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Injured Jockey Rico Flores Diagnosed With Cervical Spine Injury, Begins ‘Long Road’ To Recovery

Jockey Rico Flores was injured in a spill on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at Louisiana Downs. He was transported to the hospital, and was diagnosed with a cervical spine injury and underwent surgery earlier this week.

His companion, Sally Warne, stopped by the Harrah's Louisiana Downs racing office on Tuesday and gave an update that Flores was able to move his legs and feet fine; lift his head, shoulders, and elbows, but still not able to move his fingers. He will begin physical therapy today. She added that it will be a “long road” to recovery.

According to statistics on Equibase. Flores has won 366 races and purses of $5.9 million since he began riding in 1994.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to assist Flores in his recovery. If you are able to make a donation, please visit: GoFundMe.com.RicoFlores.

The post Injured Jockey Rico Flores Diagnosed With Cervical Spine Injury, Begins ‘Long Road’ To Recovery appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Scar Tissue Issues In Horses May Be Resolved With Standing Surgery

A horse that has experienced a hind-end injury such as a kick, fall or other trauma can develop a mechanical restriction from scar tissue that does not allow him to take normal strides, called a fibrotic myopathy, which can affect his athletic ability. The condition, which is not usually painful, is diagnosed by palpation and ultrasound around the horse's thigh.

The veterinary hospital at the University of California, Davis, did a retrospective study that used 22 horses with the condition that had a standing fibrotic myotomy performed. Drs. Charlene Noll, Isabelle Kilcoyne, Betsy Vaughan and Larry Galuppo reviewed the horse's long-term comfort and return to athletic endeavors.

Tenotomy is a more-standard treatment for this type of issue, but a standing myotomy is less expensive and less invasive. The horse can also be moved about during the procedure to assess the response to the incision into the fibrotic tissue.

Only two of the horses in the study developed complications during the surgery. There were additional complications in 18 percent of the horses, which included issues with drainage or infection that caused sutures to reopen.

After the surgery, the horses were on stall rest for two weeks and hand walked for 10 minutes three times a day. Once sutures were removed, the horses began trotting for five minutes each day and work was increased incrementally from there.

Four weeks after the surgery, canter work was added to the rehabilitation program. Passive range of motion exercises were also recommended twice daily throughout the rehabilitation time. Two months after the surgery, the horses could go back to regular work and could get turned out.

Follow up calls and questionnaires were sent to the horse owners between 6 months and 11 years after the surgery was performed. Ten of the 16 owners said they were satisfied with the long-term outcome of the surgery. Eight of the horses had a recurrence of issues, and eight of the 12 athletic horses returned to their previous level of use. The other four athletic horses needed repeat surgery.

The research team concluded that standing myotomy for fibrotic myopathy leads to fair outcomes with minimal complications, but proper rehabilitation was imperative to the surgery's success.

Read the full article here.

‘He Sounded Great’: Injured Jockey Rosario Montanez Talking About Return To Riding

When his phone rang Monday evening, jockey agent Joe Rocco Sr. thought it was going to be a regular update on his client, Rosario Montanez, who was injured in a July 17 spill at Laurel Park.

It turned out to be much more. Though the number displayed was of Montanez's fiancé, Chloe LaBarre, Rocco got the surprise of his life when he answered.

“Her number showed up, but it was him on the phone,” Rocco said. “He spoke to me. He's got a long road ahead of him … but he sounded great. It was great news.”

A San Diego native who was a finalist for the 2011 Eclipse Award as champion apprentice, Montanez was unseated when his mount, 4-year-old filly Hendaya, clipped heels and fell leaving the backstretch of a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint for filly and mare claimers 3 and up. While he was being tended to on the track, Hendaya was able to get up and jog off the turf course.

Montanez, 28, underwent surgery July 18 to repair several fractures in his back at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Rocco said the rider was being transferred Tuesday to another facility in the city to begin rehabilitation for his brain injuries.

“I had to explain to him what I thought happened. It was just a bad incident he went through,” Rocco said. “He didn't even know he had surgery, which is a great sign. He's doing well.”

A winner of more than 3,700 career races during his riding career and whose son, Joe Jr. is a jockey based in Kentucky, Rocco gets emotional when talking both to and about Montanez.

“He's my friend. I really care about him a lot,” Rocco said. “I couldn't believe it when he talked to me. I didn't know if he was going to make it or not, that's how bad it was. But, you know he asked me when he's going to be back racing. He said, 'Let's figure this out.'”

A GoFundMe account launched by Laurel trainer Brittany Russell July 18 has raised $37,505 to go toward general living and medical expenses. An initial goal of $20,000 was surpassed in less than 24 hours, and a second $30,000 goal reached days later. The goal has been updated to $50,000.

“I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for coming together to help us out,” LaBarre wrote on the GoFundMe website. “Please continue to pray for him! I'm so thankful for everything people have done for him. It means so much to us.”

To donate to Montanez's GoFundMe campaign, visit www.gofundme.com/f/rosario-montanez

The post ‘He Sounded Great’: Injured Jockey Rosario Montanez Talking About Return To Riding appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Can Surgical Removal Of A Mare’s Ovaries Fix Unwanted Behaviors?

A Danish study investigated if removing a mare's ovaries could offer relief from unexplained unwanted behavior. The changes in behavior were assessed by the owners of the horses. Some mares used in the study had ovarian cancer; others had no veterinary-diagnosed reason for their unwanted behavior.

Removing the ovaries was final attempt to resolve the unwanted behaviors as drug use to stop their reproductive cycles had failed and no issues with their reproductive tract could be found. Unwanted mare behavior can range from being uncooperative to aggression aimed at humans or other horses.

Drs. Daniel Taasti Melgaard, Martin Soendergaard Thoefner, Trine Stokbro Korsgaard, Morten Roenn Petersen and Hanne Gervi Pedersen, used the records of 28 mares that had their ovaries removed six to 24 months earlier and followed up with the horse owners, asking them to complete a questionnaire and respond to a telephone interview. Ten of the horses in the study had normal ovaries, 14 of the mares had ovarian cancer in one or both ovaries, and the other ovaries of the other horses were not examined for the presence of cancer.

Eight out of the ten mares (80 percent) with normal ovaries had improved rideability after their ovaries were removed; rideability improved in 57 percent (eight out of 14) in the mares with ovarian cancer. Mare behavior improved in about 40 percent of the cases studied.

The researchers conclude that mares without ovarian cancer may benefit as much from ovary removal as mares with ovarian cancer, showing improved rideability and behavior, though there is no obvious explanation as to why mares with normal ovaries benefited. The team noted that owner perception of improved behavior could be a placebo effect because they assumed the operation would work. They also stress that horses have a through diagnostic workup to rule out other issues before an ovariectomy is performed,

Read the full study here.