Showing posts with label Bolton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bolton. Show all posts

Friday, June 10, 2011

USA TODAY Laminitis Video: Penn Vet's New Bolton Center and the Legacy of Barbaro


USA Today had a terrific article yesterday about the laminitis work being done at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine's New Bolton Center. At the rural campus outside Philadelphia, 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was a patient for about seven months while he struggled to both recover from a fractured leg suffered in the 2006 Preakness Stakes and, even more poignantly, fight laminitis.

What a nice surprise to find out that, in addition to the terrific photos and article that were actually in the newspaper, they also filmed a video at New Bolton, which we are privileged to share with you here on the Hoof Blog.

In the video, you will recognize (in order of appearance) farrier Pat Reilly, Laminitis Institute researcher Hannah Gallantino-Homer, and veterinarians Jim Orsini and Dean Richardson, all members of the staff at New Bolton Center.

The full article can be read online but the great photos are not available:
Five years after Barbaro, pains and gains

Many staff and researchers associated with New Bolton Center's Laminitis Institute will be involved in the Sixth International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot to be held October 29-31 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Visit www.laminitisconference.com for more information; the program will be announced soon.

The ONE book you need! Call 978 281 3222 to order

 © 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.  
Follow Hoofcare + Lameness on Twitter: @HoofcareJournal
Read this blog's headlines and read special Facebook-only news and links when you "like" the Hoofcare + Lameness Facebook Page
Hoofcare Publishing (Hoofcare and Lameness Journal) on LinkedIn  
 
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Horses and (Golf) Courses: Lawn boots are a hoofnote in golf history


I just had to share this video. Can someone explain it to me? I love Nike, love their commercials, love their stores, love their branding. Yet I don't get this commercial.

But then, I'm not in the market to buy Nike golf balls, either.

Years ago I lived a few furlongs from a place called The International--just "The International". It was a golf course in Bolton, Massachusetts and a very exclusive place. Once--once!--my horses got loose and galloped over a green.

That late-night caper did not go unnoticed. Each divot looked like a crater in the morning light. In fact, the scene looked almost exactly like the closing shot of Nike's commercial.

I found out later that when my horses tore up The International, they were merely carrying on a Boston tradition.

Here's an old lawn boot. Back in the days before there were self-propelled, rubber-tired mowers, these boots were worn by horses while mowing golf courses and other lawn-like surfaces where a horse's hoofprints would be undesirable. This one requires the horse to be shoeless. This is an illustration from Farquhars Garden Annual in 1922. You could buy a set of four for $12.50.



Golf, of course, is a Scottish game. It was brought to America by some Bostonians who decided to hit a ball around at a gentleman's racing and polo retreat called The Country Club in the lush suburb of Brookline. (That's right, just "The Country Club".) Golf became so popular so quickly that they kept extending the course and cutting down trees to make more greens.

What's an endangered horse lover to do? The equestrian members of the club revolted one night in 1899 and galloped their horses across the greens in protest.

Let's just say the horses weren't wearing lawn boots.

So the next time you go to a golf course, or when Easter dinner conversation lags this Sunday, you can explain that the first country club was actually a racetrack and polo field. When it added golf, its fame spread; the name "country club" came to be associated with golf, but at those early clubs the most popular pursuits would have been horse sports and shooting. 

Golf was an upstart, but it certainly did catch on.

Boston's The Country Club is still operating, and even hosted the 33rd Ryder Cup. The club ran its last horse race in 1935, and the final sections of the racetrack were finally sodded over in 1969. 

The horses may be gone but the legends live on. 

I bet sometimes, on a hot summer night, you might even hear some galloping hooves. As long as they are not the hooves of my horses.


Thanks to the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, the Public Library of the Town of Brookline, Nike Golf, and The Antique Horse blog for assistance with this story.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. Please, no use without permission. 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).  


 
Read this blog's headlines and read special Facebook-only news and links when you "like" the Hoofcare + Lameness Facebook Page

 
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Equine Pituitary Dysfunction Test Choices Analyzed by New Bolton Center's Jill Beech VMD

In our new age of horses as companion animals, a significant proportion of our equine population would be considered into or at least approaching the geriatric phase of life. Equine pituitary disease and disorders are a concern in the horse-owning public and what we call simply "Cushings Disease" is being studied by researchers as a complex condition or even set of conditions and/or disease.

For horse owners, the problem is always to obtain a definitive diagnosis and to understand a prognosis, if it is possible to have one. Laminitis, in subtle or complex forms, often is a side effect of pituitary disease and any progress in understanding, diagnosing and treating the disease more effectively is welcome. Here's an update from one researcher at the University of Pennsylvania.

