Putnam J R C, Holmes L M, Green M J, Freeman S L
School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire, UK.
Equine Vet J. 2014 Mar;46(2):194-7. doi: 10.1111/evj.12084. Epub 2013 Aug 30.
Lameness is a common problem in the horse. Despite this, information on the incidence of lameness in horses in the UK is restricted to studies of lameness in performance horses, racehorses or referral hospital populations.
To determine the overall incidence and common causes of lameness in a working horse population and incidence, duration and outcome of conditions observed.
Prospective questionnaire study.
Questionnaires were used to record lameness episodes in 294 horses in an equine military establishment. Information recorded included age, years of service, type of work, causal lesion, time taken to return to work and outcome. Lameness problems could be reported by any staff involved in the horses' care and were diagnosed by a veterinary surgeon or qualified farrier. Trends between lame and nonlame populations were compared using Chi-square analysis. Lameness diagnoses were grouped and analysed by disease category.
Completed questionnaires for 273 horses were analysed. The mean monthly incidence of lameness was 2.1%, equivalent to an annual rate of 25.4 cases per 100 horses per annum, with a mean of 1.2 lameness episodes per horse in the lame population. Horse age and duration of service were not significantly different between lame and nonlame populations. The most common diagnoses were cellulitis (18.6%), skin wounds (16.3%) and foot/shoeing problems (11.6%) and 88% of cases had returned to previous levels of work by the conclusion of the study.
This initial field study showed that lameness is a common occurrence in this working military horse population and the majority of cases make a full return to work. The most common causes of lameness identified in this study and outcomes of these conditions differ from existing literature.
This study highlights the need for further studies of lameness in the wider horse population.
跛行是马匹中常见的问题。尽管如此，英国有关马匹跛行发生率的信息仅限于对竞赛用马、赛马或转诊医院马匹群体的跛行研究。
确定工作用马群体中跛行的总体发生率和常见病因，以及所观察病症的发生率、持续时间和转归。
前瞻性问卷调查研究。
采用问卷记录某军队马场294匹马的跛行情节。记录的信息包括年龄、服役年限、工作类型、病因性损伤、恢复工作所需时间和转归。任何参与马匹护理的工作人员均可报告跛行问题，并由兽医或合格的蹄铁匠进行诊断。使用卡方分析比较跛行和非跛行群体之间的趋势。跛行诊断按疾病类别进行分组和分析。
对273匹马的完整问卷进行了分析。跛行的平均月发生率为2.1%，相当于每年每100匹马中有25.4例，跛行群体中每匹马平均有1.2次跛行情节。跛行和非跛行群体之间的马匹年龄和服役时间无显著差异。最常见的诊断为蜂窝织炎（18.6%）、皮肤伤口（16.3%）和蹄/蹄铁问题（11.6%），88%的病例在研究结束时已恢复到之前的工作水平。
这项初步的现场研究表明，跛行在这个工作用军队马匹群体中很常见，大多数病例完全恢复工作。本研究确定的跛行最常见病因及这些病症的转归与现有文献不同。
本研究强调需要对更广泛的马匹群体中的跛行进行进一步研究。
