The effect of insertional suspensory branch desmitis on racing performance in juvenile Thoroughbred racehorses

Abstract

JISBI causes decreased racing ability as a 2-year-old. Mild cases perform similarly to controls by their 3-year-old season, but more severe cases demonstrate reduced ability as a 3-year-old, with an increased likelihood of reinjury. Although the wastage was higher in case horses with JISBI, individual cases that make it to a race have similar earnings per start as their controls.

Association between sesamoiditis, subclinical ultrasonographic suspensory ligament branch change and subsequent clinical injury in yearling Thoroughbreds

“…In this population of 50 Thoroughbred (TB) yearlings, 66% demonstrated some degree of sesamoiditis. This finding is consistent with other studies that have shown sesamoiditis to be a common condition .…”

Surgical management of marginal tears/avulsions of the suspensory ligament branches in 29 Thoroughbred racehorses

“…Although it has been suggested that some horses with clinical signs of SLB desmitis have no ultrasonographic evidence of fibre disruption , in most cases this is pivotal to lesion identification . In the cases reported, four abnormalities, increased cross sectional area, a defect in the palmar/plantar abaxial margin, extrusion of disrupted ligament fibres and adjacent layered echogenic tissue, were consistent features.…”

“…In one report a degree of objectivity was introduced for juvenile injuries in Thoroughbreds. The study demonstrated that horses with juvenile SLB lesions raced significantly less as 2-and 3-year-olds (27 and 62% respectively) compared with unaffected horses (58 and 82%) [1]. This paper reports a subgroup of SLB injuries with a consistent, abaxial marginal location and their treatment by surgical removal of the disrupted tissue.…”

Subclinical ultrasonographic abnormalities of the suspensory ligament branches in National Hunt racehorses

“…A recent study of the effects of SLB injury on the racing careers of juvenile Thoroughbreds demonstrated that horses with SLB injury started fewer races in both their 2-and 3-year-old seasons than those without [3]. Horses with mild SLB injuries performed similarly to sibling controls (those without SLB injury) in their 3-year-old seasons, but moderate to severe SLB injuries resulted in reduced performance and increased risk for re-injury.…”