Which kind of injury is most common to a racehorse? That all depends on who trains it and at which track, according to a group of British researchers. Their recent survey of three major Thoroughbred stables in the United Kingdom showed that the patterns of training-related injuries vary significantly between training centers and trainers.

The study, which analyzed 248 injuries in 217 horses in the Newmarket region from 2005 to 2007, also revealed general regional patterns as well as seasonal trends in injury types that coincided with peak racing periods.

Overall, the most common race-training injuries in Newmarket were hind limb stress fractures, specifically of the tibia, said Pete Ramzan, BVSc(Sydney), MRCVS, partner at Rossdale & Partners’ veterinary practice in Newmarket, and primary author of the research. Regular training on uphill tracks is the probable explanation for this pattern, he said.

However, this kind of injury happened only half as often in one yard as it did in each of the other two, Ramzan reported. Furthermore, long pastern bone (P1) fractures were three times more common in one of the yards–but this yard also had the lowest incidence of superficial digital flexor tendonitis (SDFT) and pelvic stress fracture. In two yards, P1 fractures occurred more frequently in the front legs, whereas in the third yard, they happened most often in the hind legs