An increasing number of horses are being seen by vets after suffering lameness and other leg trauma suggests a relationship beween the riding surface and injury.

According to Dr Rachel Murray, a vet working for the Animal Health Trust and speaking at the Pony Club annual conference at Ingliston EC, Bishopton recently, traditionally horses were worked on grass and tarmac roads but with many horses today exercised soley in arenas this has lead to more injuries being treated than ever before.

The key to reducing training lies in correct preparation however some horses are predisposed to injury either by being a poor athlete or through poor preparation and the unskilled rider can unbalance athe horse. “Some horses are predisposed to injury, eg tendon injury and the surrounding tissue structure, genetic makeup, use of the limbs and often one sided and the duration of exercise can have an effect,” explained Dr Murray.

“In humans there has been a lot of research into the surface to improve performance and it’s been found that stiffer surfaces will give a faster race time than a softer surface and artificial surfaces compared to turf have a higher rate of injury. In humans the shoe design traction can be influential and the classic injury is the cruciate ligament but stiffer surfaces have repetitive injuries like shin splints.

“In horses the fracture rates on horses running on artificial surfaces are increased compared to turf – the foot slides more causing fetlock hyperextension.”

Currently research is being carried out for the FEI specifically looking at artificial surfaces. Pentration injury can be caused from debris found in surfaces sold specifically for riding in, wire, nails, glass and metal can cause laceration as well as sole bruising due to large chunks of rubber in poor quality surfaces. Wax coated surfaces can cause irritation and rubbing under boots and for horse that don’t lift their limbs high enough there can be hoof wall abrasion due to sand if the surface is firm.

“Repetitive overloading of limbs will cause training injuries but this can vary with the sport. Injuries seen in showjumping arre different to those in dressage, usually hind suspensory ligament wheile flat racehorses have bones or carpus, fetlock and pelvis injuries. The surface must be appropriate for the activity the horse undertakes.” said Dr Murray.

“Too many showjumping takes place on a surface that does not allow the foot to slide and we are seeing more problems.. It’s important the horse is able to maintain stability, if the horse is asked to turn sharply it’s important the foot doesn’t becomae ‘stuck’ although well muscled horse’s have more protection. On a deep surface the horse works hard and can get tired quicker, if they keep working they can become uncoordinated, however horses trained on a single surface over time will adapt to it and the tendons and ligamenst get stronger.

“Digital flexor tendons are very efficient, they can adapt with lots of small stretches and are stimulated by fine or deeper level surfaces and slow and steady work. We know now that slow trotting on roads is good for tendons and for bone to get stronger it doesn’t get stronger walking on roads. On a simple surface evidence shows us the leg gets stronger through repetitive exercise, wet deep sand increases lamesness by 1.4 times compared to exercising on an arena that stays the same decreases the risk by 0.7 times but for every extra session on the surface the limb gets stronger and will benefit the horse.

“Surfaces will change due to the weather so it;s important to use variable surfaces for tissue adaptation, so for example go hacking, turnout and cross train,” added Rachel.

However she went on to explain that: “consistency in an arena is very important, sudden changes in the surface, loss of balance and sudden stresses can cause lack of co-ordination and injury. It’s important to choose a surface that is suitable for the individual and horse type.

“There’s a fine line between peak performance and injury. A lot of people blame the horse for being unco-operative and awkward but 99% of the time he probably isn’t understanding the questions or is genuinley unable to perform the tasks. Repition is vital, but needs to be done is small quantities until the horse is strong enough so that the structures at risk are not damaged.”