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Could mile-long trots protect young foals from lower-leg fractures later in life? Morris Animal Foundation-funded researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)are evaluating the long-term effects of a moderately strenuous exercise plan on bone development in foals.
Lower-leg fractures are a major welfare concern in horses that race or jump competitively, but they can happen in any horse. Understanding the impact of early exercise on growing horses—most horses don’t reach complete skeletal maturity until they’re at least 4 years old—could help prevent fractures. Most fractures happen when horses are between 2 and 10 years of age.