Cross-Sectional Survey of the Management and Training Practices of Endurance Horses in New Zealand: A Pilot Study

Highlights

• A survey of Fédération Equestre Internationale level endurance riders was conducted.

• Data were collected on the management practices of endurance horses in New Zealand.

• Endurance horses were managed in a similar way to competition horses in New Zealand.

• Many riders had specific goals for their horses during the competitive season.

• Many riders collected GPS data and maintained training records for their horses.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to conduct a cross-sectional survey of a cohort of national and Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) level riders to provide an overview of the management and training practices of endurance horses in New Zealand. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 53 riders participating at four endurance rides (including a 3* FEI event). The questions covered demographics of the rider and horse as well as general management and training practices. Before the first competitive ride of the season, horses were ridden a median of five (interquartile range [IQR], 4–6) days a week and were in training for a median of eight weeks (IQR, 6–9). The first competitive ride of the season marked the transition from long slow distance work to more competition-specific work. Increases in training were associated with a reduction in distance, an increase in speed, and no change in frequency. Conditioning often incorporated farm work, hill work, and hacking. After a competitive ride, just over half (57%; 24/42) of respondents gave their horses 1 day off for every 10 km ridden in the ride. Most respondents (81%; 42/52) reported key milestones for their horses during training; heart rate and Global Positioning System (GPS) monitors were used by 61% (31/51) and 63% (31/49) of respondents, respectively. This pilot study highlighted that many riders collected heart rate and GPS data, suggesting there is scope for further detailed studies to gain more accurate training data on endurance horses in New Zealand.

Introduction

As a result of the growing popularity of endurance riding worldwide, there has been an increased focus on the veterinary management and welfare of endurance horses during competitive rides [1]. A number of recent studies have investigated completion rates for international rides and focussed on the common reasons for elimination from rides [2]. A study of 97 Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) events held in nine countries during 2008 found that 54% of horses failed to complete the endurance ride and the percentage of eliminations ranged from 31% in United States to 56.6% in UAE [3]. Lameness was the most common reason for elimination (69%), with metabolic problems accounting for 24% of all eliminations [3].

In response to the high rates of eliminations identified, a number of epidemiologic studies have investigated horse-, rider-, and venue-level risk factors for ride eliminations [3], [4]. Similar to musculoskeletal injury in Thoroughbred racing [5], lameness and metabolic eliminations in endurance rides appear to be multifactorial in nature and include risk factors such as country, venue, number of entries in the ride, length of ride, track conditions, breed, and horses' prior experience [4], [6], [7]. It is likely that additional risk factors would include aspects of the management and training of the horses before a ride, although these are yet to be accurately measured and reported.

In Thoroughbred racing, the exercise accumulated during training is associated with achievement of key training and racing milestones [8], the risks of musculoskeletal injury during racing, and future racing performance [9], [10]. Furthermore, a significant proportion of musculoskeletal injury in Thoroughbred racehorses occurs during training [11], [12]. Although there are currently no data on the incidence of lameness in endurance horses during training, there are anecdotal reports of increasing wastage during training at the top level of the discipline [1].

The initiation of the FEI Global Endurance Injuries Study for mandatory collection of injury data provides detailed information on events occurring in endurance rides but does not address training-related aspects. Previous attempts to record detailed injury data have been hampered by the challenges associated with compliance from trainers and owners to provide detailed data (Nagy et al [6]). Cross-sectional surveys have been used as an initial step to identify and describe the training and management practices of Thoroughbred racehorses [13], [14]. These surveys provide an opportunity to develop a positive relationship with the industry to allow future prospective studies. It would be advantageous to describe the workload and management of endurance horses, which may be used in the design or analysis of future prospective studies of risk factors for eliminations or injuries.

The aim of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional survey of a cohort of national and FEI level endurance riders in New Zealand to provide an overview of the management and training practices of endurance horses, to enable further research in this area.