Tag: Horse Care

SoCal Equine Hospital (Norco, Calif.,), known for its high level of care, has increased patient welfare further with the recent installation of an equine weight-bearing, standing CT (Computed Tomography) scanner. SoCal Equine Hospital is excited to add the innovative Asto CT Equina® scanner to their advanced diagnostic imaging services, providing the quality of care that their clients have come to expect.

“The Equina® is one of the most innovative, advanced imaging devices available for veterinary medicine,” said SoCal Equine Hospital veterinarian and equine surgeon, Dr. Paul Wan. “We can scan front or back limb pairs, or the head/neck of a standing horse under light sedation, allowing the patient to be in and out in just minutes with minimal stress and risk.”

The Equina® was successfully installed in only three days in one of the smallest rooms to date, and immediately was put to good use on a wide range of patients. In the first two days, 15 horses were scanned for various limb and head/neck injuries. The throughput and ability to resolve challenging cases confirmed the value of the Equina® standing CT to the entire SoCal staff.

“Dublin, a famous Belgian Draft horse, presented with chronic front limb lameness that was sent to SoCal Equine Hospital for diagnosis,” said Dr. Wan. “We administered light sedation, scanned his front limbs, and immediately diagnosed a navicular fracture (see image). We can now create a proper treatment plan based on this diagnosis.”

“I am very impressed with the excellent image quality obtained by the Equina®, and the ease of image acquisition,” SoCal Equine Hospital veterinarian and equine surgeon, Dr. Katie Weatherall added. “The opportunity to provide this new level of diagnostic imaging to our equine community is very exciting and I look forward to utilizing the Equina® in many future cases.”

“We would like to use the Equina® for all our dental cases as well as lameness examinations,” said Dr. Wan. “It is great to be able to offer this modality to any of our patients that need it. Our ethos at SoCal Equine Hospital is that every horse deserves the very best care possible, so we are excited to also provide this capability to referring clinics who would like to take advantage of this exciting new technology.”

“Asto CT is excited to partner with SoCal Equine Hospital,” said Asto CT CEO, David Ergun. “We believe their cutting-edge technology-based approach to equine medicine is a strong fit for Equina®. We are excited to see Equina® become available to the large equine population of Southern California.”

SoCal Equine Hospital is welcoming patients to be scanned at their Norco-based clinic. All images will have an initial internal review and then be sent for external review by a board-certified radiologist for a definitive diagnosis. More information can be found at socalequinehospital.com/ For more information on the Asto CT Equina visit www.astoct.com/equina

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The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be featured at Tampa Bay Downs with a named race on the Tampa Bay Derby undercard on Saturday, March 11.

Following the running of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Race, a presentation will be made to the winning connections including a branded blanket and swag bag. Tampa Bay Downs, a longtime supporter of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, will feature and promote accredited aftercare awareness throughout the race day and race meet.

As part of Tampa Bay Down's support, a VIP experience has been donated to the winners of the January 2023 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance “Off to the Races” online benefit auction of bucket list racing events.  This all-inclusive VIP experience consists of dining, premium seating, winner's circle access, and more.

“We are excited to have Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on-site during the Tampa Bay Derby with a featured race and hosting a VIP experience,” said Margo Flynn, Vice President of Marketing and Publicity at Tampa Bay Downs. “We value aftercare and think this is a great opportunity to promote everything that the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance does on one of our biggest race days.”

“The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is thrilled to have such longstanding support from Tampa Bay Downs” said Emily Dresen, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Director, Funding & Events. “Accredited aftercare is important to Tampa Bay Downs, and they continue to promote safe and proper aftercare for our equine athletes through a variety of avenues, and we are so excited to be here for the Tampa Bay Derby.”

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Question: We found an opossum asleep in our barn and it looks like it defecated on a stack of small square bales we feed to our horses. We are very concerned about equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), but have a limited supply of hay. Should we throw away all of our hay or is it safe to feed once we remove the feces? Do all opossums carry the microbe that causes EPM? Does the extremely cold weather we've recently had kill the microbe? 

Dr. Anna Firshman, of the University of Minnesota, responds:

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a neurological disease of horses caused by the parasite Sarcocystis neurona. It can spread to horses via ingestion of hay, feed, or water that is contaminated with opossum feces.

EPM is a rare disease. Not every horse that eats contaminated feed develops EPM. Additionally, not every opossum is infected with the parasite. Studies suggest that about one third of opossums are infected in Missouri and one tenth of opossums are infected in Michigan.

While the disease is rare, it is very serious in horses. Some horses may not survive the infection even with treatment. Therefore, we do not recommend feeding horses any hay or feed that is contaminated with opossum feces. Work in other sarcocystis species suggests that the organism may survive some time in the external environment, even in freezing temperatures. Unfortunately, it is best to remove any contaminated hay from your barn and do not feed it to your horses.

