Tag: Horse Care

Former claimer Mr. Changue is one of those horses who is remembered best by many Fort Erie racing fans for what he overcame. The son of Gottcha Gold made headlines in the summer of 2019 when a sinkhole opened underneath him while he grazed on the backstretch of the racetrack, caused by a broken water main. It took a coordinated effort by trainer Ken Albu, his fellow horsemen, and the Fort Erie Fire Department to get the chestnut out of the six-foot hole. He entered – and won – a race just 12 days later.

Albu announced in October 2021 that he believed the time had come to retire the horse after 65 starts, nine wins, 17 seconds and eight thirds, including a runner-up effort in the Bob Summers Memorial Cup Stakes in 2017.

Now known as “Jeff,” Mr. Changue has moved on to a new phase of life. Kelly Wright acquired Jeff soon after his retirement announcement and has taken her time with him. Their goal for this year will be to compete at the 2023 Thoroughbred Makeover in October.

The Makeover is an annual event designed to showcase the propensity of off-track Thoroughbreds for retraining into new careers. Participating horses are only eligible once, and must have raced or posted a timed workout within a certain timeframe ahead of the Makeover. Horses may be trained for one in a range of different equine sports, and compete within their chosen sport with the champions of each facing off for a cash prize.

“After he retired, he had a lot of new things to get used to: a new home, new people, getting gelded, learning how to be turned out with other equines, and his feet needed some time and attention to be able to support the change from race horse to show horse,” said Wright. “At his age, I felt it would have been unfair to him to push for last year's Makeover, so he got to spend all last year hanging out and being a horse.”

Wright spent that downtime working closely with her farrier, Paul Brick, to adjust the balance on Jeff's hooves. They started with glue-on shoes that had to be reset every four weeks, and now have him up to a typical six-week shoeing cycle.

Wright has been happy to take his training slow; Makeover horses may not have more than 15 rides prior to Dec. 1, 2022, but they can be handled on the ground as much as desired.

“Currently we are working on getting fitness back because he had been out of work since October 2021,” she said. “I don't have an indoor arena on my farm so we have been doing a lot of ground work, hacking (weather and footing permitting), and introducing him to obstacles. Once the warm weather arrives I will be taking him for regular lessons with my coach, Victoria Ulloa-Caldwell at Endless Journey Farm.”

Wright and Jeff plan to contest the show hunter and competitive trail divisions.

“I am excited to be working toward the Thoroughbred Makeover with Mr Changue,” said Wright. “I adore him! He has such a quirky personality, and for anyone wondering…. Even though he is now a gelding, he can still be very cheeky!”

For those wondering about his new name, Jeff's stable name comes from a parable Wright used to tell about the challenges for Thoroughbreds transitioning to new careers. She explains it this way:

Well, Jeff got his nickname from a random conversation I was having one night with my partner, John, when we had just started dating. John has a background in Western events and has experience with horses, mainly Quarter Horses. One night, we were chatting about horses and I started talking about how I wanted to get my own horse (I was leasing one at the time) and that it would likely be an off-track Thoroughbred and he grimaced and said he didn't like Thoroughbreds. I questioned him a bit further as to why, and learned it was because any of the Thoroughbreds he had come in contact with were (in his experience) poorly behaved. Instead of outright calling him wrong, I tried my best to explain what the Thoroughbreds he had interacted with may have had to deal with and how the life of your average Thoroughbred was a lot different than the life of your average Quarter Horse. So I made up a completely fictitious story about an OTTB from a typical racing stable named “Jeff”. (As an aside, I do realize that this isn't every horse's experience and that there are many different ways that OTTBs are handled and trained at the track. I was embellishing a bit for effect.)

In my story, Jeff is a racehorse at the end of a successful racing career who isn't a world beater and is not destined for the breeding shed. He showed up for work every day, stayed reasonably sound, picked up enough checks to make money, and is respected and loved by his people and handlers. As such, Jeff has earned his retirement and his racing connections put some extra effort into finding him a great home. 

Said new home belongs to New Owner, a successful 30+ adult who took lessons as a kid, owns their own property with a barn, has a couple of horses that want for nothing, maybe has some success in the show ring or belongs to some type of horse riding club, rides two to four times a week, and has a vet and farrier reference.

