Understanding and Preventing CATASTROPHIC INJURIES

by Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc B ill L u st er

26 25TH ANNIVERSARY Sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health TheHorse.com The Horse July 2008 Dr. Robin Peterson Illustrations

ollowing the euthanasia of filly Eight Belles, who suffered cata- Six different types of catastrophic injuries: (left to right) condylar fracture of the cannon bone, strophic injuries to both front legs a quarter mile after finish- sesamoid fracture, long pastern bone fracture, ing second in the , members of every sector of third carpal slab fracture (in the knee), tibial the industry have banded together to proactively fracture (in the stifle; this is actually relatively common in racing ), and the Faddress safety and welfare issues. In this article, representative mem- rupture of the suspensory apparatus. bers of the equine industry together provide an in-depth exploration of catastrophic injuries in the Thoroughbred racehorse, focusing on what veterinarians know about catastrophic injuries based on the available scientific data, and looking at what work is still to be done.

What are Catastrophic Injuries? According to epidemiological surveys The term “catastrophic injury” in the What happened to Eight performed in California, Kentucky, On- context of equine veterinary medicine tario, the United Kingdom, Australia, refers to a severe musculoskeletal injury Belles is tragic, but it has gal- and Hong Kong, the number of cata- sustained by athletic horses during rac- vanized the industry like I have strophic injuries incurred by racehorses ing or training that results in an acute is small. . Such injuries include (either never witnessed before. Maybe “Obviously the entire industry wants alone or in combination): this will give us some sort of the number of catastrophic injuries ■ Condylar fractures (fractures of sustained by Thoroughbreds to be ze- the lateral or medial condyle of the central purpose. ro,” emphasizes C. Wayne McIlwraith, third metacarpal bone, also called BVSc, PhD, FRCVS, DSc, Dr. med vet the cannon bone); — Dr. larry bramlage (hc), Dipl. ACVS, Barbara Cox Anthony ■ Fractures of the sesamoid bones; University Chair and Director of Ortho- ■ Displaced slab fractures in bones such injuries result in humane euthanasia. Inju- paedic Research at Colorado State Univer- as the third carpal (in the knee) bone ries involving multiple structures, such as sity. “We need to continue to work towards or central tarsal (in the hock) bone; the injuries sustained by horses like Bar- this goal and look at all possible ways of ■ Rupture of the suspensory apparatus baro (who fractured three separate bones reducing the numbers of injuries.” or other tendons or ligaments; in his hind leg and dislocated the fetlock Antonio Cruz, DVM, MVM, MSc, Dr. ■ P1 (long pastern bone) fractures/ joint in the same limb), are most often life- med vet, Dipl. ACVS, ECVS, of the Depart- sagittal fractures (or any fracture of threatening. ment of Clinical Studies at Ontario Vet- the distal limb); and erinary College in Canada, recently per- ■ Any other bony fractures, including Thoroughbred Injury Rates formed a study on catastrophic injuries in those of the tibia, humerus, pelvis, fe- Larry Bramlage, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, an Canadian Thoroughbreds. mur, or stifle. equine sugeon at Rood & Riddle Equine “Our research group collected data from Isolated musculoskeletal injuries can be Hospital in Lexington, Ky., says, “The two Ontario racetracks in 2004 and 2005 successfully managed surgically and, de- Triple Crown, historically, is a very clean and found that 76 horses were euthanized pending on the exact nature of the injury, (series of races). Before we have following the development of catastroph- many of these horses have a good prognosis to go back 15 years to cite the previous in- ic injuries, which was equivalent to 2.36 for return to racing post-surgically follow- jury. From a scientific aspect, two injuries and 1.69 fatalities per 1,000 racing starts,” ing appropriate rehabilitation. Only rarely in three years does not constitute an ‘epi- Cruz says. are these injuries career-limiting, and it is demic,’ but rather a heartache for both the This data is consistent with other epi- even more uncommon that catastrophic equine industry and the casual fan.” demiologic studies. In 1996, Sue Stover,