Jill Beech VMD presented data resulting from recent research at the Dorothy Havemeyer Geriatric Workshop in Cambridge, Massachusetts, October 24-27. Dr. Beech (show left, University of Pennsylvania photo) is the Georgia E. and Philip B. Hofmann Professor of Medicine and Reproduction at University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, PA. Her clinical and research expertise is focused on equine pituitary disease and disorders. The Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation, Inc. is a private foundation that conducts scientific research to improve the general health and welfare of horses.

Dr. Beech’s research compared two different diagnostic tests, using two different hormones, to measure equine pituitary dysfunction. “First,” says Dr. Beech, “I compared measuring alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone [MSH] with measuring adrenocorticotropic hormone [ACTH] to determine if one hormone was superior to the other in making a diagnosis. MSH is more specific for the part of the pituitary that is abnormal in horses with Cushing’s disease.”

Although both hormones are secreted from that area, ACTH is also secreted from another area in the pituitary, so it was hypothesized that MSH would be more specific and a better hormone for evaluation. Results, however, did not indicate that MSH was a more sensitive or specific indicator for pituitary dysfunction. Those data, along with the fact that ACTH, but not MSH, can be measured in diagnostic laboratories available to veterinarians has important practical application.

“This means,” says Dr. Beech, “that veterinarians can continue to measure ACTH in a reliable laboratory. At New Bolton Center, we use the laboratory at Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania or the New York State diagnostic laboratory at Cornell.”

Data collected also indicates that when horses have high levels of these hormones, single samples can be misleading due to variability of endogenous concentrations; veterinarians should therefore obtain several basal samples for ACTH measurement.

“If basal levels of ACTH are high, it can be an indication that the horse has Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction [PPID] or Cushing’s Disease. However, some affected horses have normal basal levels, and in those cases,” says Dr. Beech, “ACTH response to a thyroid releasing hormone [TRH] test should be performed. Affected horses have an abnormal and prolonged increase in their ACTH levels compared to normal horses.”

She and her co-investigators also compared the TRH stimulation test to the domperidone stimulation test, a diagnostic test that initially appeared promising for diagnosing pituitary disease in horses. In this population of horses, the domperidone stimulation test did not appear as good as the TRH stimulation test in differentiating horses with PPID from normal horses.

--end press release--

© 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.
Follow the Hoof Blog on Twitter: @HoofcareJournal
Join the Hoofcare + Lameness Facebook Page

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Favorite Video: Nicanor, Brother of Barbaro, Will Race for the First Time on Saturday, Two Years After Barbaro's Death

by Fran Jurga | 29 January 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog


Nicanor video courtesy of CBS Evening News with Katie Couric

Two years ago today, veterinarians at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center euthanized 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro when they were unable to help him overcome complications of laminitis that resulted from his hind leg injury in the Preakness Stakes.

Fast forward to Saturday afternoon, and do a double-take: a 3-year-old full brother to Barbaro named Nicanor will make his racing debut in Saturday’s eighth race at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida.

As was the case with Barbaro, Nicanor is owned by Roy and Gretchen Jackson in the name of Lael Stables, and he is trained by Michael Matz and ridden by Edgar Prado, just as his brother was.

Saturday’s eighth race is a maiden event at one mile on the dirt. Nicanor is by Dynaformer, out of the mare La Ville Rouge. Nicanor is named based on a painting of foxhounds that the Jacksons own. One of the foxhounds depicted in the portrait is named Barbaro. Another is named Nicanor.

Nicanor's debut race will be run on Saturday’s momentous Gulfstream card between the Grade I, $500,000 Donn Handicap for older horses and the Grade III, $150,000 Holy Bull Stakes for 3-year-olds.

Barbaro is gone, but not forgotten. His legacy has included the donation of what probably totals millions of dollars for laminitis and veterinary research. Following his up and down battle at New Bolton Center captured the attention and affection of thousands of people who might never give a thought to horses or racing. His Fans of Barbaro (FOB) internet group continues to raise funds and awareness about the plight of discarded racehorses.

This blog's readership soared far beyond the subscribership of Hoofcare and Lameness Journal during the eight months of Barbaro's struggle. Many new people became aware of the community trying to help horses with laminitis and hoof problems through our coverage of Barbaro.

The whole world watched that horse struggle. On Saturday, curiosity will get the best of most of us and we'll check the race results from Gulfstream. You never know.

© 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.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Big Brown's Owner Says Loose Hind Shoe "Not An Issue"



The Blood-Horse is quoting one of Big Brown's owners, Michael Iavarone of IEAH, this morning:

"His feet are ice cold, quarter crack not an issue. He had a very loose hind left shoe, but that’s not an issue."

The jockey complained that the horse was not handling the track well. Various reports from the media describe the track as loose and deep and suggest that the track was not watered because of the water pressure problems at the track yesterday (which left almost 100,000 racegoers without toilets).

