11 Aug 2022
Researchers hope to find ways of improving performance sustainability as they believe decisions made in the early part of horses’ lives can make them more vulnerable to injury and disease later.
Allister Webb
Job Title
RVC researchers will lead a new study of how Thoroughbred horses’ performance, on and off the racecourse, could be affected by decisions taken in their early lives.
The analysis, which is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK, aims to find of ways of improving both athletic performance and the breeding industry’s financial sustainability.
The study, which is being funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board and the Racing Foundation, will follow a group of two and three-year-old horses to see how many of them go into the sport, and where others, who do not, end up.
Researchers believe early-life experiences can make Thoroughbreds more vulnerable to injury and disease by altering the development of bones, joints, and tendons.
Although existing data suggests little change in the number of horses going into racing training or taking part in races over the past 20 years, less is known about what happens to those who don’t go into the sport.
Postdoctoral researcher Rebecca Mouncey said the research would build on the study launched as part of her PhD, which has followed the group from birth and recorded variables including veterinary history, exercise, and incidents of illness and injury.
Dr Mouncey said: “Musculoskeletal disease and injury remains the greatest barrier to Thoroughbreds being retained within the industry and realising their maximum athletic potential, and is likely to have important economic consequences – particularly in the current financial climate.
“Our study will provide vital and directly applicable information at both horse and farm-level, evaluating the influence of early-life management and health on production costs, profitability, and racing performance in Thoroughbreds.”
The research comes amid increasing concern about the economics of the racing industry. Several British-based trainers have either given up their licences or signalled their intention to do so in recent months.
There has also been growing controversy about low numbers of horses being entered for some races and levels of prize money, including one race at Newbury last month where no runners were declared.
