Trainer Matt Cumani and OTI Racing are supporting research to improve horse performance and safety.
Cumani arranged with The University of Melbourne's Dr Chris Whitton to facilitate study on fetlocks, focusing on the changes that occur to fetlock joints during a racing campaign.
U-Vet Werribee Animal Hospital (The University of Melbourne) has examined more than 200 horses using its standing CT scanner since its installation two years ago, which is a relatively small number when compared against the Victorian horse population.
Horses raced by OTI Racing and Cumani will participate in the exercise aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the CT scanner to diagnose issues or identify potential problems.
"Basically, what they are trying to establish is what sort of changes occur in a horse's fetlock, a joint that takes an enormous amount of pressure, during a training program," said OTI Racing's managing director Terry Henderson.
"We've had a number of horses that have gone in there over the past week that are just starting their campaigns, we will CT scan those horses and get a good appreciation of those horses and their structure.
"And then at the end of the racing campaign, before they go to the paddock, we'll do it again, so we'll be able to see what changes occurred in that time. The reality is, the more we can understand about a horse's physiology, the better."
There will be no cost to owners of horses passing through the CT scanner as the research is jointly funded by Racing Victoria and The University of Melbourne.
Henderson hopes that such research may not only lead to healthier horses with a greater racing life but could also help in designing training programs and better training facilities.