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Condylar Fractures - a common injury in racehorses, and how to treat them

By James Tate BVMS MRCVS
First Published: 05 February 2010 - Issue Number: 15

Condylar fractures are arguably the most common type of fracture suffered by the Thoroughbred racehorse. However, veterinarians have given them a slightly cryptic ‘pet-name’ so that many do not understand them quite as well as they would like.

  They are simply fractures of the lower cannon bone that extend into the fetlock joint and there are two types – outside or ‘lateral’ condylar fractures, and inside or ‘medial’ condylar fractures.

Fractures of the cannon bone are the most common fracture of the racehorse, and by far the most widely-seen type of cannon bone fracture is the ‘condylar fracture’ by which the front legs are more frequently affected than the hind legs, while outside or ‘lateral’ condylar fractures are seen more often than inside or ‘medial’ condylar fractures. All types of condylar fractures are common, from minor stress fractures to more serious displaced fractures. According to David Nunamaker, a leading researcher in the field of equine orthopedics and professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center, lateral condylar fractures are the most common type of fracture with which he is presented.
There are numerous examples of great racehorses that have suffered condylar fractures and had them successfully repaired, such as 2005 Preakness and Belmont winner Afleet Alex. However, severe, displaced, lateral condylar fractures like those suffered by talented filly Eight Belles are also seen frequently and are in fact the most common cause of equine fatality on the racetrack in the United Kingdom (Parkin et al. Equine Veterina...

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