Skadeförekomst hos häst relaterat till olika typoch mängd av utevistelse

Abstract: This study was performed to examine whether horses that are kept alone in smallpaddocks are less likely to suffer injuries, compared to horses kept in biggerenclosures with the company of other horses, or not. In not yet published researchmaterial from 2005, risk factors associated with “accidental injuries” versus “wearand tear injuries” (represented by trauma injury and fetlock inflammationrespectively), were compared. That material, based on the results of 507 returnedquestionnaires from owners of horses in a Swedish insurance company, includedquestions about paddock/pasture confinement. The results from those questionswere then analyzed in this study in a so called case-control study, in which thegroups with trauma and fetlock inflammation were compared to a healthy controlgroup.The results show that the risk of fetlock inflammation is greater in a smallconfinement, OR for inflammation in a small paddock is 2,2 (95% KI 1,2-3,9)compared to a bigger paddock. “Small paddock without company” is also a riskfactor for fetlock inflammation compared to “big paddock with company”, OR 2,4(955 KI 1,1-5,0) and so is “big paddock without company” and “small paddockwith company”, with OR 2,9 (95% KI 1,2-7,3) and OR 2,4 (95% KI 1,1-5,3)respectively. The results also show that daily outdoor confinement that exceed 10hours can be considered a protective factor for both fetlock inflammation, OR 0,3(95% KI 0,1-0,7) and traumatic injury, OR 0,4 (95% KI 0,2-0,8) compared tooutdoor confinement 6-10 hours per day. The data indicates that the risk forfetlock inflammation may be less when the ground surface is hilly and/or containswood, but this could not be confirmed due to the small number of horses that werekept on such grounds, 120 compared to 368 horses that had flat surface in theirpaddocks/pastures (19 questionnaires were missing information about this). Theconclusion is that an association between how the horse is kept and the risk fortrauma and fetlock inflammation have been observed in this study. However,confounding factors may affect the results, but if the findings turn out to bedurable in larger prospective studies and the etiologic fractions are considered tobe of importance, the guidance concerning horse keeping for improved healthshould be clarified.