth. This review provides a relative comparison of the growth and development of the horse to the descriptors used to define growth and development in humans. Measures of physeal closure and somatic growth demonstrate that the horse completes the equivalent of rapid infant growth by weaning (4-6 months old). At approximately 11 months old, the horse completes the equivalent of the childhood phase of growth and enters puberty. At 2 years old, the horse has achieved most measures of maturity used within the human literature, including the plateauing of vertical height, closure of growth plates, and adult ratios of back length:wither height and limb length:wither height. These data support the hypothesis that the horse evolved to be a precocious cursorial grazer and is capable of athletic activity, and use in sport, relatively early in life.Item Seasonal Variation in the Faecal Microbiota of Mature Adult Horses Maintained on Pasture in New Zealand(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-08-04) Fernandes KA; Gee EK; Rogers CW; Kittelmann S; Biggs PJ; Bermingham EN; Bolwell CF; Thomas DG; Costa MSeasonal variation in the faecal microbiota of forage-fed horses was investigated over a 12-month period to determine whether the bacterial diversity fluctuated over time. Horses (n = 10) were maintained on pasture for one year, with hay supplemented from June to October. At monthly intervals, data were recorded on pasture availability and climate (collected continuously and averaged on monthly basis), pasture and hay samples were collected for nutrient analysis, and faecal samples were collected from all horses to investigate the diversity of faecal microbiota using next-generation sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform. The alpha diversity of bacterial genera was high in all samples (n = 118), with significantly higher Simpson's (p < 0.001) and Shannon-Wiener (p < 0.001) diversity indices observed during the months when horses were kept exclusively on pasture compared to the months when pasture was supplemented with hay. There were significant effects of diet, season, and month (ANOSIM, p < 0.01 for each comparison) on the beta diversity of bacterial genera identified in the faeces. While there was some inter-horse variation, hierarchical clustering of beta diversity indices showed separate clades originating for samples obtained during May, June, and July (late-autumn to winter period), and January, February, and March (a period of drought), with a strong association between bacterial taxa and specific nutrients (dry matter, protein, and structural carbohydrates) and climate variables (rainfall and temperature). Our study supports the hypothesis that the diversity and community structure of the faecal microbiota of horses kept on pasture varied over a 12-month period, and this variation reflects changes in the nutrient composition of the pasture, which in turn is influenced by climatic conditions. The findings of this study may have implications for grazing management and the preparation of conserved forages for those horses susceptible to perturbations of the hindgut microbiota.Item Preliminary Examination of the Biological and Industry Constraints on the Structure and Pattern of Thoroughbred Racing in New Zealand over Thirteen Seasons: 2005/06-2017/18(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-10) Legg KA; Gee EK; Cochrane DJ; Rogers CW; Peterson MThis study aimed to examine thirteen seasons of flat racing starts (n = 388,964) in the context of an ecological system and identify metrics that describe the inherent characteristics and constraints of the New Zealand Thoroughbred racing industry. During the thirteen years examined, there was a 2-3% per year reduction in the number of races, starts and number of horses. There was a significant shift in the racing population with a greater number of fillies (aged 2-4 years) having a race start, and subsequent longer racing careers due to the inclusion of one more racing preparation post 2008 (p < 0.05). Additionally, there was an increasingly ageing population of racehorses. These changes resulted in more race starts in a career, but possibly because of biological constraints, there was no change in the number of race starts per season, starts per preparation, or days spelling between preparations (p < 0.05). There was no change in the proportion of horses having just one race start (14% of new entrants), indicating that the screening for suitability for a racing career remained consistent. These data identify key industry parameters which provide a basis for future modelling of intervention strategies to improve economic performance and reduce horse injury. Consideration of the racing industry as a bio-economic or ecological model provides framework to test how the industry may respond to intervention strategies and signal where changes in system dynamics may alter existing risk factors for injury.