July 2008 The Horse TheHorse.com Sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health 25TH ANNIVERSARY 27 Catastrophic unsound/unfit for racing by the regulatory Why do Catastrophic Equine veterinarians at 30 different racetracks Athletic Injuries Happen? (a list of the participating tracks is avail- According to McIlwraith, durability of INJURIES able at www.jockeyclub.com/mediacenter. the horses, use of pharmaceutical drugs DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, a professor from asp?story=288). These veterinarians are too close to racing, differences in track the University of California Davis School voluntarily collecting data and submitting surfaces, and underlying musculoskeletal of Veterinary Medicine, and colleagues re- it to the database using standardized crite- disease are all factors that can result in ported 1.7 fatalities per 1,000 starts in Cali- ria and terminology. catastrophic injury. fornia Thoroughbreds. A Kentucky study “Using the available data from 2007, the It should be noted that it is generally not co-authored by Noah Cohen, VMD, MPH, fatality rate of racing Thoroughbreds was the injury itself that forces veterinarians to PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, currently a member of 1.47 and 2.03 per 1,000 starts on synthetic euthanize injured horses. Texas A&M’s Department of Large Animal surfaces and dirt, respectively,” summa- “Instead, it is the postoperative com- Medicine and Surgery, reported 1.4 fatali- rizes Scollay. plications associated with severe injuries ties per 1,000 starts. In 2001, Mary Scollay, “Ultimately, we will be able to pool the and our inability to manage these compli- DVM, associate veterinarian at Calder Race data and generate meaningful statistics,” cations that ultimately result in the demise Course and Gulfstream Park in Florida, explains Scollay. “Since industry buy-in of horses with severe musculoskeletal in- and colleagues reported the incidence of has been overwhelming, I am optimis- juries, as we clearly saw in the case of Bar- fatality due to catastrophic injuries as 1.2 tic that it will not be long before this is baro,” explains Bramlage. per 1,000 starts in Florida Thoroughbreds. a comprehensive database applicable to He continues, “The decision of whether In addition, preliminary data collected Thoroughbred racing throughout North to euthanize an injured horse or not is of- by Scollay through the new on-track in- America.” ten very complicated and dependent on jury reporting system, which came about The Jockey Club Information Systems’ the horse’s prognosis to return to racing in 2007 as a result of the first summit on InCompass Systems developed the soft- or breeding, as well as emotional and eco- the safety and welfare of racehorses, con- ware for the database and is providing use nomic factors.” curred with these earlier studies. of the software free of charge to all partici- He suggests that for most major inju- Scollay’s reporting system was designed pating racetracks. ries, the decision to euthanize is due to to catalog the frequency, type, and outcome “It is time for us to be realistic,” says laminitis. of racing injuries in a database capable of McIlwraith. “According to these epide- “The terminal blow usually comes in the identifying horses at risk for injury. Veteri- miological surveys the number of (cata- opposite foot,” says Bramlage, referring to narians in the program are currently look- strophic injuries) is small, but we can do supporting limb laminitis, which can de- ing at data from horses determined to be better.” velop when an injured horse places uneven t i o n s bin Pe t er so n illu st ra Dr. Ro

