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Thesis
FATAL MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURY RISK DETERMINED USING ACCELEROMETER-BASED INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNIT (IMU) SENSORS IN 28,481 THOROUGHBRED RACE STARTS
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
07/2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000007991
Abstract
Objective: To determine whether screening of racing Thoroughbreds with accelerometer-based inertial measurement unit sensors (IMU) and a specifically trained algorithm identified most-at-risk horses for fatal musculoskeletal injury and whether age, gender, race distance, and track surface were associated with increased risk.
Animals: 11,834 Thoroughbred racehorses.
Methods: Stride data from 28,481 races by 11,834 Thoroughbreds from July 25th, 2021, until May 4, 2024, were assigned an algorithm-based risk score from 1-6, (6 =greatest risk). Logistic regression models examined the association between incidence of fatal injuries and risk scores within the previous 120 days, gender, age, race distance and track surface. Tukey’s adjustment assessed differences across risk score groups, track surfaces, and genders. P ≤0.05 was significant.
Results: 74 horses were fatally injured. Risk score and probability of fatal injury were exponentially related. The most-at-risk horses has risk scores =6 and had 0.4% of starts but 4% of the musculoskeletal fatalities. Their probability of suffering a fatal injury was 44.6 times >risk score =1 horses. Age was not associated with injury risk. Males were at higher risk of fatality than females. Horses racing shorter distances had greater risk of incurring a fatal injury. The fatality rate was higher on dirt and turf than a synthetic all-weather track.
Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: Horses receiving a risk score =6 were at significantly greater risk of suffering a fatal musculoskeletal injury than other horses. Identification of the most-at-risk horses with IMU-derived data followed by thorough lameness examinations and, when indicated, advanced diagnostic imaging should decrease the fatal musculoskeletal injury rate.
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Details
- Title
- FATAL MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURY RISK DETERMINED USING ACCELEROMETER-BASED INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNIT (IMU) SENSORS IN 28,481 THOROUGHBRED RACE STARTS
- Creators
- Denise Mc Sweeney
- Contributors
- Warwick M Bayly (Chair)Macarena G Sanz (Committee Member)Kelly D Farnsworth (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- College of Veterinary Medicine
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 37
- Identifiers
- 99901296995201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis