Abstract
ABSTRACT We analysed the frequency of symptoms and degree of muscle pain in selected body parts of racing horses assessed during classic massage sessions. The influence of horse’s sex on obtained results was considered. The potential for the early determination of pain in horses by analysing their behaviour and cardiac parameters during a massage session was also evaluated. The study was conducted on 20 three-year-old purebred Arabian horses during one racing season. In the racing season, cyclic classic massage sessions [...]
Highlights
Injuries to the locomotor system represent a common health problem in racing horses (Rossdale et al, 1985; Kobluk et al, 1990; Lindner and Dingerkus, 1993; Bailey et al, 1999; Perkins et al, 2005a b)
Muscle pain most frequently occurred in the front limbs throughout the experiment, and the least frequently occurred in the neck and in the croup (Table 3)
The frequency of muscle pain in stallions was lower in the second period than in the other periods, and the frequency of pain in mares was lower during the first period than in the other periods; exceptions were the front limbs of the stallions and the neck and hind limbs of the mares
Summary
Injuries to the locomotor system represent a common health problem in racing horses (Rossdale et al, 1985; Kobluk et al, 1990; Lindner and Dingerkus, 1993; Bailey et al, 1999; Perkins et al, 2005a b). Tendon strains and joint sprains and fractures are occupational hazards in these animals and the main causes of many pathological conditions or even death (Clegg, 2011). This triggers negative emotions in many people for whom the maintenance of the good welfare of the horse represents a challenge, especially for the youngest animals, namely two- or three-year-old horses (Cogger et al, 2006; Clegg, 2011). Sometimes stiffness is considered as due to pain (Taylor et al, 2002)
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