Anita Barton, PhD candidate, Thesis Review Seminar, "The role of microdamage, remodeling and modelling in bone adaptation during early race training, in the dorsal metacarpal in the horse"

The role of microdamage, remodeling and modelling in bone adaptation during early race training, in the dorsal metacarpal in the horse: can we train young Thoroughbreds more effectively to reduce bone-fatigue injuries?

Anita’s advisors are Dr Lisa Kidd, Dr Mark Forwood, Dr John Al-Alawneh, and Dr Nana Satake.

Fatigue injury of equine third metacarpal bone (MC3) due to high-straining cyclical loading is a significant cause of wastage and compromised welfare in the Australian Thoroughbred industry. It is well known that bone will adapt to applied strains by changing its geometry and ultrastructure, making it better able to resist deformation and fatigue failure. While retrospective investigations suggest modification of training regimens may assist in reducing the incidence of bone fatigue injury in young Thoroughbred racehorses, it is unknown if there is an optimal age high-speed, and thus high-strain, exercise should be introduced, or if there is an optimal workload that can induce adaptive changes to bone structure without causing injury. This thesis aims to examine the effect of both workload and exercise imposed very early in the life of a young, growing horse on bone geometry and density, and to evaluate the feasibility of a novel technique for cortical biopsy of the MC3 in horses. Finally, this thesis aims to gather information from Australian Thoroughbred trainers and stud farms about exercise and workload imposed in the early stages of a young racehorse's life during sales preparation and early training, and the perceptions of those intimately involved in the industry about the effect of exercise on bone fatigue injury.

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