COURTESY UF/IFAS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

University of Florida researchers are looking to collaborate with horse owners on a study about arthritis pain.

UF/IFAS, the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, the UF College of Dentistry and the UF biomedical engineering department are searching for horses that can participate in a field study focused on osteoarthritis, a key cause of swelling, heat and pain in joints. Just like in people, arthritis in horses commonly results from frequent, repetitive high-impact stress on the joint, such as from activities like racing and jumping—and early intervention is critical.

The researchers have designed a non-invasive screening process for horses to create a more comprehensive, objective method to measure joint pain according to Samantha Brooks, UF/IFAS associate professor of equine physiology and genetics.

If a method can be developed for horses—patients who inherently cannot talk about their pain—then a similar approach will hopefully work for people who have joint pain, rather than relying on the current, subjective pain scales, she said.

“We tend to treat symptomatically when horses show obvious clinical signs of pain, but if we can get a detect subtle joint pain sooner, we might be able to start pain treatments in time to better preserve joint function, and tailor that treatment for each horse,” Brooks said. “And our horses undergo a lot of the same joint diseases that we have. Any tools that we can build to better understand the discomfort caused by arthritis in horses gives us a better understanding of arthritis pain in people.”

The researchers are looking to work with horse owners whose horses are in Central Florida and have already been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, especially if it affects the fetlock joint. The horses will receive an initial screening visit with a lameness exam, free radiographs of fetlocks and a blood draw. The lameness exam is a simple series of movement tests, such as walking and trotting in a straight line.

The UF research team would visit the horses a couple days a year for a period of up to two years to observe them in their everyday routine and use new approaches to document their movements and behavior – no change in the horse’s usual routine would be expected, Brooks said.

Kaylee Young, a UF/IFAS animal science research coordinator, said community participation is essential to one day have a better understanding of osteoarthritis pain.

“Participating in this study could lead to better pain management and care for not only our horse companions but for people,” she said. “This research could be something that could be life changing not only for horses but for humans.”

If you’re interested in having your horse participate in this study, email uf-gallop@ufl.edu with the subject line of “Study Participation” and specify where your horse is located and some basic health information about your horse, such as a diagnosis of fetlock osteoarthritis.

Return to the July 23 issue of Wire to Wire