The issue came to light when an unraced Blacker-trainee named Animae (Speightstown) suffered a fatal injury after a July 1 workout at Santa Anita. The CHRB investigated and found that no pre-workout report on Animae had been filed within three days of the work and that veterinary reports were also not filed for two of three workouts by the filly prior to the July 1 work. The 2-year-old suffered a fatal musculoskeletal injury to her pelvis and vertebrae.

“During a horse-fatality investigation for the horse Animae,” the CHRB complaint read, “it was found the horse did not have an examination by his attending veterinarian entered into EquiTAPS database during the 72 hours immediately preceding an official workout. Three out of the four official workouts listed for Animae did not have a veterinarian exam listed, including the official workout when the horse suffered the fatality.”

Blacker wrote that Animae is the only horse under his care to suffer a fatal injury. He has been training since 2011.

After a  further investigation, the CHRB discovered that from Jan. 1, 2002, when the rule requiring horses to undergo a vet's inspection prior to a workout went into effect, to July 1, 2023, Blacker-trained horses worked 789 times but veterinary reports were not filed for 527 of those workouts.

On Saturday, Blacker posted a statement to his X account, writing that he had always been careful to make sure his horses were properly examined before working out.

“I want to make it clear that I am in contact with my veterinary team daily,” he wrote. “We jog up every horse, every day before they go to the track. The horses in training are thoroughly evaluated by myself, my team and my veterinarian on a daily basis.”

He wrote that after Animae broke down, he learned that his pre-work procedures did not comply with CHRB rules.

“Subsequently, I learned that our long-established procedures, while complying with Santa Anita workout rules were not always in line with the California Horse Racing Board rule regarding pre-workout inspection and reporting,” he wrote. “As soon as I was made aware, we immediately began to operate in compliance with the rule.”

Despite implying that he thought he was doing everything by the book, Blacker admitted that he now understands that he may have been in violation of CHRB rules.

“I take full responsibility for this matter and the consequences it will bring forth,” he said in the statement. “I stand firm in saying that all the horses in my program have always received the highest level of care.”

CHRB spokesman Mike Marten told the Paulick Report that the regulators have filed 18 complaints regarding workout and pre-race veterinary checks since the rule went into effect. According to Paulick, stewards have primarily opted to fine violators of the rule, with amounts ranging from $100 up to $1,000 for multiple violations.

Blacker, 41, has 120 career wins from 840 starters. His biggest win came in the 2021 GI Kilroe Mile S. with Hit The Road (More Than Ready).

According to the Daily Racing Form, a hearing into the Blacker matter was originally scheduled for Oct. 13 but has been postponed.

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Fishman, who is currently imprisoned in Florida but appealing his 11-year sentence for two felony drug-supplying convictions in a decades-long international racehorse doping conspiracy, had stated in a Sept. 12 filing that the forfeiture order signed by the judge back on July 11 “is not authorized by statute and is therefore unlawful in its entirety.”

A response filing Sept. 30 by the legal team that successfully prosecuted Fishman stated that, “In arguing that the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) does not authorize forfeiture, the defendant elevates form over substance, ignores past precedent, and, in so doing, deliberately misreads the FDCA and several applicable forfeiture provisions to reach the defendant's desired outcome of avoiding forfeiture altogether.”

The filing by the feds also noted that at the time of his sentencing, “then-counsel for Seth Fishman contended that he wished to contest the amount of the forfeiture money judgment, not the basis for forfeiture itself.”

But shortly after his sentencing date, Fishman hired a new lawyer who now “wishes to revisit the availability of forfeiture entirely.” That new legal tactic has no merit, prosecutors contended.

“The defendant's strained reading of the law provides no support for his view that forfeiture is 'unlawful' in this case,” the government attorneys wrote.

Forfeiture “is lawful and mandatory; consequently the Court's forfeiture order entered at Fishman's sentencing should be left undisturbed,” the prosecutors wrote.

“The defendant argues in passing that the Government has not demonstrated that Fishman 'actually acquired' any forfeitable property,” the feds wrote. “The evidence that Fishman, the owner-operator of [the drug company] Equestology, controlled the adulterated and misbranded drugs subject to the forfeiture action is undisputable. So long as the defendant had control over the forfeitable property, which he did, he has acquired that property…”

Fishman had argued otherwise, writing in the Sept. 12 filing that “Misbranding is not a forfeiture crime. The misbranding statute under which the government seeks forfeiture against Dr. Fishman…only permits the government to confiscate the misbranded or adulterated products themselves and any equipment used to manufacture those products.”

