I’m not talking about career-ending injuries, or even injuries that call for veterinary attention–I’d like to know about the kinds of issues that impact performance in an otherwise sound horse. Back soreness? A decrease in range of motion?
What kinds of problems show up frequently?
Racehorses are prone to the same kinds of problems as other horses. In my experience, there is not a “common” TB injury that impacts performance that is only seen on the track. It does seem that many track vets don’t check for a sore back until they have exhausted most other possibilities so perhaps the fact that it’s an under-diagnosed problem could make it seem to be more common.
That’s fair. I would say the one thing I don’t see commonly in sport horses of other disciplines that I do see in race horses fairly commonly is speed-induced injuries. Sesamoid fractures, slab fractures of the knee, condylar fractures… It is more the nature of the work (IMHO) than the quality of a TB’s construction.
I think backsoreness is a fairly universal ailment for any horse in work. So many things beyond their work load goes into it: bad angles on their feet, genetics, cervical arthritis, diseases like EPM and lyme, etc.
I wonder what, really, is the nature of this question? Is OP looking for stripes?
I’m sorry, I don’t get what you mean by “stripes.” Here’s the background of the question: Sporthorse folk often say of OTTBs that coming from race training/racing that they tend to be back-sore, tight in their muscles and therefore short-strided.
If that’s true, what measures do trainers take to alleviate these conditions?
Chiropractor, electromagnetic blanket, massage, swimming, time off, sometimes accupuncture
Stripes - referring to when you hear hoofbeats… sometimes it’s a zebra but usually it’s a horse. Was trying to see if you were thinking outside of the box.
In general my experience with TBs coming off the track with overall body soreness, it has usually been a combination of things: very hard/high intensity workload and 23/7 stall time, combined with longer toes than idea and NPA behind.
To fix that, what laurie mentioned +
- full turnout
- lots of long slow distance
- sport farrier attention
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I’ve been waiting to see responses. The op’s question is interesting. Front lower leg unsoundness is what I’ve seen the most of with horses off the track. But on the track watching them move it seems like quite a few have sore hindquarters. I was guessing tight or pulled muscles. But short, irregular strides behind can be a lot of things.
@Halt-"When you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras.
I found “stripes” most confusing.
But I agree, speed-induced injuries, along with the extremely artificial life they lead contribute to some of their ailments.
Turn out, light hacking , and sensible training can make them delightful mounts.
Kind of a strange question. Anything that impacts a race horse’s ability to perform warrants veterinarian attention. I don’t get the impression that you’ve actually spent much time at the track. The vet stops by the barn EVERY DAY to check in with the trainer. There is nothing that impacts the horses’ performance that does not get checked out by the vet.
When racing, a horse’s stride is maxed. I guess what your sporthorse folk mean is that the ex race horse does not have a good trot or canter. Race horses jog and gallop. The gallop is a 4 beat gait and is different from the canter. When they train, they usually jog for a bit and then gallop. The riders are light weight and ride with short stirrups, and stand up off the horse’s back. The goal with race horse training is to get the horse conditioned to win races. They are not worried about a 10 trot or a 10 canter. They are conditioning the horse in a way to optimize the horse’s fitness and ability to race. So yes, an ex race horse needs to learn to trot like sporthorse folk want it to trot, and since ex race horses don’t canter much, they need to learn to canter better.
Different is not necessarily indicative of injury. The horse has just never had to use himself the way the sporthorse folk want him to, and they conclude that the race trainers are bumpkins who don’t recognize health or soundness issues.
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Palm Beach: You’re right, I haven’t spent much time at the track–I come from dressage and hunter/jumper world. But I do understand what you’re saying about the differences between what sport horse people like to see and what’s important for race trainers as far as how the horse goes. You say “They (trainers) are conditioning the horse in a way to optimize the horse’s fitness and ability to race.” Given that, surely muscle tension and back soreness can’t be helpful.
LaurieB listed some strategies trainers use: electromagnetic blanket, turn-out, massage, etc. These are some of the same therapies sport horse people use.
