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Kentucky EHV-1 Update: Two More Horses Found With ‘Trace Amounts’ Of Viral DNA In Nasal Swabs

E.S. “Rusty” Ford, equine operations consultant for the Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian, released the following update on an EHV-1 outbreak in Woodford County, Ky., on Monday. The outbreak was first announced March 11 after one horse at a training center was hospitalized with neurologic symptoms. On March 12, five more horse horses tested positive.

The additional 24 horses in Barn B of the index EHV-1 affected premises were sampled on Friday due to potential exposure of indirect transmission (riders) having occurred prior to confirmation of the index case. Two horses from this group had a trace amount of EHV-1 DNA detected in the nasal swab and were removed from the barn and segregated on Saturday.

To date, 18 horses in index Barn A and 22 horses in Barn B have had one set of negative test (nasal swab and/or blood) . The last febrile horse was removed from Barn A and placed in isolation on March 10, 2021. There have been no clinical horses in Barn B since the start of the outbreak.

Five of the nine horses in the isolation barn have tested positive with the last fever reported on Friday March 12, 2021. All horses in isolation are being monitored by the attending veterinarian.

A second round of testing is being planned for the horses in barns A, B and Isolation.

The management and staff of the premises continue to implement enhanced biosecurity and health monitoring protocols including multiple daily temperature recordings. Additionally, these enhanced measures have been implemented at other sanctioned training facilities in Kentucky.

Staff from the Office of the State Veterinarian continue to closely monitor the situation.

Appropriate biosecurity and other safeguards are fully implemented at Turfway Park.

Updates will continue to be provided as information is learned.

The post Kentucky EHV-1 Update: Two More Horses Found With ‘Trace Amounts’ Of Viral DNA In Nasal Swabs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Friends Of Ferdinand Launches New Broodmare Pilot Program

Friends of Ferdinand, Inc. (FFI) is thrilled to announce the launch of their new pilot program called Broodmare Bunch. This program is an expansion of FFI's current mission to rehab, retrain, and rehome Thoroughbreds directly off the track after their racing careers. Broodmare Bunch will be open to Thoroughbred mares who have been pensioned from broodmare duty as part of the horseracing breeding industry. The program will assist potentially at-risk broodmares in finding homes after their breeding careers have ended.

“While there are many organizations that assist horses fresh from the racetrack, there are very few that have a program dedicated to the broodmares. This is an unmet need,” says FFI President Sara Busbice. “Anything from fertility issues, difficulty foaling, lack of successful racing offspring, or downsizing a herd can cause a broodmare to be removed from a breeding farm, often at a young enough age that she could go on to have a terrific 'third' career after her jobs on the racetrack and as a mother are over.”

Trainer Lori Miller, who runs Greenstone Stables where many of FFI's horses live during their retraining, expressed her excitement about FFI expanding into this new realm of the Thoroughbred industry.

“We would certainly be fulfilling an industry need by adding broodmares to our roster,” she said. “Diversifying our herd will give us the ability to have more horses available for different levels of potential adopters. We are looking forward to expanding our existing program by bringing these new horses into our barn!”

The pilot program for FFI's Broodmare Bunch is launching in March 2021. Individuals or farms interested in submitting a broodmare for consideration into the program can do so by filling out a “Donate a Horse” form on the Friends of Ferdinand website. A limited, select number of broodmares will be accepted into the program initially. Preference will be given to horses with connections to racing or breeding in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky.

As the only Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited program in Indiana, FFI is dedicated to assisting off-track Thoroughbreds transition to their second or third careers. The program has TAA-accredited farms around Indiana and Ohio as rehabilitation and retraining facilities for Off-Track Thoroughbreds, and these will also be available for mares that are part of the Broodmare Bunch.