Sounds like the perfect retirement home for a champ like Jeff! Unfortunately, New Owner glossed over the fact they have no experience with racehorses and doesn't have a trainer.

The story started in the shedrow on Jeff's last day at work. Over breakfast, served promptly every day at 5:30 a.m., his stable mates are wishing him congratulations and speculating what his new life might be like. Everyone is very happy for Jeff's retirement and excited for him. Even though it's his last day Jeff still goes to work. When it is his turn to head out for exercise, he is tied in the back of his stall and saddled, he waits a minute or two then his groom bridles him and leads him out into the shedrow to the group of exercise riders. Jeff's rider is ready to mount and, without stopping, Jeff's groom gives the rider a leg up. Jeff, and the horses he is exercising with today, head to the track passing manure bins being dumped, water trucks being filled, trash blowing, and all of the bustle of the backstretch in the morning. About half way there, Jeff realizes how great he feels! He gives a couple little jumps and a squeal, his rider laughs and gives him a pat and isn't bothered when Jeff jigs the rest of the way to the track.

When they return to the barn, Jeff's hot walker leads him over to the bath stalls and holds him while his groom removes his tack and gives him a bath, his hot walker then leads him around until he is cooled out before bringing him back to his freshly cleaned stall. He has a drink from his bucket and chews a bite of hay. His groom ties Jeff in the back of his stall to put him away, using his favorite soft brush and shining him up with a grooming cloth, he gets extra mints and pats from his groom who is going to miss Jeff dearly. His legs aren't wrapped because New Owner is picking Jeff up later today. At lunch, Jeff cleans up his feed and munches away at his hay net while listening to his neighbor, Claimer Mare, complain about her New-to-racing Groom. Claimer Mare's stall was not cleaned today when she arrived back from cooling out and New Groom does really bizarre things like stepping to the outside of the shedrow when horses are walking by, or forgetting to secure the lead chain properly on the halter when Claimer Mare goes out for grass. Finally one of the more seasoned grooms took New Groom aside, pointed out the dangerous behavior, and asked if they were trying to get people killed! New Groom also got a warning from the trainer for Claimer Mare's stall not being clean after exercise. Claimer Mare doesn't think New Groom will last long in racing. After lunch, the barn is quiet, all the horses have finished working for the day, and Jeff gets his daily afternoon nap before New Owner picks him up.

Jeff arrives at his new home in the late evening; the trailer ride was loud, stressful,l and lonely, New Owner did not give him anything to make him comfortable in the trailer and didn't bring any bandages for his legs. Jeff is put in a stall for the night and given supper, it tastes weird and his stomach hurts. He doesn't eat it. The next morning Jeff is fed breakfast, at an extremely late 7:30 a.m., he picks at it morosely, missing his groom.

Jeff is turned out for the entire day — pro: there is a lot of grass, con: there is no lunchtime. He tries to make friends with the other horses but they have been stable mates for four years and tend to stick together. It is late in the day, well past exercising hours, when New Owner comes back to the barn. New Owner is excited about Jeff and wants to start working with him. New Owner puts Jeff in the crossties in a nylon halter and starts brushing him with a plastic curry. The crossties make him feel claustrophobic and the brush is too hard. Jeff crowds New Owner to demonstrate his displeasure. New Owner ignores him. Jeff tries to get away. New Owner ignores him and keeps on currying. Jeff bites New Owner, New Owner gives Jeff a swat on the nose for biting.

This is completely incomprehensible to Jeff. He rears up and flips over in the crossties because his new halter doesn't break.  New Owner curses people at the track for the abuse Jeff has obviously suffered and puts him back in his stall. Jeff feels bad because he doesn't understand what just happened. He is confused and lonely. The next day New Owner is determined to ride Jeff. New Owner brings a friend with similar equine experience to help.

Jeff is tacked up and brought to the arena to lunge. New Owner doesn't realize that a 7-year-old horse might not know how to lunge. Jeff's response to New Owner waving a lunge whip at him is to gallop away. New Owner gets dragged across the arena. Despite lunging going badly, New Owner still wants to ride because their friend can only make it out to help today.

