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Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance To Have Saratoga Presence During Whitney Week

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be on-site in Saratoga for a variety of activations in August during the weekend of the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney and the subsequent week of the Fasig-Tipton yearling sales.

The 96th running of the Whitney will be held at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, August 5, 2023. New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will feature Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance as its Community Partner of the Day. Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be on-site all day at NYRA's Community Outreach Booth to share information on accredited aftercare. Branded merchandise will be available in exchange for a donation, including a limited-edition Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance “Saratoga” t-shirt sponsored by Repole Stable featuring a unique design by artist and supporter Ellen Skidmore. Learn more about the NYRA Community Booth here: nyra.com/saratoga/visit/community-booth.

“With so many events and industry participants in town for the Saratoga meet, it is a fantastic opportunity for Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance to be on-site and connect with supporters, partners, and some of our local accredited organizations,” said Jeffrey Bloom, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance President. “We look forward to continuing to share the mission of accredited aftercare with racing fans and we value all of our partnerships and supporters that give us the platform to do so during this premiere meet.”

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be honored with two named races to highlight accredited aftercare—one on Saturday, August 5, and the other on Sunday, August 6. Following the running of the race, a presentation will be made to the winning connections including a branded blanket and swag bag. Exact race times to be announced. In addition, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be honored with a generous donation of $25,000 from James and Shari Ough. The check presentation will be made during the running of the named race on Saturday, August 5.

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will also facilitate guests on Whitney day from one of the VIP experiences auctioned off earlier this year in the “Off to the Races” campaign, promoting aftercare awareness. Winners from the VIP experience will enjoy a special track tour, a tour of the Saratoga Racing Museum and Hall of Fame, and a day of racing with paddock passes and winner's circle access during the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance race. This experience was generously donated by NYRA and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

Fasig-Tipton, another longstanding supporting partner, is set to hold the Saratoga sale featuring selected yearlings on August 7-8. Representatives from Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be on-site to meet with consignors, buyers, and other supporters and racing fans.

While in Saratoga, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will visit accredited facilities for inspections as part of the accreditation standards and practices. Staff will also meet with trainers, owners, and other supporters throughout the week. Board members of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will convene for an annual board meeting on Thursday, August 10.

About Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance

Based in Lexington, Ky., Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retrain, retire, and rehome Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding. Along with continued funding from its original partners Breeders' Cup, The Jockey Club, and Keeneland Association, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is supported by owners, trainers, breeders, racetracks, aftercare professionals, and other industry members. Since inception in 2012, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has granted more than $28.1 million to accredited aftercare organizations. Currently 81 aftercare organizations comprised of approximately 180 facilities across North America have been granted accreditation. To learn more about Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, visit ThoroughbredAftercare.org.

The post Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance To Have Saratoga Presence During Whitney Week appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Case Study: German Veterinarians Get Creative Treating Horse’s Abscessed Spleen

A horse that had received a penetrating abdominal injury from running into a metal rose trellis developed complications more than a month after the event. The initial puncture wound healed slowly, but the horse developed a fever, showed signs of abdominal pain, and lost weight weeks after the accident. The Polish Warmblood was taken to the Clinic for Horses at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover in Germany, where veterinarians found that the horse had an abscess on his spleen.

The 13-year-old gelding was treated by Drs. Alexander Schwieder, Tobias Niebuhr and Florian Geburek, who noted that he looks tucked-up behind his 18th rib and was reluctant to have the area palpated. When palpating the horse via the rectum, the vets found that the surface of the spleen felt irregular and firm, and adhesions between the spleen and the abdominal wall were suspected.

The doctors placed a drain in the spleen using ultrasound guidance, deeming it the least invasive way to treat the abscess. This is the first time a procedure of this type has been done on a horse's spleen, though transabdominal abscesses have been drained in other parts of the equine abdominal cavity.