The Broodmare Bunch is funded in part by groups and individuals donating to FFI. One of the first, and largest, benefactors of the Broodmare Bunch is the Indiana Thoroughbred Alliance (ITA). ITA is a collaboration of breeders, owners, trainers, and horse-racing enthusiasts dedicated to the continued success of Thoroughbred breeding and racing in the state of Indiana. Their donation of $5,000 will help to launch the program. The money was raised from ITA's first stallion service auction in December.

“As passionate breeders in Indiana, we know how important it is to not only find second careers for our racehorses, but also for our broodmares,” says Christine Cagle, owner of Springcliff Farm and ITA board member. “The ITA is not only dedicated to the promotion of horseracing in Indiana, but also to the transition of second, or third, careers for our Thoroughbreds. This partnership was a no-brainer.”

To learn more about the Broodmare Bunch program, visit the Friends of Ferdinand website. If resources for these broodmares are important to you, and you want to support Broodmare Bunch or get involved, you can direct your questions and comments to contact@friendsofferdinand.com. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to support this new program, you can do so securely through the Friends of Ferdinand website.

For more updates on this exciting new expansion of Friends of Ferdinand's retraining program, and to learn about the mares that will be accepted into the pilot program of Broodmare Bunch and eventually listed for adoption, follow FFI on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in the loop.

Friends of Ferdinand, Inc. (FFI) is a 501c3 nonprofit equine organization that is dedicated to retired racehorses, and the only organization in Indiana that is accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). Graduates from the FFI program have gone on to have success in eventing, dressage, calf-roping, western riding, trail riding, as hunter/jumpers, and as therapy horses.

The post Friends Of Ferdinand Launches New Broodmare Pilot Program appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Elevate Heels To Alleviate Laminitic Pain

Very few equine conditions can be as debilitating as laminitis, which can be triggered by a variety of events or occur on its own. Laminitis occurs when the laminae, a set of finger-like structures which support the coffin bone and hold it in place in the hoof capsule, become inflamed. This inflammation is incredibly painful.

The breakover phase of a horse's stride is the most painful for laminitis horses. This is when all of his weight rests on his toe as he steps forward, putting intense pressure on already-sensitive structures. A study has found that elevating a horse's heels with a wedge can shorten the breakover period, protecting damaged tissues and helping to alleviate some of the horse's pain.

The study used eight acutely laminitic horses to compare the breakover of hooves and those with a heel wedge. The horses were walked on a poured concrete surface both barefoot and with the wedge applied. The scientists found that the heel wedge shortened breakover and reduced the load on the horse's toe. Elevating the heel placed 81 percent of the load on the bottom half of the hoof, near the heel, relieving pain and mitigating lamellar damage.

The researchers recommend using heel wedges for no more than two to three weeks at a time to avoid collapsing the horse's heels and contracting his hooves.

Study: Shared Water Sources Contribute To EHV Transmission

A study has found that equine herpesviruses are able to replicate in freshwater sources in the wild and remain infectious to spread among animals, especially during drought conditions. In the wild, many species of animal will congregate around freshwater sources to drink, potentially allowing for virus transmission between species.

Drs. Anisha Dayaram, Peter Seeber, Alexandre Courtiol, Sanatana Soilemetzidou, Kyriakos Tsangaras, Mathias Franz, Gayle McEwen, Walid Azab, Petra Kaczensky, Jörg Melzheimer, Marion East, Oyunsaikhan Ganbaatar, Christian Walzer, Nikolaus Osterrieder and Alex Greenwood sampled water holes in areas of Africa and Mongolia that had significant dry seasons. They determined that EHV can remain stable and infectious in water under these conditions.

The team reported that animals forced to congregate around water supplies become stressed. Stressed equids can shed viruses like EHV, which enter the water supply when the animal drinks. Rhinos have tested positive for EHV when they share watering holes with zebras in the wild.

The EHVs found in Africa and Mongolia are nearly identical to those found in domestic horses, suggesting EHVs have changed very little over time. The research team suggests that additional research be done to determine other viruses that may use water as a vector to spread among animals.