(CORRECTION: This turned out to not be the case, according to one eye-witness. The track was watered. The grandstand had no water or toilets, but the track did! Other comments suggest that the holding barn did not have water, either.)

Much has been written about Big Brown's problem-packed front feet, but not much about his hinds. He won the Derby with turndowns on his hinds; turndowns are popular at Churchill Downs, according to crack specialist Tom Curl, who worked on Big Brown's right front foot. My guess is that all or most of the runners in the Derby also had them.

A turndown is the practice of turning the heels of the hind raceplate down so they become, in effect, like mud calks. They are believed to help with traction.

Big Brown's hind shoes were pulled after the Derby and he exercised and lived barefoot behind for a couple of days until Todd Boston, a shoer at Churchill, re-did his hinds.

I don't know what he had on behind for the Preakness but I do know that turndowns are illegal in New York. They do allow a small bend, but no sharp angles, that's for sure. Fred Sellerberg is NYRA's man in the paddock; his job is looking at the shoes. The guy has some sort of x-ray vision and seems to be able to spot an illegal shoe before the horse leaves the holding barn. Or at least he says he can. He just nods his head and says, "Believe me, Fran, I can tell". He is roughly my age and does not wear glasses, so I'm impressed.

Fred also would have seen a loose hind shoe. A paddock shoer, in addition to Fred, is on hand for exactly that reason and occasionally a race is held up in the paddock while a shoe is re-nailed.

So a loose shoe was probably a function of another horse stepping on it during the race or the horse stumbling and grabbing, or just normal wear and tear in the course of the race.
Big Brown hit serious traffic problems in the first mile of the race and one ABC commentator suggested that he may even have been kicked by Da'Tara as he came up too close and had to be pulled back.

Watch the replay on slow-motion mode; at times it looks like Big Brown is a carousel horse, going up in the air, although still making forward progress.
Even more likely is that it was pulled loose when Big Brown was yanked up by the jockey. There are some dismal photos of the horse in biomechanical disarray as the rest of the horses charge past him. I wonder how his mouth feels today.

Tale of Ekati received a tough gash in the race and has a pretty serious wound on his leg, according to trainer Barclay Tagg.

When Rags to Riches didn't come back after the Belmont last year, she was sent to New Bolton Center for a complete medical and orthopedic analysis, from head to toe. Coolmore (her owners) insisted. They didn't find anything wrong that was ever made public but the filly spent the summer hanging out in her stall.

IEAH is the midst of building a new equine hospital next door to Belmont Park. Let's hope that they put their future staff to work checking out Big Brown so he can run again. If they are going to be in the equine health business this fall anyway, they can get a head start and protect the horse from further injury or illness if there is any doubt.

Monday, June 02, 2008

Event Wrapup: UPenn Technical Horseshoeing Symposium at New Bolton Center

2008 speakers at the University of Pennsylvania's Technical Horseshoeing Conference: (left to right) Course organizer and UPenn resident farrier Pat Reilly; Dr. Jeff Thomason from University of Guelph, Canada; equine podiatrist Bryan Fraley DVM from Kentucky; hoof repair specialist Ian McKinlay of New Jersey.

Technical horseshoeing covered a lot of ground at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center in Kennett Square on Saturday. From biomechanics to anatomy to podiatry and finally to 911-level hoof repair, speakers touched on many aspects of the scientific and practical bodies of information about the horse's hoof. Speakers zoomed in and out of the gray areas like the cars that would be passing me a few hours later on the way back to the Philadelphia airport.

The morning began with introductions and an overview of the new laminitis research center (tentatively called The Laminitis Institute) at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Jim Orsini, associate professor of surgery at New Bolton Center and director of the Institute, explained the exciting new concept to the audience. Click here to read more about the Institute.

Dr. Jeff Thomason lectured on the basics of foot biomechanics and the research undertaken in his laboratory at the University of Guelph in Canada. Included in his research was updated material on the finite element analysis modeling he has been working on, with beautiful graphic images. Later in the day, he spoke on the nuances of functional anatomy and the "design" of the horse's legs, with interesting images and challenges.

Thomason (shown at left, looking at a hoof capsule, in a University of Guelph photo) enlivened his presentations by standing on dinner plates (illustrating that weight alone won't fracture a fragile object), then smashing it with a hammer (showing the effect of force being much more destructive than mere weight). It's not easy keeping an audience awake during a biomechanics lecture, but smashing dinner plates with a rounding hammer definitely set a new standard.

Interestingly, Thomason's biomechanics research on vibrational properties of horseshoes found that unshod feet actually showed an increase in vibrationi over shod feet of about 25 percent, but he felt that it was statistically irrelevant, other than as an anecdote for those who use vibration as a criticism of horseshoes.

