Prevalência de alterações ósseas no tarso de potros crioulos de até vinte e seis meses de idade

Abstract

The Crioulo horse industry has increased exponentially in the last few years, this scenario, leads horse breeders to neglect individual aspects of the horse s development, interfering, mostly, in the nutritional management, as younger animals are participating in halter shows. These changes in horse management without considering individual aspects of growth, feeding and exercise level predispose these animals to the complex of diseases known as developmental orthopedic diseases. Radiographs were taken of both tarsi of 77 (31 fillies and 46 colts), of nine up to 26 months old Crioulo horses, competing or not in halter events. These young horses were divided in groups by age, with one including nine to 18 months old foals (G1) (34/77) and the other 19 to 26 months old ones (G2) (43/77). According to preparation or not for halter competition, horses were divided into GI (48/77) (average preparation time 4.55 months) and GC (control group, 29/77), respectively. Data were collected on 24 breeding farms or training centers, to determine the prevalence of osteoarticular changes. The results showed that 77.22% (61/77) presented some degree of radiographically visible lesions. The prevalence of lesions in males was 80.44%, 77.42% in females; 77.31% in the GC; 79.17% in the GI; 86.67% in G1 and 76.75% in G2. The mean body weight of the 10 to 12 month old yearlings (G1) was 293.25kg, representing 71.28% of the mature weight and that of the 19 to 26 month old ones (G2) was 360.5kg (87.71% of mature weight), the mean body weight of GC was 288.9kg (70.22% of the mature weight), and that of GI was 341.9kg (83.11% of the mature weight), even with the mean age of both groups being 16.79 and 18.98 months, respectively. A significant relationship was found between the animal s weight gain (p= 0.02; r= 0.26), body condition score (p= 0.03; r= 0.23), neck crest score (p= 0.018; r= 0.27) and wither s height (p= 0.01; r= 0.28) and the degree of the radiographic lesions found in the tarsi. Several factors can be involved in distal tarsal juvenile osteoarthritis; however the most important factor present in Crioulo breeding farms was the horse s overweight.