Update on Hypersensitive Disqualification of Canadian Rider Tiffany Foster 's Horse from Olympics for Cut on Coronet

It's the story that has stayed on everyone's mind. Less than an hour before she was to mount up and ride in her first Olympic Games, Canadian team member Tiffany Foster found out that FEI officials had declared her horse unfit to compete.

The judgement was based on the FEI's carefully-crafted policy on what is called a horse's "hypersensitivity" to stimulus on the lower legs. A small cut on the coronet (hair line between hoof and pastern) had caused the horse to react to examination.

According to reports, a thermal imaging examination confirmed the clinical exam: an area of heat could also have been evident on the diagnostic images.

The test was designed to identify horses that had been deliberately hypersensitized. A horse with sore pasterns will protect the painful area as it goes over a jump and is less likely to rub or knock an obstacle.

Even though the FEI said that no wrongdoing had taken place, Tiffany was out and the Games went on. At a press conference, her mentor, 2008 Olympic Individual Gold Medalist Eric Lamaze, lashed out at the FEI hypersensitivity protocol. Later, he lashed out at his own national federation, even though Canada did appeal the ruling immediately.

US veterinarian Kent Allen of Virginia 
quaified the disqualification statement
at the Olympics press conference; 
he is the FEI's Foreign Vet Delegate.
(Erin GIlmore photo)

According to FEI policy, there is no appeal on veterinary cases.

FEI Foreign Veterinary Delegate Kent Allen was on hand to explain the FEI’s decision during the press conference. He confirmed that 86 Olympic horses were monitored on the first day of the competition, and 70 were monitored the second day. Victor was the only horse found to have abnormally excessive evidence of hypersensitivity.

“The equine Olympic athlete is the most closely monitored athlete at the Olympic Games, and the FEI’s mandate is for the welfare of the horse and the well being of the horse,” Allen stated. “It’s very regrettable in this circumstance, that the horse was simply too hypersensitive in that leg to continue on.”

Lamaze lashed out: "This is a complete miscarriage of justice,” he said. “We all know why they use the test and we all understand it. This has nothing to do with this rule."

On Tuesday, August 7, the Canadian federation issued a brief statement accepting the FEI judgment. Those were fighting words to the ears of Lamaze. He said he would simply not ride for Canada again unless the national authorities showed support for Tiffany Foster in this situation.

Unrest in the Canadian camp after Foster's disqualification (Erin Gilmore photo)

Eyebrows went up around the world this afternoon when Canada issued a new statement on the disqualification of Tiffany Foster and the system used to do it. Here are their new words:

Canada's Clarification Statement

August 8, 2012, London, England - Equine Canada has issued the following further statements regarding the International Equestrian Federation's (FEI) hypersensitivity testing protocol.

"Equine Canada agrees that the FEI's hypersensitivity protocol is in place to protect the welfare of the horse and the fairness of our sport," states Mr. Gallagher.

"Victor sustained a superficial cut on the front of the left front coronary band," states Canadian Olympic Team Veterinarian for Jumping Dr. Sylvie Surprenant. "In our opinion the horse was fit to compete as he showed no signs of lameness.

"However the FEI hypersensitivity protocol is such that if the horse is sensitive to the touch, regardless of the cause, the horse is disqualified. While the FEI rules for the hypersensitivity protocol were followed, we believe that there should be a review of this protocol."

"We feel that further discussion of the hypersensitivity protocol needs to take place in order to ensure a balance is reached between the philosophical intent and the real-world application. Canada looks forward to playing a role in those discussions along with other nations within the FEI family," states Mr. Gallagher

"Equine Canada wants to make it clear that there is absolutely no accusation of any wrongdoing on the part of our athlete Tiffany Foster or any member of the Canadian Team. Equine Canada fully stands behind and supports our athlete Tiffany Foster, as well as our entire team.

Everyone at Equine Canada and the Canadian Olympic Team are disheartened and extremely disappointed over the premature ending of Tiffany Foster's Olympic dream, and remain fiercely proud of both her incredible sportsmanship and athletic achievements," states Mr. Gallagher.

(end of statement)

Tiffany Silver and Eric Lamaze, teammates for Canada's showjumping squad in London. Lamaze  went into London as the defending individual Olympic gold medalist. (Erin Gilmore photo)

Will the new Canadian statement appease Lamaze and bring him home happy or will he be out shopping for a new nation's flag? Will a new chapter open in the ongoing saga of the FEI's hypersensitization protocol?

