Rumor Has It

Rumor, you may ask? No, this is true and one lucky mare by the name of Lovey became the recipient. She is a rescue mare that was brought in by the Humane Society Rescue Family in Arkansas. She was severely malnourished, sick and riddled with infections. She had one infection that had caused approximately 6 inches of her right front leg to fall off, she only weighed 650 pounds, more than 200 pounds under weight. She was nursed back to health and by some luck on Lovey’s side and knowing the right people on the rescuer’s side, a decision was made to make her the reciepient of the prosthetic leg. The surgery was done and deemed a success.

She is only now beginning to walk on the new leg and is somewhat tentative. The doctors and owners say it will take therapy, that she will have to realize that she has the leg and will not fall over when she puts weight on her right front. She had adapted to her life without a leg and was living life in a pasture without it, so she will have to re-learn how to walk on four legs.

I find this story full of promise, especially for the performance and race horses that have been put down after performance injuries. In the case of Eight Belles, this probably would not have been an option, because she had broken two front legs. But, just think of how many fine horses that could be saved with these prosthetics…the numbers are overwhelming? I have no idea how many horses are put down every year due to leg injuries and  leg disease? I know this could save many of them from euthanization. What I also know, is that I am only dreaming that this is an option when it comes to the high dollar horse industries, the horse that is no longer performing but has a good insurance policy. I am not going to go any further with this part of the story, you know what I mean, and besides this is a “feel good” story…I forgot.

So, Lovey, we wish you the best of luck. Run free in green pastures, toss your head, whiny at your neighbor, and live up to your name, love those people that have given you the gift of a full and happy life.

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I am still concerned over the breakdown of EIght Belles and wonder if it could have been prevented? From what I have read, the answer is possibly. Of course, the answer is yes ”if” she had missed this race altogether. This is not to say that she would not have broken down in her next race. One cannot “if” this situation though, it “did” happen, so the question is, what can we do to prevent this in thoroughbred racing?

Secondly, could her diet have been one that would have concentrated on bone, joint, and cartilege health? Many blame breeding practices, training methods, or just plain old greed in the breakdown of the racehorse. I am not saying any of these reasons pertain to the breakdown of Eight Belles and in her case we will probably never know. I feel sure that this filly was fed the best diet available during her training and racing schedule, but what about as a weanling, yearling, those days prior to training? How was her dam fed while she was in utero?

I would like to examine nutrition a bit closer. From what I understand, the idea of bioactive nutritional products and grains that owners can feed their breeding stock, the stallions and mares, the parents of the horse that will eventually go to the track, that will aid in the development of stronger bones could be the answer to preventing breakdowns. This concept is called nutrigenomics, a study of how bioactive feed components can affect gene expression. Mares and stallions raised on these feeds will produce foals that are stonger and healthier athletes with stronger bones and joints. Not only will the offspring be healthier, but they will be better able withstand the demands of the rigorous training and competitve race schedules. Can we be sure this will prevent breakdowns…No. There will still be unscrupulous breeders, training practices, owner’s greed, but if this will help one horse to escape the heartbreaking outcome of that of Eight Belles, it would be worth the entire (expensive) study. Actually, I believe it will save many horses, and is a worthwhile study.

It is not a novel idea, bioactive feeds, yes maybe, but feeding a healthy diet to mares in gestation is not. I always gave my gestational mares high protein grains, nutritional supplements to encourage bone and joint developement, supplements for pretty much anything and everything that you can think of. I remember I gave them vinegar for awhile because it was supposed to have some hidden power, I have forgotten what? This only goes to tell you that most breeders will feed their mares the very best available, hoping to get the next champion on foaling day. When I say “most breeders”, I am referring to “hands on” owner/breeders, not the large breeding farms where the horses have ear tags and go by a number. All this aside, I think the best answer is in changing the entire racehorse industry’s mindset and not start these horses until they are three year olds. A two year old is too young to withstand the demands of such  rigourous training techniques as we see in thoroughbred racing. If the industry is not going to change their practices, they can change the way they treat the very thing that gives them a multi-billion dollar industry.

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Current Mood: Alarmed

Rumor has it that we are going to have our 12^th thoroughbred in history to win the elusive Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. Well, this was certainly a rumor. As has happened many other times in the historical Belmont, our hopes were once again zapped, as were those of the fans of the favorite, Big Brown. I, as most others, do not think it was the 1.50 mile Belmont length that broke the hopes of his owners, his fans, even people that don’t know anything about a horse or a hoof. The last Triple Crown winner was Affirmed, 30 years ago, in 1978. I think everyone felt like it was about time for us to have a new hero and this fine young stallion appeared to be truly a superior horse, more than good enough to be our new hero. This season had already been marred by the loss of the beautiful, high quality mare, Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby. We all became physically ill, our hearts broke as we saw the big, black mare lay motionless on the track. Little did we expect to hear so quickly that she had been immediately euthanized due to breaks in both front canon bones at the fetlock area. We were desperate for a hero this season, evidently the owners were too. I am afraid Big Brown’s loss will only bring more negative news.