New Owner takes Jeff to a mounting block. Jeff does not stand still and is stressed out about how long it is taking New Owner to get on. Friend finally comes over to hold Jeff and New Owner, who weighs at least 50 pounds more than any rider Jeff has ever had, hops on. New Owner is a decent enough rider on a well-trained horse. However, Jeff doesn't understand what New Owner is asking. He starts to get anxious and jig. New Owner pulls on the reins. Jeff leans into the bit and picks up the pace. New Owner can't stay with him and slams into his back. Jeff is extremely confused and leaps in the air. New Owner falls off. Jeff and New Owner are now terrified of each other. New Owner tries for a few more weeks to work with Jeff, becoming more scared of him. Jeff becomes pushy and reactive as he loses confidence in New Owner. 

If this is a happy ending, Jeff is sold to someone that understands where he came from and helps him learn a new job. (In the original story it was an eventing barn). If this is an unhappy story, Jeff gets passed around until he ends up as a pasture puff. He is cared for well enough, but he has a list of 'typical Thoroughbred' behaviors that really frustrate his new caretaker, John, who keeps comparing Jeff to his Quarter Horses. John, who has no background in racing, concludes Thoroughbreds are bad horses and he doesn't like them.

The original story was actually a lot longer (drinks may have been involved) and we ended up spending the evening making up random scenarios for horses coming off the track and narrating them from the horse's point of view. As I am typing this email, I realize how ridiculous it sounds, but it was a fun time.

Anyway, I did change John's mind about Thoroughbreds, mainly because he had no comprehension that racehorses weren't trained for anything other than racing, and the way they were trained and cared for was vastly different than your average riding horse.

About six months after that night I saw Mr Changue's jog video randomly on Facebook. I thought, oh he's cute, why hasn't he been snapped up yet, I scrolled up to re-read the ad and saw he was a 9-year-old stud and thought, ah, that's why. Then I read all the comments on his ad from people who knew him at the track saying how great he was, and how cheeky, and how he deserved a good home. I messaged the agency (Southern Belle Thoroughbreds) and inquired about him. That's when I learned he was the sinkhole horse. It had been mentioned in his ad, but I didn't know the significance of it until after I put my name in to adopt him. I was very grateful that his racing connections chose me for Mr. Changue's retirement home. We picked him up from his trainer Ken Albu, and it was obvious to me that he cared a lot for the horse.

Mr. Changue is sweet, honest and smart, he is willing and tries hard, he has such a personality and does the most random quirky things. But he can also kick out lightning fast, it took time for him to stop being bitey after he was gelded. He can get a bit stressed when he doesn't understand what is being asked of him. He has some arthritis in his ankles. All these things that might have put him in a bad spot if he was in a home that didn't have an understanding of his past.

So, to arrive at your original question, Mr Changue's nickname is Jeff because he is like the Jeff in my story, just a typical Thoroughbred off the track that deserved a good retirement home.  I'd like to think he has a good one with me, and hopefully Jeff feels the same.

Fans can follow Jeff's journey on his Instagram account here.

The post Fan Favorite, ‘Sinkhole Horse’ Mr. Changue Eyeing This Year’s Thoroughbred Makeover appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Veterinarians may get a false positive in a breath alcohol test after administering an abdominal ultrasound, a study by Dr. Valentina Vitale out of the University of Pisa reports. 

The false positives are from inhaling fumes of the rubbing alcohol used to saturate the area receiving the ultrasound. Similar false positives have been found from using alcohol-based mouthwashes or from inhaling alcohol vapors from hand sanitizers.

Practitioners performing ultrasounds are often exposed to the alcohol vapors for significantly longer than others are exposed to hand sanitizer fumes or mouth washes, Vitale explained. 

Though ultrasounds can vary in duration, in some cases, like colic, they can be repeated multiple times. If a veterinarian who performed an ultrasound (or multiple) is pulled over by police and given a breathalyzer, he or she may have a false positive test.

To test the theory that a positive breath test would be found after an ultrasound was performed, Vitale and a team of researchers had six people perform 36 ultrasounds (six each) on the same 20-year-old Standardbred mare owned by the University of Pisa in Italy. 

