A research project funded by an equine charity in Speen, Buckinghamshire, The Horse Trust, has found that 40% of horses suffered a traumatic injury within the past year with only 13% of injuries occurring during riding exercises, while 62% occurred while the horse was turned out in the field.
The research, which has been accepted for publication by the Equine Veterinary Journal, was carried out by Rosie Owen, who is currently working as The Horse Trust's clinical scholar in equine orthopaedics at the University of Liverpool.
The results were obtained through analysing the responses from 652 randomly selected horse owners from North West England, the Midlands and North Wales, all of whom had a horse aged 15 years or younger.
Horses that had been owned for a shorter period of time were found to be significantly more at risk of injury. This increased risk may be due to aggression from other horses when a new horse is introduced to a field, but owners can take various steps to reduce the likelihood of injury, according to Ms Owen.
She said: "It's worth trying to avoid regular changes in group composition. A new horse should be introduced to the group gradually, preferably by providing adjacent stabling initially. Protective boots may help as the lower limbs are most at risk of injury. Also, if possible, the other horses in the field should have their shoes taken off during the period of adjustment, so they are less able to injure the new horse."
The research also found that horses turned out within larger groups were at an increased risk of injury, but the risk of injury was reduced when additional feeding areas were provided in the field.
Although most of the injuries recorded in the survey occurred during turnout, 11% occurred in the stable, with most of the injuries affecting the head or eye. Ms Owen recommends that hay is provided on the floor rather than a rack and suggests owners make sure no protruding nails, hooks or sharp edges are in the stable.