The Olympics just aren't over yet.

To learn more:
FEI explanation of hypersensitivity testing

Thanks to Erin Gilmore of www.proequest.com for her photos from the press conference and quotes.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

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FEI NSAID Background: Alex Atock Explains When and Why Bute Was Banned

Many people I meet in the horse world are shocked and even a bit put off sometimes when they first learn that the FEI does not allow horses to compete on even the smallest amount of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, pronounced "en-saids"). If it's ok for horses in the United States to race and show on Bute and other NSAIDS, why are the other countries so backward?

Or is it the other way around?

Whether it is horse racing or horse sports like eventing, driving, showjumping and dressage, the world's perception of horses competing on even the lowest dose of therapeutic medication are polarized.

Last week's congress on NSAIDs, organized by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) in Lausanne, Switzerland, was designed to fully educate all interested parties before the FEI's General Assembly vote in November which will ask the world's equestrian bodies if it would like to liberalize the FEI's NSAID policy by going with a "progressive list" of allowed medications for competition horses.

Much of the NSAID Congress was scientific presentations by leading experts like the USA's Dr. Wayne McIlwraith but there were some ethical considerations as well. So far, the FEI has posted 12 videos of lectures from the Congress on YouTube for us to watch. That's a lot of pharmacology research.

But perhaps most important of all the lectures was a bit of a history lesson from horse welfare specialist veterinarian Alex Atock of Ireland, who was in the middle of the FEI's upheaval over NSAID reform in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when he served as head of the FEI's veterinary department. Bute was banned under Alex Atock's watch; who better to take us back in time to find out when and why the ban was initiated?

Listening to this video, I felt like I was thumbing through old issues of Hoofcare & Lameness. As the FEI strugged with the issue of banning Bute, I was writing about it, and about all the horror stories that were happening in the horse industry at the same time. Were they related to Bute? No, but they were related to horse welfare and the perception that people in horse sports had little regard for the well-being and even the lives of their horses. Somehow, this all spilled over to the drug debate, though.

As Atock says, we had German pole rapping scandals, American insurance-collecting horse killers, and the 1990 Breeders Cup had been called the blackest day in horse racing history, as three horses were euthanized as a result of breakdowns in one day's races, including the magnificent three-year-old filly Go For Wand. It's amazing horse sports of any kind survived that era.

The FEI's decision to completely ban Bute from competition horses was painful. It has been painful all along the way since then, but never more painful than the past year, when the old dichotomy opened up again.

Which way will the FEI vote in November--with the liberalized science-is-God view or with the welfare-ethics old guard of Europe who staunchly maintain that Bute and NSAIDs were banned for a reason and horse sport needs to distance itself from the perception that equine athletes are drugged in order to perform?

Does a horse on Bute deserve a Gold Medal if the Silver goes to a horse that is "clean"? On the other hand, should a horse be forced to withdraw from a world-championship competition because of a minor episode of colic a week beforehand that has nothing to do with a performance-enhancing effect of a drug that could be given to treat the colic? Should a vet have to hesitate to medicate a horse because of the performance-drug testing repercussions of a therapeutic substance?

These questions go around and around and around.

By way of education, here's a clip from a lecture by USEF veterinarian Kent Allen, explaining to event riders how to fill out forms to report the NSAID(s) their horses are on, since the USEF rules were changed this year. This clip is one of a 24-part YouTube series with Dr. Allen presented by US Eventing and sponsored by SmartPak to help riders through the process of understanding what is permissable for their horses and how to manage their horses within USEF rules while competing at USEF (as opposed to FEI) events. That's right: 24 videos to explain how to manage your horse's medications within the rules, and to help riders understand the issues and regulations surrounding the approved and unapproved medications themselves.

Dr. Allen is chairman of the USEF Drug and Medication Committee and vice-chair of the FEI Medication Advisory Group.  He is also official Veterinary Coordinator of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. It is of critical importance to him that riders and trainers understand the medication process and that the American horse public understands the reasoning behind the USEF policies, which are different from the major European nations, but in line with some other countries around the world.

The one-med-or-two forms explanation is vaguely reminiscent of some of my phone calls with Blue Cross Blue Shield about my HMO care.

