FATAL MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES INCURRED DURING RACING AND TRAINING INTHOROUGHBREDS

Objective-To characterize and contrast data from Thoroughbreds that in curred a fatal musculoskeletal injury (FMI; injury resulting in death or euthanasia) during racing or training and data from ail California race entrants during a 9-month period in 1991. Design-Case-control stu dy. Animals-Thoroughbreds that incurred a FMI during racing or trainin g at a California race-meet and all California race entrants from Janu ary through June and October through December 1998. Procedure-Age and sex were compared with chi(2) and Fisher's exact tests among horses fa tally injured while racing and training. A log-linear model was fit to assess the relationship between race-meet and age acid sex of Califor nia race entrants. Incidence risk of racing FMI was estimated per 1,00 0 race entrants, and the relationship between the occurrence of FMI du ring racing with race-meet, age, and sex was evaluated by logistic reg ression, Results-Injury type and sex-specific age distributions differ ed among the horses fatally injured during racing and training. Age an d sex distributions of the race entrants were not independent and vari ed among race-meets. Overall incidence risk of racing FMI was estimate d at 1.7/1,000 race entrants. Risk of racing FMI in male horses was ab out twofold that in female horses, and in 4-year-olds was twofold that in 3-year-olds. Clinical Implications-Age- and sex-related difference s in risk of incurring a FMI during racing should be considered when c omparing fatal injury rates among race-meets.