First of all, his owner and trainer made a decision to run the stallion with an injury, a quarter crack to his hoof. I have had several horses with this injury, and when I learned to recognize them and treat them the horses recovered well. However the do require adequate treatment and it is not a short term treatment. When I was young girl, I lost a mare to this problem. I had no idea what was wrong with her and the infection became so extensive, her hoof split, and we had to euthanize her. So, yes they do require treatment. The infection normally begins in the coronary band and will continue toward the center of the hoof. The crack will normally become thicker as it grows inward, which leads to more instability, inflammation, and infection. In the case of Big Brown, his crack was spotted and treated immediately, as well as around the clock, but this crack was only found May 23^rd, not very much time to treat the problem. Big Brown did not have the type of crack that was just a little split, his was actually an infection inside the hoof, an abscess….these are worse than the minor splits. His abscess was treated and did clean and dry up before being sutured, but I just can’t help but think all this happened in a very short period of time. It was also very close to a long race on a hard track where a sore foot would be striking the ground repetitively. Quarter cracks are one of the most common causes of lameness and/or decreased performance in show, performance, and race horses. Another reason I would think twice about running my horse, but from what I understand Big Brown was to be retired from the track. This was Brown’s third problem with foot lamenes in a relatively short period of time. He has also had two abscesses in each front foot that caused hoof wall separations that laid him up for 45 days or longer last winter. All this certainly makes one question the soundness of Big Brown’s feet, is it a genetic problem or just a problem that this young stallion seems to possess. It is a problem in my opinion though…three issues of lameness in less than a year’s time. It could be an infection problem though and have nothing to do with the quality and over-all apparent greatness of this horse. As you can tell, I am torn.

This being Big Brown’s last race would not have been a surprise had he been the Triple Crown Winner. We certainly would not want something to happen to such a valuable stallion! If we had only known? His track earnings were already over, his true earnings were to be in his career as a breeding stallion, ESPECIALLY if he had been a Triple Crown Winner!!! If he were lame, it would not affect his “money making” career, only his physical and mental health???? I personally have made the decision to take my own horse out of the show ring while treating a quarter crack. My reasoning is a personal issue, one of humane treatment of the horse, a better heal with less chance of re-occurrence, and a longer show career with a sound horse as a end result.

Secondly the controversial issue of using anabolic steroids on race horses and other performance horses. These steroids are believed to boost stamina, power, and decrease fatigue. This seems even more glaringly disturbing than the quarter crack issue. Steroid use has been banned in thoroughbred racing as a performance enhancing drug, but it can be used to treat respiratory and abdominal illnesses. Testing is extremely slack, basically everyone jokes about who has the best vet, not who has the best horse. We were told in the pre-race show today that Big Brown has not had a steroid shot, or steroids of any kind since April 15^th. It takes 30 days for steroids to get out the horses system. As we watched the horses run the Belmont today, something was not right with big bay stallion (you may call him brown, but he is really a bay). We did not see him round the turn and break away for the finish line as he always does. When his jockey, Desormeaux asked him to “kick in his jets“, that is what he always looked like…he appeared to listen to his jockey and take off as if he had jet rockets attached, leaving his competition lengths behind him. He was always so thrilling to watch as he rounded the turn. He was not, I was afraid he was going to break down…maybe a heart attack, an internal bleed, I did not know, but I knew something was wrong. Not until the race was over did I start thinking of all these circumstances, all these things that are not unusual at all when you look at “the big picture“. Was it the heat, was it the lack of a monthly steroid shot, especially when he was experiencing a very serious injury. Could using the controversial shots make a good horse appear to be a great horse??? Even a great horse cannot run to the best of his ability when there is the slightest bit of laminitis from a healing or healed quarter crack (or as Mr. Dutrow said a “no issue“ quarter crack…I have found that there is no such thing as a no issue quarter crack???). Or can we hope that the great horse had too many unfortunate circumstances stacked against him today, too many negatives that even a great horse could not overcome. Let’s hope that this is the situation.

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Rumor has it that the fillies can’t run with the colts…I don’t agree. The filly I saw yesterday could run with the best of them and I would not have been afraid to wager on her to beat them. Although, if you watched yesterday’s Derby you might agree, many will agree, the whole controversy will be brought up again. People will say they don’t have the strength and endurance to run the distance. This may be true in some fillies, but it is just as true in some colts. There are champions in both sexes, strong and weak ones in both both sexes. I saw a very strong filly yesterday that had a terribly unfortunate accident.

It was truly a sad sight to see the magnificent filly down, such a promising career, such a promising life as a producer of quality foals. It is all speculation now, we will never know, as she will not have the chance to prove any of this. It was a heartbreaking sight, one that gave me that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I used to breed, raise, and show horses and have lost a few in my lifetime. I lost a young champion mare too. I had raised her from the bottle, as her dam became ill and her milk dried up. I bottle fed the filly, spent many a long night in a cold barn in February, uncertain if she would make it. She did and went on to win numerous championships. I was forced to euthanize her when she accidentally foundered due to an unlatched barn door. She lived for months, long hours were spent with different therapies, and happy “she’s going to make its”, when all of a sudden we also had a cannon bone problem. It rotated and broke through, there was little else we could do. I cried for weeks. I am sure the owners of this promising filly will as well.

There will also be the second guessing the decison made. I would say, “Don’t do that to yourself”, but that is fruitless, I still do after 19 years. I would say, “Don’t let the media or those that might say unkind words get to you”, but this to, would be fruitless. If you watch televison, you are going to hear them, if you do an interview, you will get the questions. So far, you have been wise (as far as I know) and you have avoided the public eye, I would say, “Continue to do so, no matter what others say”. You know your own truth, what others say makes no difference. Sadly, it is over, nothing can be changed, life goes on. Realize this, you will not be “the story” forever. Rumor has it that the media will find something else on which to fixate, actually this is no rumor, this is a proven fact.

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