Balancing training load, rest and musculoskeletal injury risk: a mathematical modelling study in Thoroughbred racehorses
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| author | Anwar, Md Nurul Pan, Michael Morrice-West, Ashleigh V. Malekipour, Fatemeh Pivonka, Peter Flegg, Jennifer A. Whitton, R Chris Hitchens, Peta L. |
| author_facet | Anwar, Md Nurul Pan, Michael Morrice-West, Ashleigh V. Malekipour, Fatemeh Pivonka, Peter Flegg, Jennifer A. Whitton, R Chris Hitchens, Peta L. |
| contents | Musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) in Thoroughbred racehorses are a leading cause of death and premature retirement in racehorses and are heavily influenced by training practices. Greater distances of high-speed galloping accumulated during racing campaigns are associated with MSI. Bone injury is the most common MSI, and understanding how training practices influence bone damage accumulation is critical for improving both horse welfare and racing outcomes. This study builds on an existing mathematical model of bone adaptation and damage to investigate the impact of different training programs on bone injury risk. Several training programs (three progressive, four race-fit, six rest programs and two with rest replaced by low-intensity training) were constructed to reflect representative practices undertaken by professional trainers in Victoria, Australia. Training programs varied in training volume, rest frequency and program duration. Lower volume training programs that included high-speed training, achieved sufficient bone adaptation with less accumulation of bone damage, and subsequently lower risk of bone failure. In addition, incorporating more frequent rests (at least 2 per year) and/or longer rest periods (at least 6 weeks) reduced bone damage due to the extended opportunity to remove and repair bone damage. These results provide an in-silico mathematical model of the bone response to training, demonstrating the effects of training programs on bone adaptation, damage formation and repair. The findings can guide the design of training programs that balance both bone adaptation and bone health throughout horses racing career. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_22680 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Balancing training load, rest and musculoskeletal injury risk: a mathematical modelling study in Thoroughbred racehorses Anwar, Md Nurul Pan, Michael Morrice-West, Ashleigh V. Malekipour, Fatemeh Pivonka, Peter Flegg, Jennifer A. Whitton, R Chris Hitchens, Peta L. Populations and Evolution Musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) in Thoroughbred racehorses are a leading cause of death and premature retirement in racehorses and are heavily influenced by training practices. Greater distances of high-speed galloping accumulated during racing campaigns are associated with MSI. Bone injury is the most common MSI, and understanding how training practices influence bone damage accumulation is critical for improving both horse welfare and racing outcomes. This study builds on an existing mathematical model of bone adaptation and damage to investigate the impact of different training programs on bone injury risk. Several training programs (three progressive, four race-fit, six rest programs and two with rest replaced by low-intensity training) were constructed to reflect representative practices undertaken by professional trainers in Victoria, Australia. Training programs varied in training volume, rest frequency and program duration. Lower volume training programs that included high-speed training, achieved sufficient bone adaptation with less accumulation of bone damage, and subsequently lower risk of bone failure. In addition, incorporating more frequent rests (at least 2 per year) and/or longer rest periods (at least 6 weeks) reduced bone damage due to the extended opportunity to remove and repair bone damage. These results provide an in-silico mathematical model of the bone response to training, demonstrating the effects of training programs on bone adaptation, damage formation and repair. The findings can guide the design of training programs that balance both bone adaptation and bone health throughout horses racing career. |
| title | Balancing training load, rest and musculoskeletal injury risk: a mathematical modelling study in Thoroughbred racehorses |
| topic | Populations and Evolution |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.22680 |