Each person poured the ethanol solution from a jar or sprayed it and examined the horse for 10, 30 and 60 minutes. A breathalyzer test was given immediately after the exam and then at 5-minute intervals until a negative test occurred. 

The tests showed that alcohol was detectable on the breath of the operators for up to 60 minutes after the procedure, with a median of 7.5 minutes. “Positive” tests – those that are greater than 0.05 percent, which is the legal limit to drive – were detected for up to 35 minutes after the conclusion of the exam. Positive tests that were within the legal limit to drive (0.018 to 0.05 percent) were detected for up to 55 minutes after the exam, with a median time of 5 minutes. 

The amount of alcohol used also significantly affects the detectable level of alcohol. The operators who used more than 33 fluid ounces of ethanol tested positive for longer. 

In 83 percent of cases, a positive result occurred immediately after the ultrasound, no matter how much ethanol was used. All participants tested positive several times during the experiment. 

While those performing the ultrasounds may not have blood alcohol levels that are raised as much as when drinking alcohol, there is an increase in blood alcohol levels following exposure. Though this may not trigger impairment commonly associated with alcohol, it may make operators more reactive to alcohol cues and encourage drinking behavior.

The team recommends that practitioners wait at least 35 minutes after an abdominal ultrasound before driving. 

Read more at HorseTalk. 

The post Over The Limit? Equine Ultrasounds Can Cause Vets To Test Positive For Alcohol appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The cost of keeping horses has been rising for some time now, but last year was an especially bad one when it came to finding hay. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, hay stocks fell to the lowest point they'd seen in a decade and in December 2022 were at their lowest since 1954. After a dry late summer and fall in many places, some 37 percent of the country is still considered to be in “extreme drought” conditions, with even more sitting at milder drought ratings despite recent precipitation.

According to statistics presented at a webinar hosted by the American Horse Council, the average cost of grass hay is up to $109 per ton nationally while alfalfa has climbed to $143 per ton. (This varies widely depending on where in the country you are.)

AHC President Julie Broadway said that hay prices and availability are subject to a variety of drivers, from the weather to fuel costs to fertilizer expenses and even the pricing/demand for hay from foreign countries that import it for their grazing animals.

Of course, this supply pinch impacts lots of farmers, but horse owners may have an even greater challenge keeping their animals fed when supplies are low since horses can't tolerate the same lower quality hay that can be given to cattle.

Louise Calderwood, director of regulatory affairs for the Animal Feed Industry Association, said this is why horse owners need to be thinking about how to maximize the efficiency of their horses' feeding programs.

Calderwood had the following tips for making the most of the hay that's available:

–Minimize waste. In some parts of the country, early spring means the snow's melting in pastures and revealing spots where hay has been wasted during the winter. In other places, it's full-on mud season, and even more hay is being wasted than usual.

Even small amounts of wastage from round bale hay will add up and if you've been lucky enough to find good quality hay, that's a significant loss. There are commercially-produced hay shelters and feeders as well as extra-large hay nets that can slow horses from pulling hay out of the bale or keep hay off the ground. One of the best things you can do is to keep rain off a bale to avoid mold growth that could make inner layers unsafe or unappetizing for horses.

Calderwood showed these examples of cheaper, homemade hay shelter solutions.

–Acquire and learn how to read a hay analysis. Forage analysis results can be intimidating to a lot of horsefolk. Even if you know how to read the tag on a commercial grain, forage analysis can throw out some measurements you may not be used to.

Calderwood focused on a handful of results that are most important for horse owners to know.

-Dry Matter: Refers to the percentage of the bale that's dry versus moisture. DM under 86% means there's a higher chance the bale wasn't dry enough when it was stored, raising the chances of mold formation or dust.

-Crude Protein: This will be familiar from a feed tag. Most horses need at least 12% crude protein from their diet, whether that all comes from hay or not.

-Acid Detergent Fiber: Tells you how mature the hay was when it was harvested. The more fibrous the hay is, the more mature the plants probably were, which means it'll be more stemmy, less appealing for the horse, and harder for them to digest.

