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Four-Time Local Riding Champion Napravnik Returns To Fair Grounds For New Vocations Day

On Saturday, February 27, retired jockey and horse advocate Rosie Napravnik will be on site at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots for “New Vocations Day at the Races.” A four-time local riding champion who was instrumental in the opening of the New Vocations facility in Covington, La., Napravnik will join host Joe Kristufek on the live feed during the racing day to help build awareness, promote success stories, and inspire donations for Thoroughbred aftercare.

“Rosie is one of our favorites and it's great to have her back at the Fair Grounds to help shed light on such an important cause and to share her valuable insight with the fans,” said Fair Grounds senior director of racing Jason Boulet.

Napravnik, who retired in 2014 following her Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) win with Shanghai Bobby, is one of the winningest female jockeys of all-time in both victories and earnings. In 2012 she became the first female rider to capture the Kentucky Oaks (G1), guiding Believe You Can to victory, and she won the race again just two years later with Untapable. She is now married to trainer Joe Sharp and together they have two sons, Carson and Tucker.

“Before and after my riding career, I've been exposed to a lot of the other things that horses can do, and that's a big part of the reason why I'm so passionate about it and why it's so important to me,” Napravnik said about Thoroughbred aftercare. “I have a lot of experience in the other disciplines and I've seen retired racehorses really excel. I got my first off-the-track Thoroughbred back in 2008 and watching him transform, his potential, his trainability, his eagerness to do something else and to learn new things and please really inspired me. After riding so many of those horses and seeing how much they put out for us on the racetrack, it's just something I can't avoid making a part of my life.”

Recognizing the need for expanded Thoroughbred aftercare in Louisiana, Napravnik reached out to New Vocations, the largest racehorse adoption program in the country, in the fall of 2019.

“It was amazing how it all came together rather quickly,” said New Vocations Thoroughbred program director Anna Ford. “When we move into a facility it usually takes a lot longer. Rosie's connections and her relationship with the facility in Louisiana really sped up the process. We were able to get a start-up grant from the Right Horse to basically fund almost half of running the program for the first two years. That really helped us get on our feet. Then the Louisiana HBPA stepped in and they have really supported our efforts.”

In the “check-off” program, consenting Louisiana HBPA member owners have contributed $5 per starter to race horse aftercare. At the conclusion of the meet, Fair Grounds will then match that dollar amount.

On Saturday, Napravnik will join simulcast host Joe Kristufek to provide information on how to donate a horse, how to adopt a horse, and how fans can contribute to the cause. She will also share adoption success stories, which will be supported by video of retired racehorses thriving in their second careers.

“I want to help make sure that horses have the opportunity to do something after racing because they really deserve it,” Napravnik said. “They have so much life ahead of them when their racing career is over. I can't ignore that, especially in a place like Louisiana that has such a high demand for organizations to help bridge that gap.”

In addition to promoting Thoroughbred aftercare awareness, Napravnik will also offer her race-by-race selections via the “expert picks” on twinspires.com and the Twin Spires app, and on the simulcast feed.

“During my riding career, I never handicapped to pick the winner, I handicapped to make my horse the winner,” Napravnik said. “But there's a lot of insight I can give on how each of the riders could see the race unfolding and how it might play out from a pace and trip perspective. I can't promise you I'm going to be a good picker, but I can promise you there will be a lot of valuable insight.”

For those who would like to contribute a financial donation to the Louisiana chapter of New Vocations and support the Fair Grounds Day at the Races with Rosie Napravnik, visit https://horseadoption.com/donate and click the button with Rosie's picture on it in the top row, middle column.

“I'm really excited for the New Vocations Day,” Napravnik said. “I love coming back to the Fair Grounds and really enjoy being a part of the racing day. It's just so nice to have a day dedicated to letting people know where we are with the organization, our accomplishments of the past two years and the potential of what we can do in the future. I really look forward to sharing some of the unique success stories adopters have had with their horses. I think it's going to be super fun but also enlightening to everybody.”

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Rood And Riddle Launches StallSide Podcast For Horse Owners

Whether you are a horse enthusiast, a first-time horse owner or a seasoned equestrian, you will learn something new on StallSide, the Rood & Riddle Veterinary Pharmacy audio and video podcast. Both educational and entertaining, you are able to listen or watch Rood & Riddle veterinarians discuss timely and engaging topics on equine healthcare.

