Fördelning av frambensskador på ytliga böjsenan hos galopphästar
Superficial digital flexor tendon injuries are common causes of premature retirement or pre-longed convalescence periods for race horses. The curve gradient at Täby Galopp race track is very small and most races as well as high speed training are done on the left rein.
It is believed that the horses left foreleg is under considerably more strain then the right foreleg when being ridden on the left rein during gallop at high speed. During gallop on the left rein the horse puts its entire weight on the left foreleg when regaining ground contact.
The purpose of this study has been to find out, through analyzing the statistics concerning the horses that visited the ATG clinic at Täby during a period between January 2003 and September 2006, whether there is a higher frequency of superficial digital flexor tendon injuries on the left leg rather than the right and if so, can this support the theory that the design of the race track in combination with continuous left rein races can be a contributing cause of these injuries.
The result of the study shows that 57% of the tendon injuries occurred on the left front leg and 38% on the right front leg. The difference is not large enough to support the above theory of the underlying cause of these injuries.