RHU is the oldest endurance sport in Uruguay. However, despite 80 years of racing, there are no studies to characterize this type of competition, explore rates and causes of death, and identify the associated risk factors. The aim was to characterize the Raid Hipico Uruguayo (RHU) competencies according to the distance (short (SR, 60 km) vs. long (LR, 80-115 km)), the causes of deaths, and the associated risk factors. The study population comprised horses (n = 16,856) that participated in RHU rides from 2007 to 2018. LR were more frequent than SR (p < 0.001). The average speed of winners was higher in SR (32.12 km/h) than in LR (28.14 km/h) (p < 0.001). There were 99 fatalities (5.9 per 1000 starts). SR had greater frequency of high comfort index (CI = Temp [°F] + Humidity [%]) than LR, and LR had greater frequency of low CI than SR (p < 0.001). The percentage of inexperienced horses and those who completed the ride was greater in SR than in LR (p < 0.001). In both types of rides, more horses died during than after the ride, and inexperienced horses were more likely to suffer fatalities than horses with prior experience in the sport (p < 0.05). SR were associated with increased risk of sudden death, while LR were associated with increased risk of death due to metabolic alterations. The high fatality index shown in this work warrants urgent investigation in this sport to minimize mortality associated with RHU-specific diseases.
Keywords: animal welfare; comfort index; equine; experience; fatalities; horse.