Ultrasound images showed a small amount of fluid low in the abdomen and an abnormal, irregularly shaped structure in the spleen. Some fluid was drawn out by a needle; it was yellowish and odorless with a high white cell count. The veterinarians then aspirated the abscess with ultrasound guidance.

They also confirmed that the side of the spleen had adhered to the abdominal wall. Abscesses of the spleen are rare in horses; they may be caused by perforation of the intestinal tract by wire.

The vets then used ultrasound to place a silicone drainage tube through the abdominal wall and into the abscess to help it drain. They also inserted a balloon catheter into the abscess. The horse was given antibiotics for the infection.

The drain remained in place for two weeks. After its removal, the horse returned to his previous level of work as a 1.10 meter jumper and pleasure mount. The adhesions of the spleen to the abdominal wall remained, as the vets had anticipated they would.

All Tied Up: Is Freshly Cut Hay Safe To Feed Right Away?

Nothing says “summer” to a horse person quite like freshly baled hay fields, but is hay picked up from the field safe to feed right away?

Hay that is cured properly prior to bailing is safe to feed directly off the field, said The Horse's Dr. Clair Thunes – but the caveat is cured properly. This means that the hay was given the correct amount of time to dry before it was baled. Hay should ideally be baled with 12 percent or less moisture.

Hay that is too damp when baled will continue to cure once it's baled, taking days to weeks to do so, depending on bale tightness, moisture level, and plant type. This ongoing curing once baling is why some people prefer to let the bales “sweat” for a while once it comes off the field, often waiting two to four weeks before feeding the bales.

Hay that cures in the bale produces heat, which causes fermentation – feeding fermenting hay to horses is a definite risk. Hay that is baled with more than 12 percent moisture may require time before it can be safely fed to horses. Hay should not be baled if moisture content is over 18 percent.

If a bale is opened and feels hot to the touch, it's unsafe to feed to horses. These bales may never be safe to feed, even after additional time, as too much moisture can result in mold. Too-wet hay can also combust, causing barn fires, so it's imperative that hot bales not be put up in the barn.

Producing good hay is difficult, as so many things can affect it, from the weather to the stage of the plant to the handling of the hay once it's on the ground. It's imperative that horse owners buy from an experienced, reputable farmer to get the best hay for their dollar.

Veterinarians Respond To Findings Of Large-Scale Study Into Radiograph Findings At Thoroughbred Auctions

Earlier this year, the first results were published from a massive study of sale radiographs that began in 2016. Commercial consignors (and their veterinarians) have long complained that it's difficult for buyers at public Thoroughbred auctions to know how much weight to give to certain common findings on pre-sale radiographs. The popularization of consignor-furnished radiograph reports at the barn has made this particularly challenging.

Read our previous reporting on the difficulties – and liabilities — of consignor-furnished radiograph reports.

In 2016 and 2017, a group led by researchers at Colorado State University examined the sale radiographs of horses at yearling and 2-year-old sales to establish how common certain types of radiographic findings were, whether the same horses' findings changed from one year to the next, and how much of an impact those findings had on a horse's likelihood to make it to the races. The team looked at repository images for 2,508 yearlings at Keeneland September in 2016 and 436 2-year-olds at multiple juvenile auctions the following year, rating images for the presence of subchondral lucencies in stifles and sesamoiditis.

The results of that study were released earlier this year and showed that the majority of findings made no significant difference in a horse's likelihood to race. Even horses with subchondral stifle lucencies rated as Grade 3 lesions (Grade 0 being the absence of findings, and Grade 1 being the most mild findings) were not statistically less likely to race than those with Grade 0 ratings. When looking at sesamoid findings, only horses with Grade 3 sesamoid lesions saw any significant impact on performance; lower grades fared no differently than horses with zero findings in their likelihood of racing. Some 72 percent of Grade 1 vascular channel changes in yearling sesamoids had disappeared by the time the horses went to sale as 2-year-olds.

