Standing fracture repair yields good results
New research has shown that the use of standing sedation to repair lower limb fractures in racehorses produces similar results to surgery performed under general anaesthetic - but with less surgical complexity, time, cost and risk.
In a study entitled Short and long term results following standing fracture repair in 34 horses, conducted by Richard Payne and Polly Compston at Rossdales Equine Hospital and published in the Equine Veterinary Journal, the case records of 34 Thoroughbred and Arab racehorses that had a lower limb fracture surgically repaired by one surgeon at Rossdales up until June 2011 were scrutinised.
Traditionally, fractures in racehorses have been treated under general anaesthesia, despite the well-known increased risk of an anaesthetic-related death. However, standing fracture repair in the horse is a relatively new surgical procedure with little available follow-up data.
But the early research suggests potential for tangible benefits, including both the avoidance of the inherent risks of general anaesthesia, and a reduction in surgical complexity and associated costs.
EVJ's editor Celia Marr commented: “The recent fatalities at the Grand National highlight that it is critical that the equine veterinary research community strives to reduce the prevalence of fractures in our racehorses. We also need to continue to seek better ways of treating those horses that do develop fractures and, while not every fracture will be amenable to this approach, this study is an important first step towards treating some of the non-displaced fractures that occur in racehorses without the need for anaesthesia.”
The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.
