Surgery

Myth Busted: Showjumpers Can’t Return to Sport After Colic Surgery

By Adam Marcus

Most showjumping horses that undergo colic surgery can return to competition at the same or even higher level after the procedure, a recent study found.

Researchers in Italy studied nearly 100 showjumpers that underwent colic surgery and found nearly 80% of the animals that were competing before the procedure were able to return to the sport upon recovery.

The findings address an important gap in the understanding of the ability of horses to return to activity after colic surgery, according to Gessica Giusto, DMV, PhD, and Marco Gandini, DMV, PhD, of the Department of Veterinary science and Equine Health Center in Turin, Italy. Previous studies have looked at the effects of intestinal surgery on horses that race and perform other activities, but not showjumpers, they reported.

“It is anecdotal among the showjumping community that horses that undergo colic surgery do not return to previous level of competition, but no study had been conducted to demonstrate that,” Dr. Gandini said.

“Since showjumpers and racehorses are very different—in terms of age, breed, and type of physical effort required—a study specifically on showjumpers was worth doing.”

Showjumping requires coordination of all muscle groups, including those in the abdomen. “Laparotomy for colic surgery is made through the tendinous portion of abdominal muscles, which could be the reason why people think that showjumpers would never be the same after colic surgery.” Dr. Gandini told Modern Equine Vet.

For the study, Drs. Giusto and Gandini looked at medical records of horses with acute colic requiring surgery at the University of Turin between January 2017 and March 2021, as well as the performance of showjumpers in the database. They included 253 animals that underwent colic surgery, of which 96 had been listed as showjumpers; 59 of which had been competing before the procedure. The horses were mostly Italian and Belgian breeds.

The researchers conducted telephone interviews with the animals’ owners in April 2023, asking if the horses were still alive, whether they had returned to their previous activity, and if they had developed colic or other complications after discharge from the hospital.

They also objectively analyzed the performance of showjumpers before and after colic surgery—a first in the equine literature, they said—and included a comparison group of horses that entered the same competitions but had not had colic surgery.

Of the animals that were actively jumping prior to surgery, 46 (78%) returned to competition after recovering—41 (89%) at the same or higher level as before.

Two years after surgery, roughly two-thirds of the showjumpers were still alive, in line with previous studies of colic surgery in horses, the researchers said.

“No significant differences were observed in the level of competition and career length between horses, which underwent colic surgery, and the randomly selected comparison group” of animals that participated in other activities, they noted.

Neither resection nor anastomosis appeared to limit the ability of jumpers to compete after surgery, according to the researchers. Even horses that developed abdominal hernias after colic surgery were able to jump competitively, the study found.

“Showjumpers can compete at the same or even higher level after colic surgery,” Dr. Gandini said. “This may drive the choices of owners, trainers and vets when facing the decision of referring their horse to a clinic in case of severe colic. Too often, due to the myth of reduced performance after surgery, owners and trainers opt for euthanasia instead of sending the horses for a life-saving surgery.” MeV

Related listening: in Colic in Horses, an Equine Express Podcast episode, Dr. Louise Southwood discusses how survival after colic surgery has improved and how to talk with owners about prognosis.

For more information:
Giusto G, Gandini M. Return of showjumping horses to sporting activity after colic surgery. Equine Vet J. 2024 Aug 28. https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.14407