I highly recommend that ANYONE who even thinks of commenting one way or the other on the medication debate in the FEI watch all the FEI NSAID Congress videos AND Dr. Allen's USEF rules videos.

Educate yourself before you speak. The FEI and US Eventing have laid out a great menu of education for you, for free. You don't have to buy airplane tickets, stay in hotels, or sit all day in uncomfortable chairs. Just watch and listen and learn about medication rules, here, there and everywhere.

What do you want the future of the horse world to be like? How do you think international horse sports will be perceived if medications are allowed?

Most importantly, now that Alex Atock has reminded us where we have been, and opened up the closet where the skeletons have been hiding, where on earth is all this going?

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

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Moyer's AAEP Presidency Means Temporary Changes at Texas A&M Vet School

(press release edited for space restrictions) 

Dr. William Moyer, professor and department head of the Large Animal Clinical Sciences Department (LACS) of the Texas A & M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (CVM), will become the next president of theAmerican Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) in December 2010. While Moyer goes on administrative leave to fulfill his duties with the AAEP, Dr. Allen Roussel, professor and associate department head at veterinary college, will become the acting department head of the LACS on September 1, 2010 until January 1, 2012.

"This is the greatest honor I have ever received," explains Moyer. "I have been a member of AAEP since 1969. AAEP has set the ground work for a lot of other organizations of its kind. It was the first to have a motto, and it is one of the only organizations that is very progressive in dealing with all issues of the horse world. Personally, AAEP is my window to the world I work in. I am very grateful to Dr. Roussel for fulfilling the responsibilities of my current position while I execute my role with the AAEP."

AAEP's mission statement is "to improve the health and welfare of the horse, to further the professional development of its members, and to provide resources and leadership for the benefit of the equine industry." AAEP encompasses all aspects of the horse industry. Moyer is currently president elect of the AAEP. He received his DVM from Colorado State University in 1970. He has been the department head of the Large Animal Clinical Sciences Department for 17 years. He also holds memberships in the American Veterinary Medical Association, Association for the Advancement of Sports Potential, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, Association of Equine Sports Medicine, and the Texas Veterinary Medical Association.

"Dr. Moyer's rise to the presidency of the largest, most influential equine veterinary organization in the world speaks volumes about his success as an influential leader and the regard in which he is held in the profession," said Dr. Eleanor Green, Carl B. King dean of veterinary medicine at Texas A & M.  "The AAEP presidency is one of the greatest honors, opportunities, and responsibilities an equine veterinarian can achieve.  We are all very proud of Dr. Moyer."

"As AAEP President, Dr. Moyer will advance both the AAEP and Texas A & M University," Green continued.  "In recognition of the growing responsibilities and time commitment associated with AAEP Presidency, Texas A & M fully supports Dr. Moyer and encourages him to focus his talents and energies on his presidency during his term.  So how can the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences continue to flourish during this period?  Dr. Moyer fully supports Dr. Allen Roussel in serving as Acting Department Head.  What speaks volumes about Dr. Moyer's selfless nature and his well-known advocacy for and faith in his faculty is that he has entrusted the department completely to Dr. Roussel.  He has made it clear that he wants Dr. Roussel to lead the department as if he were the permanent department head until his return.

"Dr. Roussel is up for the challenge.  He has demonstrated excellent leadership as Associate Department Head and has been working side-by-side with Dr. Moyer over the last few months.  One can almost hear Dr. Roussel saying, 'Put me in coach.'  Because of unselfish dedication of both of these leaders, the department will not merely be held together, it will continue to drive forward."

Hoof Blog note: Among his many other accomplishments, Dr. Moyer is co-author of A Guide to Equine Joint Injection and Regional Anesthesia, our current bestselling book. Sadly, it has gone out-of-print and we are down to the last copies. If you need one, please go to our order page and make sure you get one before they are gone.

Also: Dr. Green knows what she's talking about; she was AAEP President in 2008.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

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Hoofcare 101 Part One: Anatomy Basics Refresher Course Video with Nate Allen

This blog is read by hoofcare professionals of all levels and stripes and ranks and religions. It is also read by hundreds of people each day who are just "passing through" and are interested in a specific aspect of the hoof, or maybe manufacture a product or are horseowners looking for a clue that will help a lame horse.

Farrier instructor Nate Allen of Allen Farrier Service in Juanita, Nebraska and Central Community Technical College in Hastings, Nebraska, narrates this and other videos in the series that I will be posting in short segments so as not to overwhelm you all. This project is made possible by support from the University of Nebraska and Purina Mills through the Cooperative Extension Service network of educational agriculture resource providers and eXtension.org, an educational partnership of 74 universities in the United States.

Note: if you think this video is too basic for you, be patient. The series has to walk before it can run, and I think it is a good idea both to review basic anatomy and learn the terms and principles that Nate Allen will prefer to use in later videos. Anatomy doesn't change and is not a creative subject, but people do approach it in different ways and educators tend to vary in the way that they stress the roles of different structures.

I should probably add that throughout these videos, Nate is sharing his own point of view on subjects like sole pressure, hoof expansion, the role of structures in hoof mechanism, etc. and I realize that many people do not share the tried-and-true farrier science approach. Again, these videos are what a mainstream, middle-of-the-road well-educated farrier instructor thinks people should know about hoofcare. He has put a lot of work into this project and deserves a lot credit and respect, whether you agree with him or not.

You could also download these videos and use them for educating horse owners, or run them on a loop at a trade show booth. You can't go wrong by starting with the basics...and no matter what people tell you, most of them can't find their way around the most basic anatomy diagram and have forgotten everything they learned decades ago in Pony Club or 4-H. Letting them watch this refresher-course video may save them a lot of embarrassment, and you'll be even more of a hero than you already are.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask. Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

The Legacy of A. Smith

Allen Smith, a farrier from Marion, Massachusetts died this afternoon. His friends will want to know, so I am posting the sad news here. He died at his home near Buzzards Bay.

Because he was such a private man, I'll leave it there. Most of us didn't even know he was sick until very recently. Those who know him understand.

But for those who didn't know him: Allen Smith was always a bit amused and intrigued by the ironic fact that his trade matched his name. He was "A Smith". And he was proud of it.

Back in the days when farriers were called horseshoers and drove trucks with smokestacksfor their coal forges sticking up into the air, Allen had the word "horseshoer" written in big letters on the side of the wooden "cap" on his truck.

I remember one night at a Southern New England Farriers Association meeting, someone asked him why he had the word painted so large, instead of his name. Allen didn't hesitate for a second. He answered that you could read it from a mile away and wherever he went, people would walk by his truck and make a comment or tell a story about how their grandfathers had shod horses, or something they remembered from a blacksmith shop in their towns growing up. 

In this way, Allen was a catalyst. He worked that same logic (or was it magic?) in many ways in his many roles in the farrier world, from shoeing my old horse Jasper (with concave, of course, that he imported as bar stock from England) on an island enclave off Cape Cod that he had to sail his boat to, to being the president (more than once) and peacemaker (perpetually) of the American Farrier's Association. He showed up at my house for a meeting one night on his motorcycle...but still wearing his trademark bow tie (from his "part-time" job as a professor of library science) under his leather jacket.

Allen may have wanted to leave this world privately, but it would be important to remember how strongly he believed that the proud traditions of farriery and smithing should be honored as long as any one of us remembers what a real blacksmith shop looked and smelled and sounded like. May our eyes and noses and ears never forget that combination.

Back in 1989, Allen sent me a poem written by the highly-regarded poet Edward Kleinschmidt called "Katzenjammer", in which the poet explained in lovely verbiage that in spite of the word "schmidt" in his last name, he was certainly not a smith, and that all the real smiths were dead anyway.

Allen objected. And wrote this poetic answer to Kleinschmidt: 

Smith y Gwf

And while you write, a smith

Tends fire, takes heat, and turns a shoe

To burn the balanced coffin horn

Among the bones of the limb,

Pacing the day, breaking steel

Across the anvil devil,

In back of behind.

--A. Smith

I believe there always be A. Smith among us, wherever horses are shod.

Farriers: Send a Note to an Old Friend

Sometimes, it's a good idea to turn off the computer and get out a pen. Rummage around until you find a card or go buy a post card or find a sheet of letterhead or nab a placemat from the diner where you're going to have lunch today. And write a note to a friend. Just say hello and tell your old friend what you're doing, where you are, even what the weather's like in your part of the world.

In the world of one good farrier friend right now, it might be a great diversion to hear from old friends.

Please send cards, letters, and good thoughts (but no phone calls or emails, please) to:

Allen Smith
31 Cross Neck Road
Marion, MA 02738

He'd do it for you, and probably has.

Thanks.