Harness Racing Injuries

Horses participating in harness racing, or harness racers, do not have injuries singular to the sport, but there are certain injuries that veterinarians see again and again from racing on the harness track.

  1. Simple Fractures

    • Simple fractures in harness racers usually occur in the lower legs, such as in the split bones on the inside of the leg and the coffin bones inside the hooves.

    Comminuted Fractures

    • Shattering a pastern or coffin bone, two types of comminuted fractures associated with harness racers, is usually a result of stress during training or racing. Split bone fractures can also be comminuted, which means the bone has multiple breaks.

    Curbs

    • A curb refers to the "thickening and enlargement" in the ligament found just under the hock on the outside of the leg, called the plantar ligament (Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook). Curb doesn't refer to the injury itself, which is usually trauma to the ligament, but instead to the result of the injury.

    OCD

    • OCD, or osteochondritis dissecans, is a joint disease where cartilage that has not fully turned into bone starts to shatter like a windshield, then breaks apart. The cartilage is no longer attached inside the horse's body and begins to irritate other structures.

    Bowed Tendons

    • Also known as tendonitis, bowed tendons occur when the superficial digital flexor tendons along the back of the horse's legs under the knee are strained and results in swelling, tenderness and heat in the legs. The back of the leg looks bowed out, hence the name.