In the case of bone chips, sometimes bigger is better. In a study performed in 2006, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center theorized that bone chip characteristics in a horse’s knees were an indicator of the severity of the horse’s injury. They were right.

Liberty Getman, DVM, a surgical resident at the university, and her colleagues examined data from 31 Thoroughbred racehorses with palmar carpal (knee) osteochondral fragments. They found the size of the fragments can be used to predict the severity of joint damage, and the horse’s prognosis.

These injuries usually occur when a horse’s knee is overloaded or is twisted in an unusual direction (possibly caused by improper shoeing, poor limb conformation, and/or uneven footing).

"There is considerable hope that the Polytrack surfaces may decrease the prevalence of chip fractures in racehorses," Getman said