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Michigan Officials Warn Horse Trainers, Owners About New Scam

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is urging horse trainers, horse owners, and others in the livestock industry to be cautious when accepting new clients or purchasing new animals. Scammers are posing as new clients who want to bring in their horses to be trained by local trainers, but their vehicle breaks down when transporting the animal, and the requests for money begin.

MDARD is currently assisting the Michigan State Police with a case in Otsego County where scammers were targeting horse trainers, horse owners, and others connected to the horse industry who are at least 60 years old and use social media to manage their business.

“MDARD routinely works with the Michigan State Police and local law enforcement to provide specialized guidance and advice related to animal and public health,” said Dr. Nora Wineland, state veterinarian. “Our Animal Industry Division's Compliance Investigative Unit is dedicated to investigating issues related to the movement of animals throughout the state to protect animal and public health. At MDARD, we will continue to look out for Michiganders and their animals.”

Scammers reach out to local horse trainers via text or social media direct message claiming to have gotten the trainer's information from another known contact in the trainer's social media network. After a deal is made to transport the horse for training, the scammers will again contact the trainer to explain how their vehicle has broken down and they need money to make repairs and continue traveling.

The scammers will then request the money be given to them in the form of a gift card, having the numbers on the card read or sent directly to them. If a trainer refuses to make this transaction, scammers will threaten to contact the trainer's other clients and drive away their business or harass the trainer in other ways.

MDARD continues to assist the Michigan State Police, who is the lead agency for scam investigations, on this case. The agencies are encouraging those working in a livestock-related business to be mindful of the following warning signs when beginning to interact with new clients:

Using English inaccurately in written messages.
Being evasive or combative when asked about more specific details.
Providing excuses for why certain deadlines or requests will not be met; the excuses usually sound reasonable.
Avoiding giving their full name; preferring to use their first name only.
Trying to change a decision through emotional manipulation or threats.
Requesting to use gift cards as a form of payment.

If you think you may have been contacted or victimized by one of these scammers, please contact your local police department. If you think you have provided a payment to a scammer, please contact your banking institution immediately.

For more information on how to identify and protect yourself from scams, please visit the Federal Trade Commission's website.

The post Michigan Officials Warn Horse Trainers, Owners About New Scam appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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How Professionals Handle Three Common Hoof-Related Lamenesses

Dr. Raul Bras, CJF, a podiatrist at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, and Paeden Underwood, CJF, who works primarily in the Pacific Northwest, offer insight to The Horse on how to address three tricky hoof conditions that have the potential to be debilitating unless addressed correctly: laminitis, thrush, and podotrochlosis (commonly called “navicular”).

Laminitis

A horse suffering from laminitis can be in extreme pain as the tissues that suspend the coffin bone in the hoof capsule become inflamed and possibly even separate from the bone. When Bras deals with a laminitic horse, the first thing he does is identify what brought on the laminitic episode and begin non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs).

Next Bras uses NANRIC Ultimate shoes on the laminitic horse's hooves. These shoes have a wedge designed to allow blood supply access to the affected hoof area and to relieve pressure on the deep digital flexor tendon.

If laminitis is caught in its earliest stages, Bras will recommend cryotherapy, where the hooves are submerged in an ice slurry for a minimum of 72 hours. This will decrease coffin bone rotation. Bras prefers to use venograms to assess the blood supply within the foot and to anticipate what changes are coming. He compares the images he takes throughout the course of treatment.

Bras says the key to managing laminitis is to catch it early and be aggressive in treatment, which can include therapeutic shoeing and regenerative therapies. He has had success in getting many performance horses back into the competition ring.

Thrush

Thrush is a bacterial condition that can be painful and compromise the hoof's internal structures. Underwood had a horse in his care with a severe case of thrush in all four feet down to the deep central sulcus, almost to the live tissue. The horse was in significant pain.

Underwood suggested management changes like adding extra bedding to the stall and keeping the horse from turnout on muddy fields. The owner applied antibacterial mastitis cream to the frog for five weeks. He stresses that clear communication is imperative in caring for horses with potentially severe hoof care issues.