I’m especially interested in therapeutic massage, which I’ve found to be helpful for my own horses. It’s a common therapy in sport horse world, though there are plenty of traditionalists who are skeptical about the benefits. I wonder–and track-experienced COTHers, please chime in here–how common is therapeutic massage as a resource for race trainers?
You are assuming that there is a common existence of muscle tension and back soreness in the racing world, and you are basing your assumption off what the people who take a small percentage of ex racehorses tell you. You are taking a fraction of the population, and that fraction is not representative of the racing world. You are using horses who no longer have any use as a race horse. For whatever reason, they flunked out of the racing world. It’s not a real representation of active race horses.
I can tell you that in the real racing world, there is not widespread use of electromagnetic blankets and massage because they do not make a difference in performance. Muscle tightness and back soreness do not exist to the extent that they commonly affect performance. Turn out is very very limited at the race track, and it’s risky as some horses play too hard and sustain injuries in that manner.
What you commonly see at the race track is front limb lameness.
There have been a multitude of massage therapists who have tried to make a living massaging race horses and it does not affect performance, so you don’t see many of them around. They also come through with lasers and a variety of contraptions that are supposed to alleviate inflammation and speed up healing and those do not work well enough that they are commonly used.
You just can’t bill an owner for a $100 treatment if it does not improve a horse’s chance of earning money. Does massage feel good and loosen up tight muscles etc? Sure, but so will jogging the horse a half mile before galloping.
What works in racing is getting a horse properly conditioned to withstand the rigors of racing, and allowing small problems enough time to heal before they become big problems.
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I am baffled by just about everything in this thread. phippsie62, is this going to end with you trying to sell us therapeutic massage treatments? That’s about the only thing that would make sense to me now.
My replies have been based on the original post which asked for problems that impact performance but don’t require veterinary attention. Others have cited “fractures” and “front end lameness” both of which get seen by a vet immediately.
Palm Beach makes many valid points, however I must disagree with his (her?) assertion that things like massage and electromagnetic blankets aren’t widely use at the track. He and I probably race on different circuits but I know dozens of trainers who use those things and who believe that anything that makes a horse more comfortable and happy is going to improve or maintain peak performance. In Kentucky, an equine massage therapist can make a very good living.
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I wondered about the “massage doesn’t really work” idea. I see most of the event riders around here using a masseuse weekly, or more if the horse seems sore, to keep their horses comfortable and happy. One of the big barns in Seattle has a chiro coming thru weekly too along with the masseuse.
@LaurieB , do you think some of the horses that appear tight in the hindquarters are just showing excitement rather than actual discomfort? (not a trick question)
LaurieB: I was afraid that if I addressed massage it might give the impression that I’m trying to “sell” it somehow. I’m not. I know about massage, I’ve used the services of a masseuse, so that’s why I picked out that particular therapy for comment, seeing as how it showed up on your list of possible therapies. I don’t have any agenda here besides the desire to educate myself about part of the equine sports world that’s different from mine.
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Fair enough, phippsie, thanks for the explanation. I hope this discussion is helping. 
Gestalt, with regard to your question: not sure if this is what you’re talking about, but I have always thought that TBs appear to move oddly when they are being ponied on the track pre-race. I attribute that to the fact that, while under that restraint they (usually) find themselves twisted into a somewhat unnatural position that allows greater freedom of movement for their front ends than their hindquarters. But maybe you meant something else?
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@Laurie B , that is what I meant. You are probably right since I’ve seen a sound horse appear lame once the rider was on, someone called it “bridle lame”. Sounds like the same premise, that the horse is being held to a position that either annoys them or causes odd movement. (the bridle lame horse was in a dressage court, not on a racetrack)
I was told that about the apparent tightness behind with a Pony by serveral career race folks. It’s a very good observation and question to ask and often comes up. If you watch how the racer moves almost immediately when the Pony rider turns them loose, you’ll see them straighten and loosen behind within just a few steps.
