Evaluation of cervical radiographs in Dutch Warmblood horses, using a novel radiographic grading system for the cervical articular process joints

Summary Clinical and radiographic examination of the cervical spine has been of increasing interest in the prepurchase examination and clinical work‐up conducted for horses. The objective of this study was to describe a grading system useful for evaluating all the cervical articular process joints (cAPJs). Additionally, the findings of the cervical radiographs (occiput, cAPJ and intercentral joint space grading, intra‐ and intervertebral sagittal ratios, and intervertebral disc width measurements) were reported, and their association with clinical complaints in a large group of Dutch Warmblood horses (n = 598) were investigated. Significant associations were found between cAPJ radiographic grades and clinical complaints using the chi‐squared test (C2‐3 [P = 0.01], C5‐6 [P = 0.006], C6‐7 [P