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The 220-square mile county has 14,000 people and just one veterinarian — Bogan, who has been trying to retire for years. Bogan and a group of community leaders have been working together to try to find another veterinarian to care for the animals, which include everything from cattle and horses to dogs and cats.

In addition to Bogan's practice, Faribault County is trying to make the job even bette. The county is enrolled in a federal program that forgives up to $150,000 in student loans for vets who work in the county for six years.

Still, not one person has come forward to take the deal. The issue facing Faribault County is not unusual, as large portions of rural United States are in a veterinary shortage. More lucrative clinics in urban and suburban areas with regular shifts and no emergency duty are a siren song to many graduating vets, many of whom don't want to launch their own small business right away.

Having no veterinarian in the county during emergencies, like a cow in distress during calving, can hurt the bottom line for farmers in the area whose livelihood depends on their animals. Currently, the county is hopeful that Leyton Becker, who has recently finished his first year of vet school at the University of Minnesota, will come home to help. Becker is currently interning with Bogan.

Becker is from the area and was raised on a hog farm, so he understands the pressures of the job and what it entails. When Becker graduates, Bogan will be 77.

Read more at Kare11.

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EquiManagement suggests there are some ways to alleviate this near-constant pressure, including working for (or opening) a multi-doctor clinic or collaborating with other practices in the area to share the on-call burden. Young veterinarians are often eager to take on emergency cases and the sharing of the caseload offers older vets a unique opportunity to mentor younger colleagues.

Additionally, being forthcoming with clients about professional boundaries can assist vets in regaining a work-life balance. While discussing new “office hours” for an equine veterinarian may feel uncomfortable in an already-established practice, loyal clients often stay loyal – they just want to be kept in the loop. Offering customers alternatives should be a priority; this could be as simple as providing phone numbers for another veterinarian who is available for after-hours care. Adjusting the time in which a vet practices (which might include later openings and closings) is another option to remain available for clients, yet regain the opportunity for some down time.

The option to treat only equine emergencies is another possibility to avoid burnout. After-hours emergency care is often more financially lucrative than dealing only with cases seen during the day.

Seeking to educate owners on what a true emergency is can also go a long way to alleviating the possibility of burnout for veterinarians in general. An emergency situation is scary for many owners; reassuring clients that reaching out via text, email or phone call is always OK leaves them feeling less alone.

Read more at EquiManagement.

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Proposed by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), the bill expands the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP), which repays up to $25,000 a year in student loans in exchange for at least three years of work in an area experiencing a veterinary shortage.

Vet school typically costs between $200,000 and $275,000; the 2.6 percent increase in student debt in 2020 meant a vet school graduate carried an average of $188,000 in student loans. While the VMLRP offers veterinarians debt relief assistance, current funding is taxed by the federal government at 37 percent.

This rate limits the program benefits, the sponsors say. The proposed bill would end federal tax withholding, providing more financial assistance to new veterinarians and encouraging their involvement in communities that need their service. 

Read more at Capital Press. 

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Dr. Taormina served as a Racing Veterinarian for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission at both Thoroughbred and Harness tracks across the state.

Prior to his tenure as a KHRC vet, Dr. Taormina was a private veterinarian specializing in equine care out of Bowling Green, Ky.

Kerr Brothers Funeral Home on Harrodsburg Rd. is handling arrangements.

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The Retired Racehorse Project, the nonprofit organization that hosts the Thoroughbred Makeover each year, then provided email blasts, webinars and social media content on horse health, often on OTTB-specific topics. The RRP also provided reminders to competitors about things like vaccinations and microchip registration.

The horse-health push culminated in every horse competing in the Thoroughbred Makeover competition receiving an on-site veterinary exam. The horse had to pass the exam to be permitted to compete. Though overwhelming at the outset (veterinarians had a day and a half to complete the exams on over 350 retired racehorses), the process went very smoothly.

First, competitors had to present their vaccination record, proof of Coggins and microchip information to the vet team without their horses. Then, they brought their horses for a 30-minute exam. The ability to sign up for time slots ensured that vets weren't overwhelmed and horses weren't forced to wait for hours; competitors were able to schedule  their exam time around their stall setup and schooling schedules.