28 25TH ANNIVERSARY Sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health TheHorse.com The Horse July 2008 Sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health horses and participants, and to protect the Catastrophic Racing Deaths interests of the betting public (www.rmtc- LOCATION FATALITY RATE PER net.com). INJURIES OF STUDY 1,000 STARTS One of the primary and persisting prob- weight on his limbs for an extended period (date of data collection) lems concerning medications is that each of time. California 1.7 (1992) state has its own rules regarding drug use, While the potential complications when Kentucky 1.4 (1992-1993) testing, and withdrawal times. To date, managing horses with severe musculosk- anabolic steroids are banned in multiple Florida 1.2 (1995-1998) eletal injuries are too numerous to count, states, but they are still allowed in others. one major issue to consider is that veteri- Ontario, Canada 2.36, 1.69 (2004, 2005) Lately, and particularly since Eight 0.8 (1987-1993) and 0.9 Belles’ euthanasia, there has been much narians are not able to deliver high enough United Kingdom concentrations of antibiotics to the distal (1990-1999) discussion of adopting “zero tolerance” limb via the bloodstream. Victoria, 0.33 (1986-1993) and for not only anabolic steroids, but race day “In anatomic regions where there is Australia 0.44 (1989-2004) medications in general (although it should mostly tendon and bone rather than mus- be noted that no illegal drugs or steroids cle, the blood supply is low,” says Bram- noted that existing reports have shown were found during Eight Belles’ necropsy lage. “This is probably the main reason risk for injuries resulting in death decreas- and drug testing). why infection is such a problem for us in es with age. The incidence of fatalities due to cata- the distal limb. We just can’t keep the tis- Stover’s review, “The epidemiology of strophic injuries reported in the United sue alive.” Thoroughbred racehorse injuries,” was Kingdom and Hong Kong—where rules published in the journal Clinical Tech- governing the use of medications are more Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘n’ Roll? niques in Equine Practice in 2003. stringent than in North America, and Akin to the comparison of the demise “Together, our information clearly dem- where turf and synthetic surfaces are more of the nation’s children in the ’60s due to onstrates that fillies and young horses are common—is lower than those recorded in sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, among Thor- not the athletes most commonly injured,” the North American studies. oughbred racehorses might gender, age, explains McIlwraith. “However, this does not mean that use and drug issues be major contributors to Relative to drug abuse in Thorough- of therapeutic drugs causes catastrophic catastrophic injuries? breds, officials in the past few years have injuries,” contests Ross. “Even if medica- Not according to the data. tightened limits on race day medications to tions were completely banned in Thor- “During the 2004 and 2005 racing meets maximize equine safety. The best example oughbred racing, the fatality rate due to at Fort Erie and Woodbine in Ontario, of this is the formation of the Racing and catastrophic injuries would, unfortunately, there was no significant difference in cata- Medication Testing Consortium (RMTC). never reach zero. Abnormalities in struc- strophic injuries based on either age or Its mission is to develop, promote, and ture and/or function of bone are the major gender,” reveals Cruz. coordinate, at the national level, policies, factors contributing to racehorse injury.” In terms of gender, these results con- research, and educational programs that Michael Ross, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, a tradict earlier data reported in the study seek to ensure the fairness and integrity of professor of surgery at the University of co-authored by Scollay on Florida Thor- racing and the health and welfare of race- Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, adds oughbreds, which found that geldings, not fillies, had a higher risk for suffering Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse a catastrophic injury. Specifically, geld- ings were two times more likely to have a Summit catastrophic musculoskeletal injury than To date, two summits have been held to fillies or mares (P value<0.02, a measure- discuss safety and soundness in Thoroughbred ment indicating probability—the lower racehorses. These summits were organized the better). and underwritten by the Grayson-Jockey Club Epidemiologic data from a 2005 New Zealand study showed that Thorough- Research Foundation and The Jockey Club, and breds older than five years of age were at both were hosted by the Keeneland Association a higher risk for injury—1.38 times more in Lexington, Ky. likely—than 2-year-olds (P<0.04). The first summit, held Oct. 16-17, 2006, re- In addition to these studies, Stover, re- sulted in the creation of a strategic plan, which ported that for injuries preventing horses was followed up in March 2008 with the forma- from racing for at least six months, the tion of specific recommendations to identify risk was increased 1.2 to 4.1 times for each critical issues that affect horse health and/or year of age. That is, 5-year-old horses were shorten the careers of racehorses. Six key areas 1.2 to 4.1 times more likely to not race for were identified: Education & Licensing, Racing at least six months following an injury Conditions/Racing Office, Research, Health & compared to their 4-year-old counterparts. Medical Records, Racing Surfaces/Shoeing/ In addition, horses 4 years old and older Hoof Care, and Breeding Practices. c h a d m en ell had a greater risk for moderate to severe Detailed information is available at www.grayson-jockeyclub.org/summitdisplay.asp injuries than younger horses. Stover also

