A high prevalence of radiographic abnormalities exist in the joints of yearling and 2-year-old Quarter Horses, but the clinical significance of these changes is not yet known, according to Erin K. Contino, MS, of the Gail Holmes Equine Orthopaedic Research Center at Colorado State University. Contino presented on the topic at the American Association of Equine Practitioners' 55th Annual Convention, held Dec. 5-9 in Las Vegas, Nev.

While equine researchers have completed studies on radiographic changes in Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds, no one has reported on this subject in Quarter Horses. As such, Contino and colleagues reviewed radiographs from 458 yearling and 2-year-old Quarter Horses intended for the discipline of cutting.

The researchers evaluated the carpi (knees), fetlocks, tarsi (hocks), and stifles, and then they categorized lesions based on type and location

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