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TRF’s Chestnut Hall Added To Horse Country Tours

The board of directors of Horse Country voted unanimously to add the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Chestnut Hall facility in Prospect, Ky. to its membership roster.

“Since our first tours in 2015, the members of our not-for-profit organization have opened their gates to more than 150,000 leisure travelers, fans, clubs and schools in service of our mission of fan development for racing and equine sport,” said Anne Sabatino Hardy, executive director of Horse Country. “Aftercare is a critical part of the story of racing and experiential storytelling is an effective and compelling way to share our love of the horse, land and people. While we've supported TRF in previous endeavors, we're happy this new program allows us to welcome them to membership.”

Chestnut Hall represents the realization of a dream of local businessman, Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Inc. to preserve the historic farmland. Carstanjen oversaw the restoration of the 25+ acre property to an active horse farm and sought out the TRF as his partner to provide a home for retired racehorses.

Among the small herd of retired Thoroughbreds who will welcome tour guests at Chestnut Hall is graded stakes winner Warrior's Club (Warrior's Reward). The 7-year-old, who won the 2018 G3 Commonwealth S. for the Churchill Downs Racing Club, will retire to the facility thanks to a grant from the club.

Chestnut Hall is the fourth TAA-accredited aftercare organization to join Horse Country. Tours are now offered at https://visithorsecountry.com/trf-chestnut-hall/ or https://www.trfinc.org/trf-sanctuary-farm-at-chestnut-hall/.

The post TRF’s Chestnut Hall Added To Horse Country Tours appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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New Lady Pleasantry Arrives At Our Mims Retirement Haven

Our Mims Retirement Haven is pleased to announce the arrival of Pleasantry to the farm. This sweet senior lady has had quite a journey. The stakes-placed mare arrived on May, 19, 2021, to the farm in Paris, Kentucky, via Florida TRAC, where she resided for 11 years.

Born April 15, 1992, Pleasantry is by Cutlass, out of the Master Derby mare Logiealmond. She had 13 starts winning $72,455 and was trained by Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens (who also campaigned War Front, Devil His Due, Belong to Me and many other known names in Thoroughbred history). Pleasantry's breeder/owner also had an illustrious career in the Thoroughbred industry, with the latest winner being Country House, the 2019 Kentucky Derby winner.

Pleasantry has had 12 foals, sired by such names as Rubiano, Wagon Limit and Full Mandate.

Florida TRAC reached out to Our Mims Retirement Haven owner/President Pete Mirabito late last fall, inquiring about an opening for the mare. Diagnosed with Cushings, she wasn't tolerating the Florida heat and humidity. Katie Schmit, TRAC Farm Manager commented on the Florida TRAC Facebook page that Pleasantry has “handled the trip with her usual class and grace and is looking forward to meeting her new friends at her forever home.”

Jimmy Jerkens, the son of Allen Jerkens, trained Pleasantry during winter racing while his father was in Florida. He remembered Pleasantry, sired by Cutlass, who he also remembered well. He said “She was sort of a small chestnut with a white face, and I remember she tried really hard and certainly had 'desire.'” Jimmy was also happy to hear she has a soft landing now at the Haven.

Haven President Pete Mirabito said “Jeanne built Our Mims Retirement Haven for horses like Pleasantry: horses who have contributed to the industry as best they could and are now ready for a forever home where they can roll in the bluegrass and relish in the love and adoration of their fans”. He also added, “I am looking forward to getting to know Pleasantry and watching her find her place among “the ladies of Our Mims”. I am grateful to Florida TRAC for taking such great care of this wonderful soul and to all our loving supporters who keep Jeanne's dream alive.”

“It is very heartbreaking when we lose one of our residents here because we love them all dearly”, said Ann Cheek, OMRH Vice President and Farm Manager. “But the excitement of getting a new 'lady,' knowing she will spend the rest of her life in peace and comfort, always helps with that heartbreak, because they reminded us of what our mission is.”

OMRH became a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 2006: Founded by Jeanne Mirabito. Featured in Barbara Livingston's More Old Friends, the Haven specializes in “restoring health and spirit in aged mares.” The Haven is supported through donations, and its online shop.

Our Mims Retirement Haven is accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and the Kentucky Equine Health and Welfare Council. OMRH has received grants from Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA), After The Finish Line (ATFL) and the Annenberg Foundation.

Current horses include Exciting Bucket, Braggin Rights, Jo Jo's Gypsy, Play Book, Kidnap Katie, My Heart Sez Yes, Theheartofdixie, Alpha Heat, Sweet Ambition, and the OMRH mascot, Tea Bisquit. Our Mims grandson, Elmhurst, arrived at the Haven in October of 2011, and passed at the age of 31 on January 4, 2021.

Is Blood Type Important In Equine Blood Transfusions?

If you've never been to a large equine clinic, it might be difficult to imagine that there are such things as blood transfusions or blood donors for horses, but a viable blood supply is crucial for horses who are critically injured.

Horses have eight blood “types,” and nearly 30 equine antibody factors, which means there are nearly 400,000 different combinations of blood characteristics in the horse. In contrast, humans have eight blood types and antigens.

Humans receiving blood transfusions must be given blood with compatible antigens; if the antigens don't match, the body's immune response can be deadly. Prior to a transfusion, both donor and recipient blood are cross-matched to be sure the types are compatible.

In horses, mismatched blood won't lead to death and severe adverse reactions are rare, but researchers wanted to learn more about how important it was to match equine blood donors and recipients.

Dr. Rose Nolen-Walston created a study to investigate the long-term impact of matching blood transfusions on horses. She used 20 healthy horses for blood samples and then typed each of them. The samples were cross-matched to see if any adverse reactions occurred; any incompatibility was scored on a 0 to 4 scale. The horses were then paired as donors and recipients for two compatible and eight incompatible transfusions.

The transfusions were completed and the horses monitored for five days. Seven of the eight horses that had received the incompatible transfusions developed minor reactions including an increased heart rate, hives and a low-grade fever.

The horses also had blood drawn one hour after the transfusion and randomly over the next 35 days. This told the research team how quickly the recipient's body destroyed the donor blood and replaced it with its own type.

Horses given incompatible blood destroyed it seven times faster than they destroyed the compatible blood. Horses given compatible blood had a more gradual decline, lasting about 70 days. Nolen-Walston concluded that giving a horse a transfusion with matched blood results in longer benefits.

Study: Massive Doses Of Antibiotics Many Not Be Needed Post-Surgery

Horses who undergo colic surgery are often given a five-day round of antibiotics to fight off possible infection after the surgery is complete. A new study has shown that a single antibiotic injection could provide the same amount of protection.

Dr. Sabita Diana Stöckle notes that many human and veterinary surgeries conclude with a round of short-term (24-hour) antibiotic treatment to reduce the risk of disease. For colic surgery, however, it's common for antibiotics to be administered for well over 24 hours.

Stöckle and her colleagues used 67 horses that had undergone colic surgery to compare the standard five-day course of antibiotics to a single-shot dose. Thirty of the horses received a single shot of penicillin and gentamicin once before the surgery. Some horses also received an additional shot during surgery if needed. The other 37 horses received the standard, five-day antibiotic protocol.

The study team found no significant differences in post-operative adverse issues between the two groups; there was minimal difference in the amount of colitis, hemolytic anemia or surgical site infections. They suggest that the single antibiotic dose may be an effective alternative to the common, five-day protocol, if proper hygiene and close patient monitoring also occurs.

Read the article here.