Drs. Peter Morresey and Bart Barber talk with each week's guest clinician and delve into the fascinating and diverse world of equine healthcare. StallSide's first guest is Rood & Riddle co-founder Dr. Tom Riddle. In the first episode, you'll learn about the evolution of Rood & Riddle, his journey to becoming a veterinarian and how he balanced his home and professional life.

“We want to give listeners an insight into Rood & Riddle and veterinary medicine,” said co-host Dr. Bart Barber. “Our goal is to strengthen the bond between animals, owners and veterinarians.”

Presented by Rood & Riddle Veterinary Pharmacy, StallSide will focus on common equine conditions faced by horse owners. Each episode will feature a veterinarian or veterinarians from Rood & Riddle interspersed with guests from around the country and the world who are experts in the topic area. Future episodes of StallSide will include health care topics like care of the pregnant mare, foaling, neonatal care, laminitis, colic, dentistry, geriatrics and infectious disease.

“We cover the highs and lows of equine practice and the industry, never shying away from the difficult issues,” said Dr. Peter Morresey. “Always informative, we hope entertaining, and something of value to add to your day.”

You are invited to submit topics for future episodes at stallside@rrvp.com.

You can subscribe StallSide on YouTube, iTunes, iHeart Radio, Audible, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Catch the video version of the first episode below:

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Atypical Myopathy: Why Are Only Some Horses Affected?

Equine atypical myopathy is an unusual, deadly disease which is poorly-understood. If a group of horses is turned out together, only some will be affected by the debilitating disease, caused by the ingestion of the seeds or saplings of specific trees in the Acer family.

Equine atypical myopathy typically affects horses that live on pasture in the spring and fall. It has been seen in Europe since the mid-1990s. Some 2,500 cases have been reported in the last decade.

Researchers believe intestinal bacteria may play a role in why some horses get the disease while herdmates don't. Drs. Christina Wimmer-Scherr, Bernard Taminiau, Benoît Renaud, Gunther van Loon, Katrien Palmers, Dominique Votion, Hélène Amory, Georges Daube and Carla Cesarini hypothesized that fecal microbiota may play a role in whether or not horses became affected by the disease.

The study team used fecal samples from 59 horses with atypical myopathy that were referred to Belgian clinics: 29 horses that survived and 30 that didn't. The team also used 26 healthy horses that shared pastures with the affected horses during the outbreak periods.

The team concluded that horses suffering from atypical myopathy have different fecal microbiota than their healthy counterparts. The changes were more severe in horses that didn't survive the disease.

Horses impacted by atypical myopathy will suddenly become stiff and weak; they will have a rapid heart rate and dark urine. As the disease progresses, the horse may be unable to rise, experience breathing issues and eventually die. There is no cure and treatment of symptoms is often unsuccessful. The mortality rate is between 43 and 97 percent.

Read the article here.

Does Asthma Play A Role in DDSP?

Dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) is a relatively common, performance-limiting condition in horses where the soft palate shifts to obstruct the horse's airway, usually while the horse is working. Once the soft palate has moved, the horse generally must swallow and slow down to move it back.

Much research has been done on upper respiratory tract conditions that may cause DDSP, but little attention has been paid to the possible role lower-airway conditions like asthma might play.

Drs. Kinga Joó, ÁgnesPovázsai, Zsófia Nyerges-Bohák, Ottó Szenci and Orsolya Kutasi completed endoscopic examinations of 53 pleasure and sport horses at rest and while exercising. Twenty-two of the horses had mild or moderate asthma while 31 horses were severely asthmatic. They also collected mucus from the trachea and lower airways using a tracheal wash and bronchoalveolar lavage.

The scientists used a nasal occlusion test on resting horses. This test mimics pressure changes that might occur while the horse is working. This test caused the soft palate to displace in many of the horses.

The team found that 65 percent of the horses with mild asthma had soft palates that displaced during the nasal occlusion test; 79 percent of horses with severe asthma displaced their palate during the nasal occlusion test. All of the horses with severe asthma had DDSP while exercising.

Horses that had DDSP coughed, but didn't make the typical gurgling sound heard in racehorses when their soft palate slips. The research team suggests that this may be because the horses have a lower rate of airflow than racehorses.

The team recommends that veterinarians treat the upper and lower respiratory tracts as one unit since lower respiratory tract disease, including asthma, can cause upper-respiratory dysfunction and upper-respiratory obstructions can be a factor in lower-respiratory issues.