Soft tissue injuries around the tendons and ligaments in a horse's legs are exceedingly common. Two American researchers have explored the relationship between the duration of turnout time and these types of injuries. Their findings indicate that more than 12 hours of daily turnout can significantly reduce the risk of soft tissue injuries.

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Abigail Reilly, who led the study, presented her results at the Equine Science Society’s 2021 Virtual Symposium. She explained how a horse's tendons adapt to changes in biomechanical movement, a process that largely occurs during turnout when the horse can move freely.

"Horses that move a lot and those on turnout have one thing in common: the fibers in their tendons are more elastic, thus better equipped to adapt to movement," explains Abigail Reilly.

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Movement is key

Horses that spend many hours in turnout generally have a good baseline fitness due to their frequent movement.

If a horse has a low workload or limited opportunity for movement, for instance, if it spends many hours in a stable, it is likely to have poor physical conditioning. According to Abigail Reilly, when such a horse is asked to perform, it will have a lower chance of completing the activity without risking soft tissue injuries.

Reilly's reasoning is that horses in turnout are always moving, unlike horses in stables. Simply put, movement helps keep the soft tissue structures flexible.

"If horses spend a lot of time in turnout, they maintain a chronically higher level of activity because they walk, graze, and just be horses," she explains.

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Study with 146 horses over six years

Abigail Reilly's study tested a range of horses in relation to varying turnout times over a six-year period from 2014 to 2020. All horses in the study were treated equally, exercised according to their individual levels, and on the same surface. The horses in the study were divided into two groups, where one group was in turnout for less than 12 hours, and the other group had more than 12 hours in turnout.

All horses in the study were monitored and examined for injuries by two veterinarians over the six years, including using ultrasound and MRI.

The study showed clear differences in the results of the two groups in terms of soft tissue injuries.

• Out of 57 horses with more than 12 hours of turnout, 14 horses (25%) suffered soft tissue injuries
• Out of 89 horses with less than 12 hours of turnout, 45 (51%) suffered soft tissue injuries

The study's conclusion was thus a recommendation to provide as much turnout time as possible to try to minimize soft tissue injuries.

Source:

Turnout Time Can Reduce Horses’ Risk of Soft Tissue Injury