When a racehorse is injured, one of the biggest concerns an owner has is whether or not the animal will be able to race again. The owner also wants to know if the horse will be able to perform as well as it did prior to being hurt. Travis Tull, DVM, and Hannah Wellman, BVSc, of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., presented studies that addressed those questions during the Lameness-Racing session at the 2009 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention. Both collaborated with prominent Rood & Riddle surgeon Larry Bramlage, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, on the projects.

Tull reported on cumulative stress-induced injury of the distal third metacarpal/metatarsal bone in Thoroughbreds. According to Bramlage, the term commonly used for the condition is "bruising on the bottom of the cannon bones," and it can lead to condylar fractures if the affected horses remain in training. (A condylar fracture occurs in the bottom of the cannon bone at the level of the fetlock joint.)

In the past, horses suffering from the injury often were rested in their stalls. But the primary regimen for the 55 animals in Tull and Bramlage's study involved free exercise in the form of paddock turnout for 60 days. The turnout period was longer for some of the horses that didn't heal as quickly, and three of the Thoroughbreds had owners or trainers who didn't care for them as recommended.

Ninety-five percent of the horses in the study raced following their injuries and treatment, and 62% maintained or improved their class. Those results were better than results for Thoroughbreds that had received stall rest, according to Bramlage