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Podotrochlosis

Podotrochlosis, a degenerative condition of the navicular bone and the soft tissues in the back of the horse's hoof, is often alleviated with preventative therapeutic shoeing. For the best possible outcome, Bras recommends horse owners call a vet and farrier at the first sign of heel pain.

To treat a horse with podotrochlosis, Bras takes X-rays to assess coffin bone angles and how these align with the fetlock and pastern. If soft tissues are involved, he recommends the horse receive advanced diagnostics like an MRI. From there Bras develops a shoeing plan that protects the navicular and heel area; releases the tension and forces on those structures. He often uses a rockered shoe. He also takes care to adapt the horse's shoeing to align with the surfaces on which it will work and the discipline in which it is ridden.

Bras may also inject the coffin joint and navicular bursa with corticosteroids or advise shock wave therapy over the heels.

Though every case should be treated individually, these two professionals have had very good luck treating these once-condemning conditions. They both note that it's imperative that the horse-care team, including owner, veterinarian and farrier, maintain open lines of communication to keep the horse feeling its best.

Older Mares: Age Not An Impediment To Producing Successful Offspring

It's a common misconception that Thoroughbred mares lose their ability to produce successful offspring as they age. Dr. Inoue from Nagoya University conducted a study which suggests that this might not be because the mares are getting older, but because they're often bred to lower-quality or cheap stallions as they age.

Inuoe examined the effect of broodmare age on their offspring's racing performance through two possible lenses: that foals born to older mares are more likely to have skeletal, muscular and cognitive disadvantages (direct effects); or that foals born to older mares are more likely to be affected by the quality of their sires.

Inuoe used the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association website to collect data on 17,885 horses. Information gathered included sex, trainer, training location, breeding farm, breeding farm location, birth year of sire and dam, races, races won, earnings and quality of sire. Sire quality was determined using the average earnings index (AEI) that calculates the average earning of its offspring.

Results showed that the racing performance of horses born to older mares was lower than that of horses born to younger mares, Inuoe said. However, statistical modeling showed that sire quality was significantly associated with the offspring's racing performance – and that broodmare age was not.

The analysis also showed that older broodmares were often bred to stallions of lesser quality.

Inuoe concluded that the sire's quality had an important influence on the offspring's racing performance and that the effect of maternal aging was negligible. The findings suggest that the age of the broodmare did not directly influence the racing performance of offspring and is not reliable for racing predictions.

Read the study here.

Maryland Jockey Club: WetBulb Globe Temperature Used To Monitor Potential For Heat Stress

The Maryland Jockey Club has changed first post time to 1:50 p.m. from 12:40 p.m. for the Saturday, July 23, program at Laurel Park based on a measurement it uses to monitor extreme heat.

The forecast in the area for Sunday, July 24, led the MJC to announce July 21 that the program has been canceled and rescheduled for Thursday, July 28.

MJC Acting President Mike Rogers explained the company uses a protocol called the WetBulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) measurement, which takes into account temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover to determine potential heat stress. It is different than the heat index, which takes into consideration temperature and humidity including for shady areas.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also uses the WBGT to manage workload in direct sunlight.

“It's used by all major sports, the military and the Federation Equestre Internationale as a better way of determining whether heat exposure will be a risk to performance,” Rogers said. “We've been using the measurement. It's not just about temperature—95 degrees can feel different in direct sunlight rather than shade.”

Rogers said if the WBGT measurement is at 91.4, there is no choice but to cancel racing. The predicted number for noon July 23 is about 90—very high—but it is expected to lower as the day goes on, he said. (The National Weather Service forecast for July 23 calls for lower dew point and humidity numbers after 1 p.m. with increasing temperatures.)

“The (measurement) lowers as the day goes on,” Rogers said. “Moving racing later in the day gives us better safety (for horses and riders).”

Of possibly racing a twilight card with a later first post of 4 p.m., for example, Rogers said: “On such short notice we thought that would be more challenging to do. But it's something worth considering going forward.”

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