Assessment of prognosis for racing after carpal surgery in 210 Thoroughbreds

Summary The efficacy of treating carpal lesions by arthrotomy was evaluated in 210 Thoroughbred racehorses, using survival analysis to compare their racing performances and earnings with those of 840 control horses. The treated horses were significantly inferior with respect to races contested, and wins plus places (P<0.001) and races won (P<0.01). There was no difference with respect to earnings (P<0.1); after adjusting for other factors, arthritis, site of fracture and presence of a displaced chip had no effect on racing performance in horses with a single-site lesion involving a chip.