Relationships between third metacarpal bone parameters and surface strains

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Abstract
The relationships were explored between measurements of bone quality, size (quantity) and shape, and strain data collected during treadmill exercise at 4 and 12 m/s from the third metacarpal bones of 6 yearling and 6 mature Thoroughbred racehorses. Peak strains in yearling and mature Thoroughbred horses during exercise were related to the size and shape of the third metacarpal bone. The peak strains were significantly lower in horses with a greater cross-sectional area of bone and with a greater proportion of the bone in the dorsal cortex. There was no consistent relationship between peak strains and bone quality assessed by ultrasound speed, single photon absorptiometry and direct measurement of porosity and specific gravity. It was concluded that measurement of the dorsal cortical proportions of the third metacarpal bone may provide a way of estimating the level of strains caused by fast exercise in this part of the bone, and hence the modelling response to be expected.