The Magazine March 2024

Keep on your toes

Posted 18th December 2024

All sports have some injuries that are more commonly seen. Vet David Lloyd explains the common risks in dressage…

Keep-on-your-toes

If we’re to understand and, ultimately, prevent injuries in dressage horses, it’s important consider the biomechanics of equine movement.

Horses have a specific locomotor system that allows them to cover huge distances while grazing and, for this, they carry most of their weight on their front legs. Furthermore, as prey animals, they can accelerate quickly and travel with energy efficiency at great speeds to escape danger. However, the specific skills dressage horses use were not on the list during evolution and, as a result, the demands of the discipline can lead to injury if not taken into account.

On repeat

Dressage is physically demanding, and horses require strength, flexibility and balance. Many of the injuries experienced by dressage horses are chronic in nature and occur because of repetitive strain or repeated loading of the joints. Furthermore, collected work concentrates the stresses and strains around the fetlock, as well as the lower back, pelvis, stifles and hocks.

Fetlock issues explained

The fetlock joint undergoes one of the highest loads per square centimetre of any joint in the horse’s body. Injuries can involve damage to the …

  • articular cartilage
  • subchondral bone (the layer of bone underneath the articular cartilage, which is key to maintaining joint integrity)
  • supporting ligaments

Top tip

To avoid both short-term and lifelong physical problems, it’s important to ensure the musculoskeletal systems of young horses in training have sufficient time to adapt to the increasing demands put on joints and ligaments.

Diagnosis can be confirmed using nerve blocks, and your vet will recommend X-rays and/or an ultrasound scan, too, depending on what they suspect to be the underlying issue. Sometimes, specialised imaging, such as MRI, is required to identify the problem – especially with suspected bone bruises (damage to subchondral bone).

Treatment is usually a period of rest from several weeks to months, depending on the severity of the injury, alongside anti-inflammatory medication.

Learn more about common dressage injuries in February Horse&Rider – get your copy today!

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