Injuries to the tendonligamentous apparatus of horses participating in equestrian distance running competitions in comparison with classical equestrian sports

In the North-West region of Russia, the interest of athletes is concentrated mainly on classical types of equestrian sports (show jumping, dressage). Show jumping and dressage differ in many ways from endurance, but the main difference is the length of the distance (in endurance races the distance can reach 160 km), which requires training, first of all, for endurance. At the same time, in show jumping, as is known, horses overcome obstacles, and in dressage they perform elements in which the distribution of the load does not always occur evenly. Most likely, the nature and frequency of injuries in horses in endurance races over certain distances will differ from injuries in other types of equestrian sports. The results of these studies are relevant in connection with the widespread incidence of injuries in horses in equestrian sports in order to develop training schemes, preventive and therapeutic measures for injuries in horses participating in competitions in this area [4]. This equestrian sports area is quite young in the NorthWest region, relative to classical types, so there is a need for research. Previous studies have shown that the main cause of injuries in horses participating in races is overexertion caused by excessive accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles over long distances. While in classical equestrian sports the main etiological factors of injury are: excessive stretching of the tendons with a sharp contraction of the muscles, forcing training and, as a result, overheating of the tendons [2,3]. In general, it is known that the flexor tendons and the suspensory ligament (interosseous muscle) are most often injured in horses [1]. Analyzing the obtained research results, it was found that horses participating in equestrian distance endurance racing were more often diagnosed with injuries of the superficial digital flexor (SDF) and deep digital flexor (DDF) of the thoracic limbs, and horses used in classical equestrian sports, along with injuries of the SDF and DDF, were also diagnosed with injuries of the suspensory ligament (SDL) of both the thoracic and pelvic limbs.