The incidence of musculoskeletal disorders in sport horses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of locomotive organs disorders in sports horses. The locomotive organs condition is one of the determining factors of horse{\crq}s performance, thus it is also very important economical factor. The occurrence of the disorders is important not only for the given individual, but it can be used e.g. as the genetic information or the indicator of breeding management. The results of 151 horses in the age from 3 to 24 years were observed. Total of 10 radiographic images were evaluated in each horse. With respect to frequency and importance, following disorders were emphasized: occurrence and degree of modifications of navicular bone (navicular syndrome) and hock joint (bone spavin). Others modifications were observed on a smaller range. The results showed that only 11% of horses were free of any disorder. 89% of horses had at least one of the disorders, whereas 83% of them showed the disorder of navicular bone and 52% of them showed the disorder of bone spavin