Read our previous reporting on the results of the radiograph research.

Last week, the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association hosted a presentation at Fasig-Tipton reviewing the results of the research, followed by a veterinary panel to discuss the impact the research will have on their work.

Below are a few takeaways from the panel discussion.

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–The researchers had to construct a Grade 0 to Grade 3 scale to describe the presence or severity of sesamoiditis findings in yearling radiographs because there wasn't previously a universally-embraced system for describing this particular set of findings. Veterinarians have instead used words like “mild,” “slight,” or “moderate” when describing what they see, which may be used or received differently by vets and clients. Dr. Scott Pierce, veterinarian and shareholder at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, said the scale alone will make his job easier if it's adopted broadly.

“It adds a lot of clarity to what we do,” said Pierce. “We all know that sesamoiditis is way over-diagnosed. If we can have clarity, which we seem to have in this, it's easier for us to be able to describe the actual lesion and the actual disease and be able to give a prognosis for those in racing.”

Pierce noted the study found that 85 percent of horses were normal, but he sees more than 15 percent of radiograph reports suggesting a given horse may have indications of sesamoiditis, which contributes to his belief that it's over-diagnosed.

Equine Medical Associates' Dr. Jeff Berk, who moderated the panel, suggested that the usefulness of a more commonly-used scale to describe sesamoiditis was less about language choice for the radiograph report kept by the consignor in the shed row at auction and more about uniformity in the language a vet may use with a buyer when presenting their opinion of a set of images.

–Dr. Scott Hay of Teigland Franklin and Brokken said the study mostly aligned with his viewpoints that more minor sesamoid findings aren't likely to be an issue, but more serious lesions that would be considered a Grade 3 under this system should be approached with caution.

Hay looks forward to an additional release of data which is expected later and will look at ultrasound scans of the suspensory ligaments alongside the radiographic sesamoid findings.

“I can tell you that I've had horses that although they improved radiographically, still had suspensory sesamoid issues as 2-year-olds, so that's a little scary,” Hay said.

–Pierce expressed surprise about one finding from the study, which indicated the average age of first start for horses with Grade 3 sesamoiditis was still in the 2-year-old year, and only a few weeks later than horses with less severe findings.

“I basically go in with those and say they'll be 3-year-olds, so I was a little surprised about that,” he said.

–Dr. Nathan Mitts of Peterson & Smith wondered whether veterinarians and managers tend to handle horses with sesamoid findings too conservatively in hopes of safeguarding the bone, and is hopeful that the study data can encourage a reconsideration of that approach.

“I think I've seen too many horses have exercise restrictions because of moderate sesamoiditis that, if we can continue to follow that up, maybe that's not a significant risk factor,” said Mitts.

“I find with my clients that with horses we felt were in the stall for more days than some of their pasturemates, that's probably a risk factor as much as anything, because the soft tissue isn't allowed to develop and the bone density doesn't develop. So then, when we go to train on them in Ocala, they don't hold up for one reason or another. It may have nothing to do with the sesamoid we're looking at.”

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–Regarding the stifle portion of the study, Pierce found it encouraging that few horses saw stifle lesions worsen from their yearling sale to their appearance in 2-year-old sales, and that none with Grade 1 lesions ended up with Grade 3 lesions later.

“I think the biggest takeaway of all in this study for me was the Grade 3 stifles,” said Dr. Michael Hore of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. “We were always kind of taught that a big medial condyle cyst was big and bad and just stay away from it. Now we can see here that the punishment doesn't fit the crime. Some of these horses are maybe at 5 to 10 percent increased risk of not making a start but those horses are getting devalued by 90 percent or 100 percent; they're just getting given away. So I think the big message from this is that it's ok if you're willing to take a little more risk to buy these horses with these cysts.”

Hore said he's seen success with horses who have undergone surgery for some cysts and gone on to racing success.

See a replay of the full presentation of the research and the veterinary panel here: