HISA issues shoulder-injury advisory for horses returning from layups

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has advised veterinarians and trainers to be cautious when exercising horses after layups of 60 days or more because of new data showing an increased risk of shoulder injuries in horses returning to the work tab.

The notice, which was distributed to all trainers and veterinarians who are registered in HISA’s data-tracking portal, said that 40 percent of “fatal proximal forelimb fractures” occurred in horses who had recorded no “high-speed furlongs” in the past 60 days.

In addition, among all horses who suffered fatal injuries to the shoulder, the average number of high-speed furlongs in the previous 60 days was 12.3, or just slightly farther than a mile. The alert cautioned trainers and veterinarians to take extra precautionary measures when returning horses to exercise after a layup, with a focus on the shoulder area.

The data was drawn from fatalities recorded through the HISA portal since it was launched last year. It is the first advisory issued by HISA using an analysis of the portal data.

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“Our goal is to translate this growing body of information in our portal into actionable guidance that can make our sport safer,” said Dr. Jennifer Durenberger, HISA’s director of equine safety and welfare.

Fatal shoulder injuries are relatively rare compared to injuries of the lower legs, but shoulder injuries are becoming a larger share of the total number of fatal injuries due to significant reductions in fatal injuries to lower legs over the past two years. HISA said that fatal shoulder injuries are now approximately 15 percent of all fatal injuries suffered by Thoroughbreds.

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