Tailored exercise programs involving habitual low-intensity loading during early development could reduce the prevalence of osteochondral injury later in life, said a group of veterinary orthopedic researchers.

According to the researchers, “The positive effect of exercise on bone mineral density has been documented extensively in several species, including the horse.”

The orthopedists sought to evaluate the influence of three different activity levels on subchondral bone mineral density (sBMD, the density of the bone located directly under articular cartilage) in foals during early maturation.

Forty-three foals were randomly divided into one of three groups from time of birth until the end of the study period (which ranged from 5 to 11 months). The first group was sedentary, the second group was subjected to sprint training superimposed on a sedentary lifestyle, while the third were pastured on over 2 hectares and permitted to exercise freely. The proximal phalangeal (P1) bone was then analyzed at two separate sites and at depths ranging from 1 mm to 5 mm