The veterinarian in charge of overseeing all of the staff and volunteers was Dr. Shannon Reed, an associate professor of equine surgery in The Ohio State University's Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. She and her team checked every horse for:

• a microchip registered with The Jockey Club and RRP
• a body condition score of at least 4 on the 1-to-9 Henneke scale
• normal vital signs
• any abnormal blemishes or swellings
• soundness

Read more at the Retired Racehorse Project.

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“Our strategy in establishing relationships with some of the country's largest and most prestigious practices was twofold,” said Michael Silver, Prisma's founder and CEO.

“Firstly, these practices were an invaluable resource during the early development process that ensured that the system would work well for the equine patient. Secondly, as we approach commercial readiness, we want to have a few early systems out in the field to ensure they will function perfectly prior to scalable operations. Meeting or exceeding our customer's expectations is of paramount importance.”

Prisma and B.W. Furlong have been in discussions for nearly a year, during which time the advancement of the system's development and functionality were able to be demonstrated and documented.

“It's undeniable that Prisma's system's capability to perform distal limb and head C.T. imaging of a conscious horse, plus image the axial skeleton and abdomen represents a material advancement for equine diagnostics and their health and welfare,” said B.W. Furlong's founder Brandan Furlong, MVB MRCVS. “We've been able to monitor and vet the progress of the system's development and are excited by the prospect of getting their inaugural system.  We're equally enthusiastic about having this technology to perform more comprehensive diagnostics and deliver exceptional patient care.”

Silver estimates that the system will be ready for installation by late 2021. Prisma is in discussions with several other top veterinary practices as additional potential candidates to receive one of its early systems.

Learn more about Prisma here.

Learn more about B.W. Furlong here.

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A group of Brazilian veterinarians tested the effects of xylazine and xylazine used in conjunction with butorphanol on induced hind-end lameness. Drs. Antônio Alcemar Beck Júnior, Flávio Desessards De La Côrte, Karin Erica Brass, Stéfano Leite Dau, Gabriele Biavaschi Silva and Marina de Aguiar Camillo compared the results of the sedated horses to the results of a control group of horses that did not receive sedation.

The researchers used 16 horses and placed metal clamps around their hoof wall with small screws. The screws were tightened to induce lameness until the horses became a Grade 3 or 4 (out of 5) on the AAEP lameness scale. This was done immediately before the administration of sedation.

Each horse received all three treatments: no sedation, xylazine alone or a combination of xylazine and butorphanol. The scientists concluded that xylazine used alone or in conjunction with butorphanol (at the recommended doses) can be used as chemical restraint without masking lameness intensity. They note that additional research must be done to determine how detomidine and romifidine might interact with butorphanol during hindlimb lameness evaluations.

Read more at EquiManagement.

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It's difficult enough to entice vet students to consider large animal practices; the risk of injury is just another strike against the profession. Gemma Pearson, Melanie Connor, John Keen, Richard Reardon, and Natalie Waran, all students at the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, are working to create a program to teach vet students horse-handling methods that are based on equine learning theory. It's hoped that this program will reduce the number of vets who don't consider large-animal work or who leave the profession early.

The research team tested the effects of a single lecture that focused on practical learning theory tips for equine vets on pre-final-year vet students. The 45-minute lecture focused on how horses learned; videos were shown that demonstrated how to apply that theory to equine patients.

Examples shown included overshadowing, where the horse is asked to do a task it knows (like stepping backward) to draw attention away from the action the vet is performing, like administering a shot. Using negative reinforcement to get a horse to enter stocks by lightly tapping him with a whip, and stopping as soon as he took a step forward was also included in the lecture .

Students watched videos of “difficult” horses both before and after the lecture; they were also asked questions. After the lecture, the students were more likely to suggest learning theory-based solutions on how to hand the horse. The vet students also indicated that they had greater confidence in their horse-handling skills after the lecture.

The study group concluded that just one lecture had the potential to positively alter students' perception of how to handle “difficult” horses; it may also influence how they deal with difficult horses, thus creating a safer work environment.

The researchers went on to note that horse owners play a key role in keeping vets safe; by teaching their horses to stand still unless asked to move, and to respond to leadrope cues to go forward or backward, they can help veterinarians remain safe on the job.

Read more at Horses and People.

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