-Net Energy for Maintenance: This is often given in megacalories per pound, but depending on where you live, your forage lab may be gearing its results for cattle farmers and may read this out as total digestible energy or energy “for milk production.”

The easiest way to use the number you've got is to consider that the average 1,000-pound horse will need about 14 megacalories of net energy per day. If that same horse eats about 2 percent of its body weight per day, the question for you is whether the Net Energy reading from your hay supply will give them enough calories by itself. If not, you may need to supplement, depending on your horse's breed and workload.

–Know how much hay you're really feeding. This may mean getting a hanging scale to help you measure the same amount of hay for each feeding. Most of us gauge amounts by “flakes” that machinery divides square bales into, but different bale densities may mean that a flake could be very different weights – and nutrition contents – from bale to bale.

–Use the forage analysis to cater your overall feed program. The hay may fall short in terms of calories and protein when compared to your horse's overall requirements, and that's usually the reason owners supplement forage with a commercially-mixed grain. Use the analysis to help you decide what the horse is lacking from their hay, and let that guide your feeding of a concentrate or ration balancer. Ask your veterinarian, local extension service, or equine nutritionist to help you.

–Reassess your program every few months. Horses lose and gain weight slowly, so when you see them every day it's easy to miss changes. Make a note to review the horse's workload, weather conditions, and body condition score every few months and keep good records.

–If you can find pelleted or cubed forage, you may be able to supplement your existing supply with that. It's probably cost prohibitive to expect you could replace all your forage with a cubed product, as these can run as high as $800/ton, but it may help you stretch out your hay supply longer. The other advantage to cubed products is that they're consistent in weight and quality.

–Consider your herd groupings. It can get tricky to feed horses with very different diet needs in the same area but many people prefer to do this to save time. Keep an eye on your horses' behavior to see if anyone's being bullied away from their feed. It may ultimately save you money to feed separately if it means everyone's getting what they need.

–Don't be afraid to ask for help. The United Horse Coalition maintains a webpage called the Equine Resource Database, which lists feed, hay, veterinary, and gelding assistance programs state by state. This can often be an underutilized resource for horse owners facing hard times from a job loss or rising costs.

The post In The Face Of Climate Change, Experts Offer Tips For Making The Most Of Your Hay appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Australian Group 1 winner Alligator Blood, an entry in Saturday's $5 million All-Star Mile (G1) at Moonee Valley, was considered unlikely to return to racing after being diagnosed with kissing spines in late 2020. However, with loving owners and a dedicated healthcare team, he was not only nursed back to health, but also back to his winning best.

Nearly retired. Finished with racing. Yesterday's horse.

Through his first 15 months of racing, he'd been a breathtaking young star, with 10 wins from 12 starts, starting in home state Queensland and culminating in his Group 1 breakthrough in Flemington's 2020 Australian Guineas.

But from late 2020 through to the first few months of 2022, the son of All Too Hard was written off as a spent force. However, thanks to formidable forces behind the scenes – chiefly his faithful owners and a highly skilled veterinary surgeon – some of the gelding's finest days were still ahead.

Alligator Blood – it's a term from the USA's deep south applied to resilient, ice-cold poker players – thrilled Melbourne crowds with three more Group 1s, including the Underwood Stakes, Flemington's Kennedy Champions Mile and a last start victory in the Futurity Stakes at Sandown, mixing it with a rare crop of weight-for-age talent. It has capped a stunning comeback, a testament to what's possible with dedicated care and the latest in veterinary science.

The trouble appeared on October 10, 2020. The gates opened for Randwick's Silver Eagle, and Alligator Blood, naturally the short-priced favorite, dipped alarmingly before hauling himself up again. He still managed second, but his Golden Eagle performance three weeks later was abject – 15th of 18. Granted, it was a bog track, but his fade-out when asked for his usual effort rang alarm bells.

“He'd lost his desire,” said part-owner Jeff Simpson, a man with an eye for a horse honed through trotters and thoroughbreds. “The way he dropped out, I thought something had to be wrong.”

Simpson and his fellow owners sent their beloved “Al” to the University of Queensland Equine Specialist Hospital at Gatton. Their suspicions were confirmed when nuclear scintigraphy scans revealed the horse was plagued by impinging spinous processes.

