Risk Factors For Catastrophic Limb Injury Incurred During Racing For Venezuela'S Thoroughbred Racehorses 2000-2011

Catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries (CMIs) are the major cause of fatalities for racehorses. The main goal of this study is identify the risk factors for the age of limb CMI during racing in Venezuela. The data included all the Thoroughbred racehorses with limb injuries attended for the veterinary team from January 2000 to May 2011. Survival analysis for discrete time data was used to establish a model for the hazard function. Specifically we assume a clog-log model related to the hazard with the covariates. The statistically significant covariates associated with limb CMI were: pre-existing pathology, number of races, and race length. Having a pre-existing pathology double the risk of limb CMI. Higher number of races and running long or medium-length races decrease the risk of limb CMI.