Remember that opossums are important members of our wildlife ecosystem. For example, they eat large numbers of ticks, which can also cause disease in horses. Precautions to prevent EPM disease include ensuring that feed is kept in enclosed containers to prevent access by opossums. You can also take other measures within and around your barn to make it less inviting for opossums to make it their home.

• Keep things tidy. Clutter invites rodents and makes it harder to spot a potential problem.
• Regularly check your facility, especially all feed, bedding, and equipment storage rooms, for signs of wildlife presence: denning, feces, evidence of chewed material, etc.
• Secure all feed, pet food, and garbage in animal-proof containers. Feed barn cats and dogs away from where you store feed or feed horses.
• Plug any holes larger than a quarter inch to keep rodents out of barns and hay storage. Steel wool is a useful temporary plug.
• Maintain yard work around your property. Trim and clear weeds and grass close to buildings. Cut back overhanging limbs, shrubs and vines. Keep gutters clean and clear of debris.
• Inspect the farm for likely wildlife homes. Deadwood piles, old equipment, and weed and brush growth are ideal habitats for many wild animals. Animals can den or hide in areas of dense growth. Stack firewood off the ground (in racks, on pallets, etc.) and frequently inspect for signs of denning. It's best to have wood piles away from house or barn areas.

Sign up for the University of Minnesota Extension newsletter here.

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Any Given Saturday has been repatriated to the United States from South Korea to spend his retirement at Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Georgetown, Ky., founder and president of Old Friends, Michael Blowen, announced Monday.

The son of Distorted Humor–Weekend in Indy, by A.P. Indy had been purchased by the Korea Thoroughbred Breeders Association in 2014 and was relocated to South Korea where he has been for the last nine years.

The 19-year-old dark bay Thoroughbred recently flew home and underwent the standard quarantine procedure at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital before arriving at Old Friends this afternoon.

Bred by WinStar's Racehorse Management, Any Given Saturday was foaled Jan. 29, 2004 in Kentucky. He was sent through the 2005 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, but was purchased back by WinStar for $1.1 million.

He began his racing career for WinStar as a 2-year old in 2006, and promptly won his first two starts, a maiden special weight race and an allowance race. He finished his first year with a second in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.

As a 3-year old in 2007, he opened his season with a win in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (Listed) at Tampa Bay Downs for his first stakes win. WinStar then privately sold an interest in the bay stallion to Padua Stables.

Later that season, he also scored three consecutive wins, which included the biggest win of his career, the Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1), which he won by 4-1/2 lengths for his first Grade 1 victory. In that race, he defeated graded stakes winner Hard Spun, and the soon to be named 2007 Horse of the Year, Curlin. Following the race, Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum's Darley Stud privately purchased Any Given Saturday.

The other two races in his 2007 win streak were the Dwyer Stakes (G2) and the Brooklyn Handicap (G2). In addition, that year, he also finished second in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3), third in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1), eighth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), and sixth in the Breeders' Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (G1).

Following the Breeders' Cup Classic, Sheikh Mohammed chose to retire the horse instead of continuing his racing career due to possible health issues. Any Given Saturday was retired with six wins, two seconds, one third, and $1,083,533 in earnings in 11 career starts.

Any Given Saturday began his stud career in 2008 at Darley, before going to Pin Oak Lane Farm in Pennsylvania for the 2014 season. He was then purchased in 2017 by the Korea Thoroughbred Breeders Association (KTBA) and was relocated to South Korea for the 2015 breeding season.

Any Given Saturday had a very successful stud career. His progeny included undefeated Princess Arabella, one of the nation's top fillies in 2012 until her career was cut short due to injury; Cristina's Journey and Hoppertunity, both multiple graded-stakes winners; 2015 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) winner, Mongolian Saturday; and Hey Leroy, winner of the 2014 Appleton Stakes (G3).

In 2023, Any Given Saturday was pensioned and, following discussions with Blowen, he was returned to the United States to live out his retirement at Old Friends.

Jun Park, Bloodstock Agent for the Korea Thoroughbred Breeders Association, who was not only responsible for working out the details of getting Any Given Saturday sent to South Korea, but was also instrumental in helping bring the horse home to the United States and to Old Friends. He has visited the horse at Rood & Riddle, and is very happy to see him back in the United States.

“I was so excited to see him at the stall at the clinic,” he said. “I mean, he went to Korea a long time ago, and he came back here and it's good to see him back.”

When asked why he helped retire the horse at Old Friends, he said, “(Michael) has been (doing an) excellent job since he founded the farm. I mean, the horses are happy out there, (and) racing fans are still able to see the horses. And, that's great.”

“We are very grateful to the KTBA for donating Any Given Saturday to Old Friends,” said Blowen. “It's a great example of how we can all work together for the betterment of these invaluable athletes. I can't wait to feed him a Mrs. Pastures' horse cookie.”

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