Ossification of the cartilages in the front feet of young Norwegian coldblooded horses

Holm, Arne W; Bjørnstad, Gro; Ruohoniemi, Mirja

doi:10.2746/042516400777591642

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…1990). In Norway, the prevalence of ossification in coldblooded trotters is about the same nowadays as in the heavy Døle horses of the same breed 50 years ago (Wirstad 1951;Holm et al 2000). The attitude towards ossification of the cartilages has been more lenient for Finnhorse stallions, and the higher prevalence of ossification found in females compared to males (Ruohoniemi et al 1993) suggested that it is questionable to reject only affected stallions from breeding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some ossification at the base of the cartilages in the front feet is seen commonly in Finnhorses, whereas high sidebones (ossification extending above the proximal border of the navicular bone) or separate centres of ossification were present in less than 20% of horses examined (Ruohoniemi 1997). The aetiology of ossification has not been completely clarified, but ossification is more common in females than in males (Waxberg 1953;Ruohoniemi et al 1993;Holm et al 2000) and lateral cartilages are usually more ossified than medial (Bengtsson 1983;Attrell et al 1990;Ruohoniemi et al 1993). Ossification usually begins before age 2 years (Bengtsson 1983;Ruohoniemi et al 1993Ruohoniemi et al , 1997Holm et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The aetiology of ossification has not been completely clarified, but ossification is more common in females than in males (Waxberg 1953;Ruohoniemi et al 1993;Holm et al 2000) and lateral cartilages are usually more ossified than medial (Bengtsson 1983;Attrell et al 1990;Ruohoniemi et al 1993). Ossification usually begins before age 2 years (Bengtsson 1983;Ruohoniemi et al 1993Ruohoniemi et al , 1997Holm et al 2000). Factors such as ageing, heavy bodyweight, poor conformation, hoof concussion, improper shoeing or trimming and other foot problems have been suggested as possible causes (Schneider and Stickle 1987;Stashak 1987;Reeves et al 1989;Attrell et al 1990;Hunt et al 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Factors such as ageing, heavy bodyweight, poor conformation, hoof concussion, improper shoeing or trimming and other foot problems have been suggested as possible causes (Schneider and Stickle 1987;Stashak 1987;Reeves et al 1989;Attrell et al 1990;Hunt et al 1995). The tendency to develop ossification has also been suggested or found to be hereditary in several breeds (Robertson 1932;Waxberg 1953;Bengtsson 1983;Verschooten et al 1996;Ruohoniemi 1997;Holm et al 2000). Research on estimation of heritability for the condition has been limited, mainly because sufficiently large data sets and statistical methods advanced enough for reliable calculations have not been available until recently.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estimates of heritability for ossification of the cartilages of the front feet in the Finnhorse

Ruohoniemi

Ahtiainen

Ojala

2003

Equine Veterinary Journal

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Summary Reasons for performing study: Ossification of the cartilages in the foot is common in coldblooded horses, but prevalence as well as ossification pattern varies between breeds; research on estimation of heritability for the condition has been limited. Objectives: Our purpose was to calculate estimates of 1) heritability for ossification parameters of the cartilages in the front feet of the Finnhorse and 2) genetic correlations between the different ossification parameters. Methods: Estimates of heritability for different ossification parameters of the cartilages in the front feet and of genetic correlations between different parameters were evaluated in data consisting of dorsopalmar radiographs of the front feet and pedigree up to the fourth generation of 964 Finnhorses (age ≥2 years; 345 females and 619 males). Ossification at the base of the cartilages and total ossification, including separate centres of ossification, were graded 0–5 according to the most proximal point of ossification and the presence of separate centres of ossification was recorded separately. The data were analysed using a model including a fixed sex‐age subclass effect and a random animal effect. Variance and covariance components were estimated with the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) method assuming an animal model. Results: Females had more ossification than males and this difference increased with age. The ossification in the medial cartilages progressed significantly with age in females but not in males. In the lateral cartilages, the increase in ossification with age was evident in both sexes. Separate centres of ossification were an incidental finding. Estimates of heritability for the ossification parameters varied slightly between the cartilages as well as between the front feet. For total ossification, the estimates of heritability varied between 0.31 (right lateral) and 0.50 (left medial) and were slightly higher for ossification at the base of the cartilages. High genetic correlations were found for total ossification between the medial and lateral cartilages in the foot and for parallel ossification parameters between the right and left foot. Conclusions: The estimates of heritability were relatively high, and both cartilages and front feet have a similar genetic tendency to ossify. Potential relevance: This information is useful in further studies assessing other factors contributing to the ossification process and also in the planning and modifying breeding programmes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estimates of heritability for ossification of the cartilages of the front feet in the Finnhorse

Ruohoniemi

Ahtiainen

Ojala

2003

Equine Veterinary Journal

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“…In a study of 2-year-old Swedish-Norwegian cold-blooded trotters, 70% had some grade of OUC while 13% had OUC ≥ grade 3 [4]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Significance of ossificated ungular cartilages regarding the performance of cold-blooded trotters

Hedenström¹,

Wattle

2014

Acta Vet Scand

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BackgroundOssification of the ungular cartilages (OUC) in the foot of horses has been studied for more than 100 years. There is a high heritability of this condition but its clinical relevance has remained questionable. Nevertheless, modern equine orthopedic literature ranks OUC as one of top 10 causes of lameness in cold-blooded trotters and stallions of these breeds are excluded from breeding if they have more than mild levels of side bones. Cold-blooded trotters have been used for racing for many decades and official sports data have been available since 1923. A decreased performance is often the only obvious clinical sign noticed by trainers and owners motivating them to seek professional help from veterinarians and farriers. By comparing various performance parameters in Swedish-Norwegian cold-blooded trotters without and with different grades of OUC, we aimed to determine the clinical relevance of ossified hoof cartilages in a population of high-performance horses.Front hooves from 649 Swedish-Norwegian cold-blooded trotters were evaluated radiologically regarding OUC. Breeding index and official sports data originating from strict protocols kept by groups of officials in trotting associations was used for comparison of performance of these horses that together had competed in more than 23,000 races between 1973 and 2009. Generalized linear mixed models were used for the statistical analyses. The response variable was modeled using ordinal logistic models with a multinomial distribution and a cumulative logit link function. The horse was used as a random factor.ResultsSignificant effects of gender on performance were demonstrated, but no correlations were found between different positions nor grades of ossified ungular cartilage and number of starts, running pace, race winnings, number of races completed in a regular gait.ConclusionsOssification of the ungular cartilages does not cause decreased performance in cold-blooded trotters and is therefore most likely not a cause of clinical or subclinical lameness in this breed. Results from this study can assist equine professionals in evaluating and interpreting the clinical relevance of radiological findings on ossified hoof cartilage among heavy and high-performing horses.

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Genetic parameters for osteoarthrosis, radiographic changes of the navicular bone and sidebone, and their correlation with osteochondrosis and osteochondral fragments in Hanoverian warmblood horses

Hilla

Distl

2014

Livestock Science

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Ossification of the cartilages in the front feet of young Norwegian coldblooded horses

Cited by 11 publications

References 6 publications

Estimates of heritability for ossification of the cartilages of the front feet in the Finnhorse

Estimates of heritability for ossification of the cartilages of the front feet in the Finnhorse

Significance of ossificated ungular cartilages regarding the performance of cold-blooded trotters

Genetic parameters for osteoarthrosis, radiographic changes of the navicular bone and sidebone, and their correlation with osteochondrosis and osteochondral fragments in Hanoverian warmblood horses

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