30 25TH ANNIVERSARY Sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health TheHorse.com The Horse July 2008 that lower fatality rates in the U.K. and delicate state and we need to respect that,” erinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences Hong Kong likely reflect the contribution advises Kawcak. at Massey University in New Zealand, in of race surface. In those countries races That is, if the horses are overtrained which McIlwraith and Kawcak are partici- are run on turf and, importantly, horses during remodeling or if the remodeling pants. The resulting study, “Evaluation of are trained on turf and all-weather track phase is too slow, then an overt clinical a new strategy to modulate skeletal devel- surfaces. fracture can result. opment in racehorses by imposing track- The formation of microfractures and based exercise during growth: the effects Pathology Brewing? the process of bone remodeling is also the on 2- and 3-year-old racing careers,” was Based on the data presented in the reason why many veterinarians advocate published in the March 2008 edition of the preceding sections, there is no epidemio- starting racehorses in training while they Equine Veterinary Journal. logical evidence to support the hypoth- are young. eses that age, gender, and drug use are the McIlwraith further explains that the re- Breeding Dilemmas: primary factors involved in the genesis of modeling process happens no matter what Speed vs. Soundness catastrophic injuries. age you start training. One of the major questions the racing So, what does cause severe musculosk- “Their bones have to adapt and remod- industry is facing relates to basic breed- eletal injuries in Thoroughbreds? el,” he summarizes. “Properly and slowly ing practices: Are we breeding fast, fragile According to Hunt, if one throws out training young racehorses is another ex- horses at the expense of soundness and the catastrophic injuries that occur when ample of how the entire racing industry, durability? a horse is knocked off balance and steps from the trainers to the veterinarians, is There is evidence that the number of unnaturally, thereby overloading a limb, attempting to minimize injuries in our ath- starts per horse and starts per season are all other catastrophic injuries are due to letes.” declining, which, according to Bramlage, developing pathology (disease) in the bone In addition, there is evidence that giv- is due to number of reasons. or soft tissue. ing even foals controlled exercise can help “Most people dealing with horses do feel “It is simple—pathology causes inju- strengthen their musculoskeletal system. the horses are more fragile than they used ries,” emphasizes James C. Hunt Jr., DVM, This observation was relayed by the Global to be. But there are other factors, such as a private practitioner based at Belmont Equine Research Alliance/Institute of Vet- more horses per race in essentially the Park in New York. same total number of races and Chris Kawcak, DVM, PhD, the fact that horses are trained Dipl. ACVS, an associate pro- harder for each race than they fessor and Iron Rose Ranch used to be. This increased train- Endowed Chair in Musculo- ing increases the wear and tear skeletal Research at the Or- on the horse. Just counting thopaedic Research Center races is possibly not the best in- at Colorado State’s College of dicator of durability,” explains Veterinary Medicine, has been Bramlage. performing research in this Hunt also acknowledges that field aggressively and confirms breeding issues might exist. He Hunt’s suggestion: microfrac- says, “A 2-year-old may have a tures and bone remodeling brilliant race record, then be- (i.e., repetitive stress injuries) come injured and retire to the are major contributing factors E li ot J. Sc h ec ht er breeding shed. If conformation- Fleet Indian is loaded in the equine ambulance after she was pulled to the development of cata- al faults predispose this young up during the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at . strophic injuries. horse to a pathology that short- “In response to repetitive ened its racing career, then these mechanical stress, bone de- faults are likely to be passed on velops microscopic cracks re- to progeny.” ferred to as microfractures that In addition, procedures per- are not visible on X rays,” ex- formed in young horses to plains Kawcak. “straighten their legs” for sales, Once microfractures have such as periosteal stripping or formed the bone initiates a transphyseal bridging, might phase of resorption, which is enable these horses to race well followed by a slower remodel- enough to become sought-after ing phase in which new bone breeding stock, but then these

that’s custom-designed to with- a undesirable “crooked leg” genes stand the stresses of racing is are propagated through breed- synthesized. ing.

