fall | Horse Racing Free Tips

Winter Slip Injuries: Some Serious, Some Not

Ice, snow, and muddy, slick surfaces can cause horses to slip and fall during the winter. The type of fall can help determine potential injuries, each of which requires different management strategies.

A horse that falls and splits his hind legs is at risk for pulled groin muscles. Most horses with pulled groins are lame and don't want to move. They may walk crookedly or with tiny steps. Rest, anti-inflammatories, and a gradual reintroduction to exercise normally ensures a horse recovers without complication.

A horse that splits his front legs when he falls may suffer from radial nerve paralysis; a horse with this injury will be unable to step forward, making it look like the leg is broken. Mild nerve paralysis can resolve within days with vet-administered anti-inflammatories and DMSO. More severe cases may take months to resolve.

Any horse that falls may see the development of bruises on his body. Cold therapy can limit swelling initially, and heat applied later can encourage circulation and removal of cellular debris.

A horse with a head injury may have fallen hard or may have fallen into a fence or other immobile structure. He may be disoriented, blind, or unable to stand. A horse with a suspected head injury should not be moved and a vet should be called immediately. His prognosis is guarded.

Ask the Expert: Fall Grazing

Owners and caretakers of metabolically challenges horses are often aware of the health hazards ingesting lots of fresh, spring grass can bring on their charges, but grazing horses on lush pastures in the fall is fraught with its own set of perils.

Frost damaged pastures can have higher concentrations of nonstructural carbohydrates, leading to an increase in the potential for founder and colic, especially in horses diagnosed with or prone to obesity, laminitis, Cushings disease and Equine Metabolic Syndrome. To help prevent these health issues, at-risk horse owners should wait up to a week before turning horses back onto a pasture after a killing frost. Subsequent frosts are not a concern as the pasture plants were killed during the ﬁrst frost.

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Why do nonstructural carbohydrates increase during the fall? During the day, plants carry out the process of photosynthesis. In this process, they make carbohydrates as an energy source for the plant. A second process, respiration, is carried out when the plants use up the carbohydrates they produce during the night for energy. Plant respiration slows down when temperatures are near freezing. As a result, the plants hold their carbohydrates overnight. Freezing can stop respiration and lock the carbohydrates in the plant for over a week. Thus, plants tend to contain more carbohydrates in colder temperatures or after a frost. Often, horses will prefer forages after a frost due to the higher carbohydrates levels.

Injured Cameramen Expected to Make Full Recovery

A pair of RaceTech camera operators who were injured after falling from an elevated platform at Hamilton Tuesday are expected to make a full recovery. According a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman, the pair had fallen on to the roof of a vehicle at the track prior to the day's first race. After a lengthy delay while emergency services attended to the two men, the fixture was eventually called off.

RaceTech tweeted: “We are pleased to report our two injured camera operators are receiving hospital treatment and early indications are that both are expected to make a full recovery. We will continue to update, thank you for all the good wishes.”

An investigation into the incident is under way.

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Amateur Rider Lorna Brooke Passes Away

Amateur rider Lorna Brooke passed away on Sunday after falling at Taunton earlier this month, the Injured Jockeys Fund announced on Monday morning. Brooke, 37, fell from Orchestrated (Ire) (Mahler {GB}), owned and trained by her mother, Lady Susan Brooke.

“It is with deep sadness that we have to share the tragic news that Lorna Brooke passed away yesterday,” the IJF statement said. “Her family thank everyone for their kindness in the last few weeks, particularly the staff at Southmead Hospital who were so professional. They will be having a private funeral and will hold a celebration of Lorna's life once Covid restrictions allow.”

Brooke's biggest win as a rider was aboard Moonlone Lane (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}) at 25-1 in the Ladies Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse for trainer Paul Stafford in 2015.Overall, she celebrated 17 winners in Great Britain and Ireland since 2001/2002.

“We are deeply saddened to learn the tragic news of Lorna Brooke's passing,” the British Horseracing Authority said in a statement. “The entire racing community is in mourning today and our thoughts are with Lorna's family and friends.

“We ask for the privacy of Lorna's family to be respected at this time and we await the opportunity to celebrate her young life when restrictions allow.”

The Chief Executive of the BHA, Julie Harrington, said, “Everybody at the BHA is devastated by this news. Lorna was a much-loved member of our sport, in which she and her family are steeped.

“Lorna demonstrated many of the qualities that make British racing so special. She was a proud competitor and somebody who was driven by an abundance of love not only for the sport but for the horses she competed with.

“My thoughts, along with everybody else who loves racing, are with Lorna's family, friends and colleagues at this dreadful time.”

The Racecourse Association said in a statement, “The Racecourse Association is deeply saddened by the tragic news of Lorna Brooke's death as a result of injuries sustained following a fall whilst race-riding at Taunton Racecourse on Thursday, Apr. 8.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with Lorna's family and friends during this time. The RCA is in contact with Taunton Racecourse and relevant authorities, offering our support as required. All racecourses racing today will observe a period of silence and display black armbands as a mark of respect to Lorna's memory.”

The Professional Jockeys Association added in a statement, “This is a devastating reminder of the dangers our brave men and women face and our thoughts and prayers are with Lorna's family, friends and colleagues. Lorna was an incredibly hard working, popular member of the weighing room and whilst her licence was as an amateur jockey, she was a professional in every other sense. We have lost one of our own and she will be sorely missed.”

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