Factors relevant for surface performance and safety

Question 1

How would a person test for ‘going’?

Answer 1

For turf - a ‘going’ stick is used. It is put into the ground and removed at a 45° angle - may be subjective as may be pushed into the ground more and it depends on a person’s individual judgement of what 45° is

For AWT - it is measured after the first race and it may be fast, standard, slow or inbetween two of them

Question 2

How many track related deaths were recorded in the USA in 2018? What were the reasons for this many deaths?

Answer 2

493
The USA mainly races on dirt, which has the highest statistics for injuries and fatalities (even higher than AWT).
The races are also mainly flat races, so are faster, which could contribute.
There are also less strict rules for doping checks in the USA and they vary from state to state.

Question 3

What is the average speed of flat races?

Answer 3

17-18 m/s

Question 4

What is the average speed of jump races?

Answer 4

13-14 m/s

Question 5

What are some problems with synthetic surfaces?

Answer 5

• the wax within them degrades with age
• the wax within them changes consistency with the temperature, affecting the overall feel of the surface
• they are prone to compaction

Question 6

What are some common injuries associated with racehorses?

Answer 6

When racing on AWT, the biaxial proximal sesamoids are the most commonly damaged

When jumping on turf, lateral condylar fractures of the 3rd metacarpal are the most common

When flat racing on turf, the proximal phalanx is the most commonly damaged

These injuries are more likely to be sustained during training than during actual races.

Question 7

How many studs are used for polo horses? Where are they placed? Why is this?

Answer 7

One stud is used in each shoe on the lateral side. This is to help with grip and sudden turning needed for polo. There is a risk of the foot being uneven but putting two in each shoe often provides too much grip and can cause catastrophic injuries.

Question 8

What is the most common injury in top event horses?

Answer 8

The most common injury is to the superficial digital flexor tendon as well as to the navicular bone and its associated tissues.

The muscle that supports the SDFT gets tired and fatigued as the horse travels around the long and challenging cross country tracks and this means it cannot stabilise the SDFT, making a tear or break more likely.

Question 9

What are common injuries for showjumping horses?

Answer 9

The most common injury is desmitis of the accessory ligament of the deep digital flexor tendon in the forelimb, as well as desmitis of the suspensory ligament in the hindlimb. Also hyperextension of the carpal joint.

Question 10

Define DESMITIS

Answer 10

Desmitis is inflammation of a ligament,

Question 11

What are the most common injuries for dressage horses?

Answer 11

In dressage there is a high risk of suspensory ligament damage in the hindleg due to excessively collected movements. This also means high tarsal (hock) loading and joint compression. Increased stance duration causes extension of the metatarsophalangeal.

Question 12

What are the different phases of loading and unloading of the limb?

Answer 12

1st impact - high levels of vertical accelerations, low level of ground reaction forces.

2nd impact - higher levels of ground reaction forces, small amount of horizontal acceleration (called slip). The horse is braking at this point.

Support (midstance) - high levels of ground reaction forces travelling straight up the horse’s leg.

Rollover - small amount of horizontal and vertical acceleration. Less ground reaction forces as the horse moves away onto the next stride.

Question 13

In what ways can surfaces be measured?

Answer 13

There are two methods:

• using the horse
• using mechanical devices

Question 14

How can a surface be measured by using the horse?

Answer 14

The stride characteristics (e.g. stride length, stride frequency, duty factor) can be measured using a dynamometric horse shoe. This is essentially a force plate that measures the amount of force applied during different gaits and how much of it travels up the limb.

Question 15

How can a surface be measured by using a mechanical device?

Answer 15

A drop hammer is used to simulate a horse’s hoof hitting the ground - it shows the levels of force but cannot show any rotation or possible slip. An example is the Orono Biomechanical Surface Tester, which was developed for the Olympics in 2012. A similar process is compulsory for all 4 and 5* events now.

Question 16

What are some desired characteristics for surfaces?

Answer 16

As defined by the FEI:
1. Impact firmness - how hard it is. The harder the surface is, the more force will be sent up the limbs as they hit the ground.

2. Surface cushioning - how the surface supports the horse. Training surfaces are often more forgiving than competition surfaces.
3. Responsiveness - how the surface helps the horse to move onto the next stride i.e. how springy/active the surface is. A dead surface would be one that gives back in the support phase or even when the horse has already moved onto the next stride.
4. Grip - rotational and longitudinal movement during hoof/surface interaction. A little bit of slip is good and reduces the impact felt by the horse’s limbs.
5. Uniformity - changes in functional properties on one track or area. Uneven surfaces mean changes in vertical hoof forces that affect stability and therefore orthopaedic health. Moving from distinctly different surfaces can also alter limb posture.

Question 17

What is the correlation between temperature and track speed? Why?

Answer 17

A colder track always means a faster surface - the wax within the surface is cooler and therefore firmer, making the surface harder overall.

Question 18

What should be done if an AWT is too hot?

Answer 18

It should be watered to cool it down and firm up the wax.

Question 19

What should be done if an AWT is too cold?

Answer 19

It should be covered and harrowed deeply to move the wax around and warm it up.

Question 20

What are some methods of improving the going of turf surfaces?

Answer 20

• aerated surfaces increase water holding capacity
• soil structure and grass type will influence the ability to absorb water
• root structure will provide a surface that has good cushioning and lower impact firmness

Question 21

What is the significance of surface cushioning?

Answer 21

• surfaces with greater damping qualities will reduce shock and the amount of impact felt up the horse’s limb
• greater damping qualities will affect stride characteristics of the horse - stride length decreases and stride frequency increases
• even slight alterations to the surface properties will affect how a horse travels on it
• a baselayer under the surface (e.g. gravel) will also affect how the surface rides

Question 22

How is slip managed/prevented?

Answer 22

• Higher wax concentrations in AWT prevent slip
• There is significantly less slip seen when studs are in, however this may limit the frog’s abiloty to act as the horse’s natural breaking mechanism

Question 23

Is slip good or bad in terms of surface?

Answer 23

Some slip is good, but not too much, although the optimum amount of slip is not currently known.

Question 24

What is the significance of surface consistency?

Answer 24

An inconsistent surface mean changes in vertical hoof forces that will affect stability and orthopaedic health#
High levels of use and substandard maintenance will result in an inconsistent surface

Question 25

Can a horse easily adapt to uneven surfaces?

Answer 25

No - the distal limb is quite passive and, unlike in humans, may not be able to change stiffness when moving from surface to surface.