Orthopaedic Injuries in 272 Dressage Horses: A Retrospective Study

There is limited information regarding orthopaedic injuries in dressage horses. This study assessed the prevalence of injuries in a mixed referral and first opinion population of 272 horses training and competing in dressage, 238 of which were followed up one to five years after injury. Warmblood (55.8%) and Iberian (38.6%) breeds predominated. The median age was 8 years (interquartile range [IQR] 5,11; range 1,21). Horses were examined due to lameness (85.3%) or poor performance (14.7%). The median lameness grade was 2/5 (IQR 2,4; range 0,4). Forelimb lameness was more prevalent than hindlimb lameness (p < 0.001). Unilateral lameness (55.2%) was more common than multilimbed lameness (44.9%). Hypermetria (14.3%), hypermetria and weakness (2.2%) or weakness alone (1.1%) did not affect follow-up outcome compared with horses without neurological gait dysfunction. Soft tissue injuries were more common in Iberian horses than in Warmbloods (p = 0.006), but considering all injuries there was no difference in outcome between breeds. Injury type (soft tissue, osseous, osteoarthritis, developmental disease) did not influence follow-up outcome. Following targeted treatment and tailored rehabilitation programs, 42% of 238 horses returned to the same level of work as pre-injury or higher, 45% returned to work at a lower level and 13% were retired due to orthopaedic injury. In-depth clinical assessment and diagnostic anaesthesia are important for the identification of all problems and development of the most appropriate treatment and management protocols.