The use of race winnings, ratings and a performance index to assess the effect of thermocautery of the soft palate for treatment of horses with suspected intermittent dorsal displacement. A case-control study in 110 racing Thoroughbreds.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING THE STUDY: There have been no reports of the efficacy of thermocautery of the soft palate (TSP) assessed objectively as a treatment of intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP).

OBJECTIVE

To compare: racing performance of horses that underwent thermocautery of the soft palate with matched controls; and 'Racing Post ratings' (RPR) with prize money won (RE) and a performance index (PI) for each of the horses in the study.

HYPOTHESIS: Thermocautery of the soft palate has no beneficial effect on racing performance and the 3 measures of performance are significantly related.

METHODS

The inclusion criteria were fulfilled by 110 horses and each was matched with 2 controls. Changes in performance were compared statistically. RPR, RE and PI were analysed using a regression model.

RESULTS

The percentage of horses that improved in performance following the procedure was 28-51% for the 3 measures of performance, compared to 21-53% for the matched controls. There was no significant effect of the procedure on the changes in RPR or RE. There was a significant effect of the procedure on the change in PI (P=0.015) with more treated horses achieving an improved PI and fewer acquiring a worse PI than matched control horses. The measures of performance showed significant correlation.

CONCLUSIONS

Thermocautery of the soft palate alone may not be the most efficacious treatment of DDSP.

POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Production of a reliable measure of racehorse performance may be possible.