90% of catastrophic fractures had pre-existing lesions missed by standard screening

A California Horse Racing Board study (2011-2013) found that roughly 90% of Thoroughbreds suffering catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries had pre-existing bone lesions at or near the fracture site. These lesions — abnormal bone remodeling that leaves skeleton segments vulnerable — are nearly invisible on standard X-rays and scintigraphy. PET imaging can detect these lesions 3x more reliably (22.2% of limbs flagged vs. 6.9% with scintigraphy), but PET scanners cost $1-2 million, only a handful of equine facilities have them (UC Davis, Cornell), and a single scan costs $2,000-3,000 per horse. This means the technology to prevent most catastrophic breakdowns exists but is economically inaccessible for the vast majority of the 30,000+ horses in active U.S. training. The gap persists because no regulatory body mandates advanced imaging, track veterinarians rely on visual 'jog-by' inspections that catch lameness only after damage is severe, and the cost of PET cannot be passed to individual owners without pricing mid-tier operations out of racing entirely.