A description of veterinary eliminations within British National Endurance rides in the competitive season of 2019

Abstract

Veterinary eliminations within the equestrian sport of endurance have predominantly been evaluated based on data from international competitions. However, in order to take part in international competition, each horse and rider must qualify by completing rides under their national federation. The aim of this study was to analyse the competitive data and veterinary eliminations, specifically lameness, from competitions run by the British governing body of endurance: Endurance GB, during the 2019 competitive season. Competitive results for 765 ride starts from seven different ride venues were evaluated; 81.6% (n=624) horses successfully completed the rides, with the remaining 18.4% (n=141) failing to complete the ride. The majority of horses that were unsuccessful were eliminated for lameness at veterinary inspections (n=83; 58.9%). Horses competing in single loop rides (up to 55 km rides) had a success rate of 88.6% (n=624), in contrast, horses competing in rides of three loops or more (>80 km rides) reported a decreased success rate of 61.8% (n=81). Hindlimb lameness was identified more frequently (n=50; 60.2%) compared with forelimb lameness (n=33; 39.8%). Further consideration should be given to the differences between single loop rides, where a higher percentage are presented to the veterinary panel as lame prior to the start, and multi loop rides, where a higher percentage of horses are eliminated lame during the ride and potential risk factors for the increased prevalence of hindlimb lameness observed.