Murdoch Researcher: Dr Kate Steel

We may soon be a step closer to successfully preventing and managing carpal lameness in racehorses thanks to Murdoch researcher Dr Kate Steel.

Approximately 1.2 million horses are currently used for recreational sport and racing in Australia and lameness from a variety of causes is the most significant cause of days lost in training, of races missed, and of premature retirement.

Dr Steel’s project, which is funded by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, aims to investigate exercise-induced C3 sclerosis in young Standardbred racehorses.

The investigation will help develop a better understanding of the diagnosis, management and prevention of carpal lameness.

Sclerosis of the third carpal bone which is a condition that can lead to fractures and osteoarthritis, is a common cause of lameness in racehorses.

Dr Steel explained that “when a young horse is in training, the bone remodels and strengthens to adjust to the training”.

“However, if strengthening lags behind the rate of training, problems can arise with soreness (seen radiographically as whiteness or “sclerosis”)in the carpal bones.”

The study has determined that soreness originating in the third carpal bone is a relatively common problem in 2-year-old Standardbred horses and yet there are currently no guidelines for trainers to prevent damage.

Dr Steel has now completed the first research year of the project, examining and radiographing 64 Standardbred horses every 3 months during their first year of training.

Matching up Xrays of the carpal bones with details about each horse’s training schedule has enabled Dr Steel to probe the relationship between carpal damage and exercise.

“Preliminary results indicate that sclerosis of the third carpal bone is somewhat reversible with rest,” she said.

“This suggests that adjustments to training schedules could prevent the changes that potentially lead to carpal bone fractures and osteoarthritis.”

Over the course of the 2 year project Dr Steel hopes to establish guidelines for veterinarians to determine normal degrees of sclerosis in the third carpal bone that is present at various stages of training so that the diagnosis and management of this condition can be improved.