Race Performance Following Arthroscopic Surgery for Femoropatellar and Tarsocrural Osteochondrosis in Juvenile Thoroughbreds.

Thoroughbreds surgically treated for femoropatellar or tarsocrural OC achieve racing performance comparable to unaffected controls.

This retrospective case-control study evaluated racing performance in Thoroughbred yearlings (< 2 years old) following arthroscopic surgery for osteochondrosis (OC) of the femoropatellar (FP) and tarsocrural (TC) joints between 2010 and 2022. A total of 49 horses were included: 27 in the FP group and 22 in the TC group. Each surgical case was matched with two age- and sex-matched controls from the same stud farm. In the FP group, the lateral trochlear ridge was most commonly affected, with 14 bilateral cases. In the TC group, the distal intermediate ridge of the tibia was the primary site, with five bilateral cases. Racing outcomes—including number of starts, wins, places, podiums, prize money earned, and career duration—were assessed at 2-year-old, 3-year-old, and ≥4-year-old racing seasons. No statistically significant differences were identified between surgical cases and controls in any performance metric for either joint group (p > 0.05). Additionally, no significant performance differences were found between unilateral and bilateral cases within either group (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that arthroscopic management of FP and TC OC in juvenile Thoroughbreds allows for a return to racing performance comparable to that of unaffected peers, regardless of whether the condition is unilateral or bilateral. This study provides clinically relevant prognostic data to guide client counseling and surgical decision-making in young performance horses diagnosed with OC.

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