Thankfully for most of us, there's a more common term – kissing spines. Bones along the top of the spine (dorsal spinous processes) have grown too close and are squeezing forcefully together.

University of Queensland Gatton Professor of Surgery and Sports Medicine Ben Ahern says it occurs in around one third of all Thoroughbreds. Many cases cause a horse no problems, but for some it brings acute pain when asked to flatten out under pressure.

“To compensate, he was putting pressure on himself in other areas,” Simpson said. “His stride became terrible. He'd started hitting his legs into each other. We don't know when it started, but it was growing worse.”

Ahern found the trouble lay in five processes right under the saddle – and the weight of the jockey.

“It's back pain,” Ahern said, “and no one likes exerting with back pain. If you're just a horse walking around with someone riding you, you're unlikely to have a problem. But in a high-performance horse, the one or two per cent of extra performance can mean the difference between winning Group 1s or being an also-ran.

“Dorsal spinous processes are like sails on a ship sticking upright. When they're far enough apart, everything's fine. But in AB's case, they were pushing against each other, or even overriding, so the spine couldn't flex properly.”

Alligator Blood was scheduled for a remarkable surgical procedure. While the area was numbed with local anesthetic, the horse was still awake, though sedated, and kept upright in a crush. Using a small, surgical buzz saw, for some 90 minutes Ahern sheared away the front and back sides of the five spinal “sails”, which are each about five centimeters from front to back. He reduced each by around two centimeters, creating an extra 10 centimeters of room – not huge in a horse's back, but enough to make a difference.

After surgery came recuperation and rehab. Like any recovering patient, Alligator Blood had to take it easy, with minimal movement. Six weeks of stall rest was followed by six more in a small paddock at the Robbins Equine Centre, near the Simpsons in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, with his long-term vet Mark McGarry heavily involved.

Rehab focused on core muscles. Alongside considerable swimming, Alligator Blood was “worked over poles” – trotting repeatedly over low obstacles which, Ahern said, “requires horses to bunch up their abdominal muscles, building core strength and back muscles.”

Another “trick” involves laying a carrot between the horse's forelegs, or to one side, compelling them to bend to fetch it, again strengthening internal muscles.

“It's a good thing Alligator Blood loves carrots,” Ahern said. “Jeff and Robyn would bring bags of carrots for him.

It was a perfect situation really – owners who love their horse, a dedicated care team, and a horse with ability who's a real trier.

“In the past, there hasn't been great diagnostic technology, and rehab was overlooked. An injured horse would just be put in a paddock for six months, then brought back. But now, hopefully you can attain an accurate diagnosis, have good treatment and proper rehab.”

Alligator Blood had been switched from David Vandyke to another Sunshine Coast trainer in Billy Healey, known for having a focus on swimming. After three moderate handicap runs, he was again consigned to history by many. But Simpson says Healey was “bringing him along nice and slowly.”

The gelding had also shouldered 61kg in those runs, and, with fitness improving, that prompted a transfer to Randwick's Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. He'd again tackle major races, under lighter weights. The first was the Group 3 BRC Sprint at Eagle Farm in May, 2022.

“In those first runs with Billy,” Simpson said, “you could see he wasn't travelling straight in the home straight. He was thinking, 'Is this about to hurt me?'

“But in the BRC Sprint, about the 350-metre mark, his head turned to the side a little, but he straightened up, pushed through it and ran a close second. I thought, 'We might have our horse back.'”

So they did, as his next start – victory in the G1 Stradbroke Handicap – and he would go on to win two more Group 1 races in 2022. Kicking off his 2023 season, Alligator Blood won the G1 Futurity Stakes at Sandown, and now he takes on Australia's only fan-voted horse race in the All-Star Mile.

“We knew he could return to his old ability once he started to relax,” Waterhouse said. “He was a little nervous at first, which can happen when horses come from different places to our place. You've got to observe the horse, watch how you're training them, take in their mannerisms, and that helps you get them to chill out. Once he started to relax, things were OK.

“He's marvelous. He's tough, he's durable, he rolls up his sleeves and he gets on with the job.”

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