“Between the initiation of Mani st Ch eryl “Are we really producing fast- the resorption phase and the Fleet Indian, pictured here with her Storm Cat colt in February 2008 er horses?” questions Ross. “No. at Summer Wind Farm in Lexington, Ky., continues a successful completion of the bone remod- To my knowledge there has not career as a broodmare after her injury. eling phase, the horse is in a been any trend for faster times

July 2008 The Horse TheHorse.com Sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health 25TH ANNIVERSARY 31 Catastrophic “The adoption of synthetic surfaces is a McIlwraith acknowledges that at price heatedly debated topic that is affecting all tags up to $10 million a track, it is obvi- facets of the industry,” says McIlwraith. ous that the track associations that have INJURIES A special edition of The Blood-Horse installed the synthetic tracks are interested in Thoroughbred racing.” (published in December 2007, available in in improving race track safety, but it isn’t Bramlage adds, “As we presented during article #10985 on TheHorse.com) provides enough. NBC’s round table discussion on the major an in-depth exploration of the impact of “Race track synthetic surfaces are in their issues of in Pimlico, Md., pri- synthetic surfaces, from the perspectives infancy,” he says. “It will take a consider- or to the running of the 133rd Preakness of horses (according to results), owners, able time before we have any real evidence Stakes, there is no scientific evidence that veterinarians, breeders, trainers/ we are breeding friable horses. At present, jockeys, and track maintenance per- this remains an unproven hypothesis.” sonnel. The entire equine industry According to Bramlage, breeders are not According to Ross, synthetic sur- is saddened over the loss of not intentionally creating less-durable horses. faces are a double-edged sword. In the past it never really crossed breed- “While it is possible that the rate of only Eight Belles and Barbaro, ers’ minds to select for durability. But now, catastrophic injuries could decrease but any racehorse that suffers a following all of these recent discussions, by installing synthetic surfaces, durability and longevity are beginning to there is already the growing opinion catastrophic injury. be considered positive traits. that new, different, and potentially “We have to be more conscious of our equally life-threatening injuries are — Dr. C. Wayne McIlwraith breeding habits and continue the edu- occurring in horses that race and cation process so that we can swing the train on synthetic tracks,” says Ross. based on research regarding the pros and pendulum in the opposite direction,” em- In addition, Ross explains that breeding cons of synthetic surfaces and what role phasizes Bramlage. might also play an important factor in the these tracks should play in Thoroughbred manifestation of new types of injuries. racing. One major hurdle is finding the re- Surface Wars “The horses that are racing now have search dollars to fund this work.” For a variety of reasons, including dura- been bred by stallions with a propensity to Hunt adds, “We haven’t seen the best bility, maintenance, and safety issues, syn- run well on dirt,” explains Ross. “We have surface for horse racing yet; more research thetic surfaces have been installed at nine no idea if these horses will perform equally is definitely needed.” racetracks throughout North America, well on synthetic surfaces, or if the entire Leading Thoroughbred trainer Todd including all of the major tracks in Cali- breeding industry will ultimately change Pletcher, who is based at , fornia. Have they lived up to their expecta- in racing jurisdictions that have embraced offers a practical point of view. tions? Not entirely. synthetic tracks.” “We have only had a limited time on the

Injuries in Other Equine Events Not only is safety an important issue in racing, but it’s also a hot topic as it relates to other equine-related athletic events. According to a spokesman with the Fédération Equestre International (FEI, the international governing body for equestrian sport), based in Lausanne, Switzerland, safety is an ongoing concern for nonracing equine athletes. The FEI monitors the number of competi- tors and the types of injuries (among other data) for each event through its safety system, which was inaugurated in 2001 (available at https://admin.fei.org/Disciplines/ Eventing/Documents/Report%20Safety%20Forum.pdf). The FEI database includes data on falls during cross- country in eventing at international events. This database shows that the total number of falls in equine competi- tion reported in 2007 was 780, which was equivalent to 59 falls per 1,000 starts. This number has decreased

steadily since 2002, when 82 falls per 1,000 starts were anne m . eber h ar dt recorded. Most falls (97% of those in 2007) occurred at In 2007 there were 780 falls during three-day events; the governing body is working to reduce this number to protect horses and riders. jumps; however, the FEI acknowledges that falls also occur on the flat. discussions, three main areas were identified that need to be specifically In January 2008 the FEI held an eventing safety forum involving par- addressed by the FEI and each of the national federations to influence ticipants from 22 countries to discuss means of reducing or eliminating safety: communication and data gathering, training and education, and accidents that compromise rider safety. Based on the presentations and research.—Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc

