Tag: Horse Care

In the wake of the death of Breeders' Cup Classic contender Geaux Rocket Ride, owner Pin Oak Stud announced new monitoring procedures for its horses in training.

In a post on the platform formerly known as Twitter, Pin Oak indicated on Nov. 2 all its runners will have a full set of survey radiographs taken before their next breezes. Further, the stable will require its runners to carry biometric sensors in all their breezes, and in races that take place in jurisdictions where the sensors are approved.

There are various biometric sensors in early development that can be used to monitor a horse's movement and pick up on early deviations from that individual's normal pattern, which could be a sign of an impending injury. Some racing jurisdictions have conducted trials of the StrideSafe sensor in races to test its ability to predict a horse's likelihood of fatal injury, but it is still unclear how it will be used in a regulatory context.

Pin Oak Stud was purchased late last year by Jim and Dana Bernhard. It was founded in the 1950s by Josephine Abercrombie and her father. Abercrombie died in 2022 at the age of 95. The farm's storied history with more than 100 stakes winners to its credit was a big part of the property's appeal, according to a feature on the couple by The Blood-Horse.

According to its website, Pin Oak has approximately 20 horses in training with Richard Mandella, Bill Mott, and Mike Stidham.

Matt Weinmann, chief executive officer of Equine Analysis Systems, is an advisor to the Bernhards. Equine Analysis Systems was founded by Dr. David Lambert, who has been the primary advocate for StrideSafe technology in the U.S.

The post Pin Oak Announces All Runners To Carry Biometric Sensors In Training, Some In Racing appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Loading and transporting horses in trailers can be fraught with danger, especially if the horse doesn't want to load or doesn't travel well. According to new research, however, actions can be taken to alleviate some equine angst before the horse ever steps onto the trailer.

Dr. Claire Neveux, a research engineer in equine welfare, sought to determine if lighting inside a trailer might affect the horse, particularly while loading and at a standstill. 

Neveuz and a team of scientists used 20 trotting horses that were fairly inexperienced with loading and trailering for their study. They asked each horse to load into the trailer multiple times (called the “loading phase”) and then remain in the trailer for two minutes with the experimenter (called the “stationary phase”). 

The trailer the horses loaded into had adjustable LED lights, which the researchers adjusted between warm white light (3000K), neutral white light (4500K), and cold white light (6300K). To determine how the different lighting influenced each horse's reactions, the scientist monitored the horse's behavior and heart rate.

The team found that the horses were less stressed and loaded more quickly into trailers that had lots of light inside them. The horse's heart rates came down more quickly when the horses were loaded and stood under artificial white LED lighting. 

The author noted that many other factors could play into how a horse loads and travels, including past trailering experience, the horse's personality, and his environment. 

Read more at Equine Science Update.  

The post Lights On: LED Lighting Encourages Stress-Free Shipping appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Geaux Rocket Ride's condition remains unchanged one day after owner Pin Oak Stud acknowledged the colt had encountered complications from surgery to repair a fracture. On Oct. 31, the farm posted the following update to X (formerly Twitter):

“His condition is similar to yesterday, but Rocket was very excited to see some of his people today and even more excited to get a lot of carrots. He has the heart of a warrior and continues to fight. 

We would like to thank everyone for your love, prayers, and support during this trying time. We will update when there are major changes.”

Geaux Rocket Ride had been pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup Classic and suffered an open condylar fracture with intersesmoidian ligament damage to his right front leg while training on Oct. 28. He underwent an arthrodesis surgery the following day at Southern California Equine Foundation (SCEF) equine hospital. On Oct. 30, Pin Oak indicated the horse had encountered an unexpected response to the surgery and wasn't recovering as they'd projected. He has since been moved to a different facility to continue treatment.

Trained by Richard Mandella, Geaux Rocket Ride won the Haskell by 1 3/4 lengths over Kentucky Derby winner Mage, and followed that up with a second-place finish by a neck in the G1 Pacific Classic. The colt started five times in his career, winning three and finishing second twice, for earnings of $980,200.

Bred in Kentucky by OXO Equine, Geaux Rocket Ride is out of the Uncle Mo mare Beyond Grace. The colt was a $350,000 yearling at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale.

The post Pin Oak: Geaux Rocket Ride’s Condition Unchanged, ‘Continues To Fight’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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