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The Horse Comes 1/ST Presented By 1/ST Racing: Gunderson Has Done It All, And Shows OTTBs Can, Too

This is the first in a new monthly series spotlighting the behind-the-scenes work of people at accredited aftercare organizations who are helping horses begin the next phase in their careers.

When Raina Gunderson began her foray into the world of horse racing, she never thought it would lead to a vital role in Thoroughbred Aftercare.

“When I got on the backside in 1980, aftercare wasn't even a thing,” said Gunderson. “If a horse didn't work out on the track, they left. There was no discussion of a second career. Many of them went on to become ponies and riding horses.

“I did everything. From hot walker and groom to exercise rider. I was an exercise rider for some of the best in the business: John Veitch, Nick Zito and David Whitely.”

During her time on the back side, Raina would occasionally find homes for horses that weren't suited for the track.

While still galloping as an exercise rider, Raina began working on the front-side at Gulfstream Park. She started in customer service, where her hard work earned her the role of Director of Customer Service and (Horseman's) Relations. In that role, Raina says she learned a lot about owners and how much people love horses. It was during this time that aftercare would come to the forefront of racing consciousness.

“I was galloping and working the front-side when I learned about Ferdinand going to slaughter in [Japan],” said Gunderson. “It was a tragedy and the horse deserved better. A son of his, El Gran Fernando, came my way as a horse that needed a home. He lived with me until he passed away at the age of 31.”

It was a perfect fit when The Stronach Group (now 1/ST Racing) reached out to Raina in 2020 for a new role as Thoroughbred Aftercare Liaison at Gulfstream Park.

“I was recommended for the position by Stacie Clark-Rogers of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). At the time, another aftercare organization, FL TRAC, had an overflow of horses and Stacie and I worked together to help place horses using TAA accredited facilities,” said Gunderson.

As an aftercare liaison, Raina is often the first point of contact for a trainer or owner looking to place their horse. Other times, exercise riders and other backstretch workers will tell Raina about a horse they know of that needs placement. That means Raina is always on call.

“The job is very demanding, but the rewards far outweigh that. I love to find horses their new homes,” Gunderson said fondly.

Gunderson galloping a horse for Butch Reid at Saratoga

A recent success story is one that Gunderson is very proud of.

“I was told that a horse named Cowboy's Hero was slated to leave Gulfstream for Camarero Racetrack in Canóvanas Puerto Rico. The girl who had been galloping him came up to me and told me that the connections were planning on sending him to Camarero,” said Gunderson. “We were concerned because the horse had been on the vet's list and as an 8-year-old gelding, he deserved a soft landing.”

Gunderson, along with the help of Aidan Butler, 1/ST Racing's Chief Operating Officer approached the connections of Cowboy's Hero and explained that it would be better for the bay gelding to be retired and that Raina would be more than happy to find him a home where he could begin a new career. After the connections agreed, the challenge was to get Cowboy's Hero situated at a farm until he could be adopted.

“We had to move him immediately, so I called my friend Maureen Benashski, who has a farm in Davie [Florida], where he could go for the time being,” recalled Gunderson.

While on the farm, Benashski noticed Cowboy's affable nature and quiet demeanor. She had a friend, Olivia Lefferts, who was looking for a horse that was quiet that she could take to English shows and do Dressage with.

“The stars were aligned for this horse. He was an absolute sweetheart of a horse who was a 'been there, done that type of horse,' so when Olivia met him, it was meant to be,” explained Gunderson.

Since retiring from the track, Cowboy's Hero spends his days with Lefferts where the pair show in the Dressage Ring. Recently, they competed at the Intro Level in dressage at the Southeast Horse Shows Summer Sizzler 2 in Newberry, Fla., where they earned two blue ribbons. Lefferts hopes to build on this success when the pair compete in the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover this fall.

“When adopters reach out to me to share their success stories and I see the horses blossom in the next phase of their life, that's the greatest feeling, knowing I played a role in that,” Gunderson said. “This is the kind of happy ending that Gunderson and 1/ST Racing strives for.”

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This piece is co-authored by Raina Gunderson, Thoroughbred Aftercare Liaison for Gulfstream Park and Jeanne Schnell, Thoroughbred Aftercare Liaison for Santa Anita Park.

At the end of each edition of The Horse Comes 1/ST, we will spotlight a different TAA-accredited facility that could use your support. The Paulick Report will donate up to $100 to each facility featured, and encourages our readers to do the same.

Aftercare Facility Spotlight: Second Stride Inc.

Located in Prospect, Kentucky Second Stride is a 501(c)(3) TAA accredited organization made up of horsemen and industry professionals who are committed to thoroughbred aftercare and educating the public and racing industry on retiring a horse safely. They offer many programs including castration clinics and retraining and rehabilitation for horses coming off of the track and broodmares. To learn more about Second Stride or to donate, please visit their website: https://secondstride.org.

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Study: Ultrasound Waves Can Be Used To Diagnose Severity Of Bucked Shins

When racehorses begin their under-saddle training, they may develop tiny stress fractures that lead to new bone formation in their cannon bones. Commonly called “bucked shins,” this condition occurs in about 70 percent of young racehorses and can lead to pain and training delays.

Although the condition can be diagnosed using X-rays, CT scans or MRIs are required to determine the severity of injury. These modalities are expensive to use and difficult to do in the field.