32 25TH ANNIVERSARY Sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health TheHorse.com The Horse July 2008 pated that the committee’s inaugural rec- ommendations will be unveiled on Aug. 17, 2008, at The Jockey Club’s annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing. 3. Heightened Research Efforts Cutting- edge research from the scientific team at Colorado State University, which is led by McIlwraith and David Frisbie, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, in concert with the SCEF (funded by the Grayson-Jockey Club Re- search Foundation) has resulted in the discovery of “biomarkers,” and sequential measurement of these biomarkers has a B ill A u th Efforts to limit the use of drugs in racing, the formation of safety committees, and heightened quite high predictability for diagnosing a research efforts are some of the ways the industry is working together to enhance safety in pre-fracture injury. Thoroughbred racing, with professional and administrative organization support. “Biomarkers are released from bone in association with microdamage to the skel- synthetic tracks and it has been a learning Acquisitions Holding, Inc. (the same group etal system into the bloodstream,” explains process requiring meet-to-meet adaptation that owns Kentucky Derby and Preakness McIlwraith. “We potentially can collect a in training style,” says Pletcher. winner ), is a state-of-the-art blood sample, measure these biomarkers, hospital equipped with all the bells and and identify which horses are at risk for What’s Being Done? whistles that are available at Santa Anita developing a skeletal injury.” In addition to the proposals and recom- and Hollywood Park, which were used as Once developed, a serum biomarker mendations created by the Welfare and models during the planning and designing test will provide a means of screening the Safety of the Racehorse Summit, efforts by phases. It is a three-surgeon facility, head- health of a horse’s skeletal system. Horses the RMTC to limit use of drugs in racing, ed by Patricia Hogan, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, with positive biomarker tests can be re- and intense research efforts in the field of and it will provide coveted on-site referral ferred for further evaluation via diagnostic joint injuries and joint disease are some of diagnostic and medical services. imaging techniques, such as X rays, scin- the other ways the industry is working to- 2. Formation of Safety Committees In tigraphy (bone scans), computed tomogra- gether to enhance safety in Thoroughbred May 2008 the Jockey Club announced the phy, or MRI. racing. formation of the Thoroughbred Safety “Biomarkers are already being used for 1. Progressive Actions of Charitable Committee. The goal of this seven-mem- screening at early stages of osteoarthritis Foundations and Research Organizations ber committee is to review all facets of in people, as well as post-menopausal os- For 30 years, charitable organizations the industry, including breeding practices, teoporosis in women; however, the use of such as the Southern California Equine medication, racing rules, and surfaces. The biomarkers to predict fracture is novel in Foundation, Inc. (SCEF, www.scef-inc. committee is planning on using the recom- horses,” McIlwraith explains. com), dedicated to protect the interest and mendations from the Welfare and Safety Further, the establishment of such funds promote the welfare of the equine athlete, of the Racehorse Summits as a starting as the Barbaro Fund at the University of have been aggressively protecting race- point. Pennsylvania and the formation of addi- horses. The SCEF is also affiliated with In the group’s first teleconference, held tional research centers like the Penn Vet the Dolly Green Research Foundation, May 14, goals, objectives, and timelines for Laminitis Institute (www.vet.upenn.edu/ which was instituted to advance the health the committee were discussed. It is antici- laminitis) are also important steps that and welfare of Thoroughbred racehorses through research. Dolly Green is the sec- ond largest independent research funding What are the Thoroughbred Industry’s agency for equine research in medicine Current Safety Initiatives? and surgery. The dedication of the Thoroughbred industry and its fans to racehorse safety is evidenced by vari- The SCEF has built two on-track hospi- tals in California since its inception: one ous safety initiatives, including: ■ at Santa Anita and the other at Hollywood Establishment of the Barbaro Fund and the Penn Vet Laminitis Institute; Park. ■ Formation and development of the Racing, Medication, and Testing Consortium (RMTC); The admirable efforts of the SCEF have ■ Professional and education services provided by the American Association of Equine Practitio- not gone unnoticed. New York veterinar- ners (AAEP); ians are following their example. ■ Aggressive research efforts in the field of joint disease and joint injuries to diagnose bone or “The Equine Medical Center is joint damage in the early stages of disease and to estimate risk and severity of joint damage; scheduled to open at Belmont Park, N.Y., ■ Active efforts by charitable organizations such as the Southern California Equine Foundation, by September 15, 2008,” says Hunt, who is Inc. dedicated to protect the interest and promote the welfare of the equine athlete; co-owner and director of the hospital. ■ Construction of synthetic surfaces at nine racetracks throughout North America; and The Ruffian Equine Medical Center, ■ Institution of The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Safety Committee. —Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc managed through International Equine

