title: Prevalence of radiographic changes in yearling and 2-year-old Quarter Horses intended for cutting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There have been many studies that document radiographic findings in young Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses. No such studies have been performed in Quarter Horses.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the prevalence of radiographic changes in the stifles, tarsi, carpi and fetlocks of young Quarter Horses intended for cutting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Radiographs of yearling and 2-year-old Quarter Horses were obtained from a radiograph repository and a private farm. The carpi, tarsi, fetlocks and stifles were evaluated and radiographic changes categorised by type and location. The frequency of changes was calculated and comparisons were made between the 2 age groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 458 included horses, 408 (89.1%) had radiographic changes, most of which were in the tarsi (304, 69.4%) followed by the stifles (202, 44.5%), hind fetlocks (155 of 355, 43.7%), fore fetlocks (131 of 361, 36.3%) and carpi (27 of 342, 7.9%). Of the horses with stifle changes, 188 (93.1%) were in the medial femoral condyle (MFC). There was a significant difference between the age groups for changes on the distal intermediate ridge of the tibia (DIRT), hindlimb middle phalanx (P2) osteophytes and proximal tibial osteophytes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a high prevalence of radiographic changes in presale survey radiographs, especially in the stifles and tarsi, of young Quarter Horses intended for cutting.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Veterinarians examining presale radiographs at cutting horse sales should expect a high prevalence of radiographic changes in this population of horses. Work to determine the clinical relevance of these radiographic changes is currently ongoing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Equine Orthopaedic Research Center Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Contino
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: McIlwraith
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D005552:Forelimb / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006736:Horses / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D007596:Joints / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D011859:Radiography; D013177:Sports