Underrun Heels and Toe-Grab Length as Possible Risk Factors for Catastrophic Musculoskeletal Injuries in Oklahoma Racehorses

Prevalence of underrun heels in 90 Oklahoma racehorses of different breeds examined postmortem by the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory exceeded 97%. Severity of the underrun heels was significantly greater in racehorses experiencing catastrophic suspensory apparatus injuries than a control group whose deaths were not related to the musculoskeletal system. Lengths of toe grabs were not a significant potential risk factor in catastrophic suspensory apparatus injuries in this study. This research was performed while the authors were employed by the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (Balch, Collier) and the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (Helman), College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 47078. Authors’ addresses: 720 W. 1st Str., Apt. #37, Cheney, WA 99004 (Balch); IDEXX Veterinary Services, 200 Westboro Road Bldg. 20, North Grafton, MA 01536-1895 (Helman); Office of the Dean, College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources, University of Hawaii, Hilo, Hawaii 96720 (Collier). © 2001 AAEP.