July 2008 The Horse TheHorse.com Sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health 25TH ANNIVERSARY 33 Catastrophic to improve the health and welfare of the representatives that participate with The horse. The association’s policies regard- Jockey Club’s Welfare and Safety Summit, ing horses in competition recommend as well as the RMTC. INJURIES that all events—whether racing, eventing, Similarly, the NTRA has announced its will ultimately contribute to the decline of dressage, reining, or another venue—be commitment to racehorse safety and is euthanasia due to catastrophic injuries. conducted in a way that minimizes injury. banding together with the AAEP and oth- 4. Professional and Administrative Orga- Events should have guidelines to ensure er organizations to coordinate and imple- nization Support humane treatment of the horse, standard- ment safety initiatives. Finally, organizations such as the Amer- ized rules to provide maximum safety, and ican Association of Equine Practitioners quality drug testing. Who is Responsible? (AAEP) and National Thoroughbred Rac- “Specifically to racing, we provide guide- We all agree that the welfare and safety ing Association (NTRA) each are empha- lines to help our members who practice at of horses is important and changes are sizing and publicizing their commitment the racetrack, as well as continuing educa- obviously necessary, but who is most re- to the industry and racehorse safety. tion throughout the year so members can sponsible for putting in the time, money, According to David L. Foley, CAE, exec- stay up-to-date on the latest advancements and energy to ensure the words become utive director of the AAEP, one of the main in treatment options,” explains Foley. action? tenants of the AAEP’s mission statement is In addition, the AAEP has a number of Pletcher suggests that it is should be a combined effort of management, track superintendents, trainers, and veterinar- ians. “We all need to come together with our Required Reading own areas of expertise and personal expe- riences to improve racehorse safety,” says for Responsible Horse Owners. Pletcher. “We have been successful in the past in terms of taking the recommenda- tions proposed at various meetings and creating firm rules—such as limiting the TheFor overHorse: 10 Your years Guide The Horse:To Equine Your Health Guide Careto Equine is essen - size of toe grabs. We need to continue this tialHealth reading Care for has the been responsible essential horse reading owner. by responsible trend.” Dave Donk, another veteran trainer at horse owners. Belmont Park, concurs with Pletcher and Subscribe today, and along with your full access to adds, “The owners also need to step for- TheHorse.com, you’ll receive 12 issues of The Horse ward and take a little more control over filled with essential information you need to know to decision making to ensure the safety of their horses.” keep your horses healthy and strong. Order now and SAVE OVER 72% off the cover price. Plus, you’ll get the Take-Home Message next edition of The Horse Source FREE. “This is a modern world where horses are no longer used as beasts of burden,” NO RISK. NO OBLIGATION. says Hunt. “Instead, horses have become Your satisfaction is absolutely guaranteed. If you’re an important component of the world’s en- not completely satisfied, we’ll send you a refund for all tertainment industry. We value our horses unmailed issues! and all efforts are taken to diagnose lame- ness in its infancy to ward off all types of injury.” McIlwraith concludes, “We want to decrease the occurrence of all types of injuries—not just those, catastrophic or SUBSCRIBE NOW! otherwise, that occur during racing.” It is virtually unanimously agreed that CLICK HERE or economics drives horse safety. Horses are not expendable commodities, and thou- call 1-800-582-5604 sands of people’s livelihoods are reliant on the health, safety, and prosperity of our horses. h

About The Author Stacey Oke, DVM, MSC, is a freelance medical writer based in Canada. Her areas of interest are nutrition, supplements, and osteoarthritis, and she contributes to scientific journals, CQ06Z236TH magazines, and tabloid publications.

36 25TH ANNIVERSARY Sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health TheHorse.com The Horse July 2008