Kate has just had an editorial “Stress Fractures in the Racehorse” (full article – courtesy of Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder incorporating Pacemaker) published in Europe’s leading horseracing and bloodstock magazine, Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder April 2016 – Issue 140 – page 88.
Stress fractures in the racehorse
Comparing injury, rehabilitation and management with British military personnel
‘Tis the season to be extra vigilant for the signs of stress fracture in our racehorses. In spring, when training ramps up and the flat season begins, the incidence of stress fractures increases, largely due to lack of skeletal adaptation. Given that stress fractures were first described in the scientific literature in 1855 by Breithaupt, a Prussian military physician, who identified the “march fracture” in the metatarsal bones of feet in soldiers, it is perhaps appropriate to take a timely look at the military for what we can learn about these bony injuries and their management.