Led by Dr. Kazuki Miyashita, researchers in Japan have found that the severity of bucked shins can be diagnosed using a tool often used to study osteoporosis in humans: axial transmission.

In this modality, the ultrasound emitter and receiver are placed on the skin to induce and measure wave velocities to help determine the extent of the disease. Diagnosing the condition early can allow a trainer to lighten the horse's training load or rest the horse completely until it has healed.

To determine if ultrasound was capable of diagnosing bucked shins, the scientists created a three-dimensional model of the metacarpal bone of a racehorse with varying degrees of bucked shin. Each model was based on CT measurements of an actual racehorse bone affected by the condition.

The team then simulated ultrasonic wave propagation along the bone. They found both fast and slow wave components, depending on whether the waves were traveling over irregular bone. The waves became much faster when traveling over areas of bone that were not smooth, indicating that the horse had bucked shins. The larger the areas of bucked shin, the more variation in the fast waves.

The researchers conclude that using ultrasound devices to determine whether a horse has bucked shins is feasible.

Don’t Delay: Postponing Colic Care Can Be Fatal

Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital and Colorado State University together reviewed the records of 896 broodmares over a 25-year period that had been treated for large colon volvulus in their clinics. Large colon volvulus is a painful type of colic where the intestine twists on itself, often during foaling; it's often called “twisted gut.”

Though the study focused on broodmares, large colon volvulus can happen to any gender and breed of horse, meaning the study is likely relevant to all equines, reports EQUUS magazine.

The study found that the time elapsed between the onset of signs and the initiation of treatment was key to the overall survival rate. Mares that had been colicking for two to four hours before being sent to the clinic were three times less likely to survive than those mares sent to the clinic within two hours of colic signs.

Mares colicking for four hours or more were nearly 12 times less likely to live than those who were referred to the clinic in the first two hours. The longer this type of colic occurs, the more damage is done; the tight twist in the colon limits the blood supply, eventually causing shock and organ damage.

The best survival rate for horses with large colon volvulus occurred in horses colicking for less than two hours. The overall survival rate was 88 percent

A Closer Look At: Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis

In this series, we ask some of the equine health questions you've wondered about but were too afraid to ask. Today, Dr. Bryant Craig, associate director for scientific sales affairs at Merck Animal Health, answers common questions about Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM).

-Testing for EPM isn't as black-and-white as it is for other diseases. What can diagnostic tests tell us?

Dr. Craig: While the results aren't a definite yes or no, we can learn from certain diagnostic tools when dealing with a suspected case of EPM. Tests run on the blood sample or serology give us an indication of exposure to the organisms responsible for EPM. If we get a negative result on serology, the odds are almost certain that EPM is not the cause of disease.

A positive result is less clear due to a high exposure rate in many areas of the country and the fact only a small percentage of those exposed end up showing signs of disease. In these cases, a blood sample paired with a sample of cerebrospinal fluid gives us a more certain result when we evaluate the ratio of antibody found in each fluid.

At the end of the day, we must rely on a thorough clinical exam coupled with diagnostic results to make our best-informed decision.

-In recent years it sounds like there may be more than one protozoa associated with EPM; does that change the way the disease presents?

Dr. Craig: Not really; while there are two proven causes of EPM in Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi and some other proposed organisms, what we see clinically is virtually the same. While we can see a wide variety of symptoms, ataxia, asymmetry, and atrophy are the hallmark signs of an active EPM infection.

-We know that most horses are exposed to EPM but not all of them get sick. Do we know why some horses develop symptoms while others don't?

Dr. Craig: Most horses' immune systems are able to fight off an EPM infection, but several factors may play a role in a clinical case being presented. We know there are individual variations in a horse's ability to fight infections and those with a lower threshold for this organism will always be at a higher risk.

Rate of exposure can be another factor. Some areas of the country (particularly the southern states and eastern seaboard) have much higher populations of opossums who transmit the disease. Anytime you have more organisms in the environment, the chance of disease is going to be elevated.

Stress also plays a significant role. Any horse that is placed in a situation that may cause anxiety to the animal, suppresses their immune system and therefore increases the probability of disease.

-How is EPM treated?

Dr. Craig: There are three FDA approved treatments in the marketplace. All of them are administered orally and the treatment period ranges from 28 days to up to 270 days. Protazil® (1.56% diclazuril) Antiprotozoal Pellets is an alfalfa-based pellet that is simply top dressed on the feed once a day for the treatment period.

Marquis® (15% ponazuril) is a paste that is administered orally daily for the duration of treatment.

ReBalance® (sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine) is an oral solution that is administered for a period of between 90 and 270 days.

-At one point, an EPM diagnosis was the end of a horse's riding career; what's the rate of success like for EPM treatment these days?

Dr. Craig: It depends on how you measure success. If a horse has advanced symptoms or long-term deficits, while we can many times stop the progression of disease, they may never return to original performance levels. However, if we are able to catch the signs early and begin treatment, our chances of returning to normal go much higher.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION:

PROTAZIL^® is contraindicated in horses with known hypersensitivity to diclazuril. The safety of Protazil in horses used for breeding purposes, during pregnancy, or in lactating mares, and use with concomitant therapies in horses has not been evaluated. Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. Not for human use. For complete safety information, refer to the product label.

Please refer to Marquis^® and ReBalance^® product labels for important safety information.

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