Conference leader Pat Reilly, who is now resident farrier at New Bolton Center, reviewed his use of high-tech measuring systems to question the probability factor of correcting what he feels are the universal malady of the horse's foot: underrun heels. According to a study quoted by Pat, as many as 60 percent of horses are affected by low-heel syndrome and he maintained that every foal he has seen has had underrun heels. He defines "underrun" at being as least five degrees lower than the toe angle, as set in stone by Tracy Turner DVM in published papers.

Reilly contends that underrun heels is an irreversible condition in many horses and a variation of normal hoof conformation.

Kentucky farrier Bryan Fraley DVM reviewed a deep file of cases related to puncture wounds, foot infections and cracks. He took the time to delve into the nuances of poulticing the foot, which many people skip right over. A number of his cases fell under the heading of "digital instability"--an apt moniker!

New Bolton Center has one of the best collections of antique horseshoes in the world. They were crafted in the 1800s by resident farrier and "professor of podology" Franz Enge, a German immigrant who was a disciple of the world-renowned Professor Lungwitz. At this end of the display are some modern braces and support devices for orthopedic cases.

On the second day, New Jersey farrier Bruce Daniels shared insights into the lovely antique shoes in the University's secret vault of farrier treasures and New Zealand native farrier Trevor Sutherland worked at the forge with attendees.

Man of the moment: Ian McKinlay (Pat Reilly photo)

Hoof repair specialist Ian McKinlay escaped from the mobs of press at Belmont Park, where he had been working on Triple Crown hopeful Big Brown, to drive down to Pennsylvania and speak at the University of Pennsylvania's Technical Horseshoeing Symposium on Saturday.

Yes, he did show Big Brown's week-old quarter crack, which is sutured (not patched over) in a way I had not seen before. Hopefully, I can post some photos soon.

McKinlay acknowledged that that farrier world "is trying to move forward" but gave evidence of progress on several fronts, such as the loosening of the Belmont track after Big Brown's trainer, Rick Dutrow, complained that it was too hard. "Times slowed down," McKinlay said, "and people were saying, 'Hey, nice cushion'!"

He asked the audience to help him list the disadvantages of glue on shoes and went on to explain more about Big Brown's abscesses and their consequences. He bemoaned the practice of leaving the bars lower than the walls, saying that this led to the prevalence of sore heels in racehorses.

This conference's goal, according to Pat Reilly is "to present scientific information relating to hoofcare"; "to describe techniques for managing hoof-related pathologies"; and to "create an atmosphere of open dialogue between New Bolton Center and the farrier/veterinarian community".

Those are all lofty and worthy goals. As with all such undertakings, the hardest step is the first one. By re-establishing this conference on the worldwide hoof science calendar, the University of Pennsylvania has the potential to add a valuable platter of substance to a table often overloaded with appetizers and desserts.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

UPenn Technical Horseshoeing Symposium at New Bolton Center Announcement: Late Registration Opportunity

The forge at the University of Pennsylvania was originally in downtown Philadelphia and was one of the first buildings constructed on the campus when the school began. This photo was taken in the late 1800s; notice the bellows in the ceiling. (Double click on photo to view larger image; I believe that's a woman in the long apron down at the end of the room. Notice that the "students" are not wearing aprons; I bet they were proud of the cinder burns in their nice clothes.)

Event: Technical Horseshoeing Symposium at Penn Vet/New Bolton Center

Date: Saturday May 31 and Sunday June 1, 2008

Location: Woerner Amphitheatre in the George C. Widener Large Animal Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine at New Bolton Center, Kennett Square, PA (near Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware).

Wet labs will be held in the Outpatient Clinic of the Hospital, the Farrier Shop and the Pathology Lab.

Cost: Saturday or Sunday only $150, Saturday and Sunday $225

Highlights:
• Jeff Thomason lecture on functional anatomy of the limb, as well as hoof deformation and ground force interaction
• Bryan Fraley lecture on managing problems- from laminitis to hoof cracks to “hoof first-aid” (dealing with emergency hoof traumas).
• Jim Orsini will be updating the Laminitis Institute and the research projects underway at Penn
• Andrew Van Eps will discuss laminitis, cryotherapy and the effectiveness of commonly utilized techniques for cooling feet.
• Sunday’s wet labs include:
• Dissection of the equine limb with regard to biomechanics and anatomy by Jeff Thomason
• Shoeing lab with Bryan Fraley
• Bruce Daniels will discuss the Podological Museum of the University of Pennsylvania
• Trevor Sutherland will demonstrate forging techniques and shoe building

PLUS demonstration by hoof repair specialist Ian McKinlay (featured on the Hoof Blog for his work with the Yasha glue-on shoe customized for champion racehorse Big Brown in the 2008 Triple Crown races)

Conference Format
Saturday, May 31, 2008- Lectures 8AM- 5PM
Sunday, June 1, 2008- Lectures 9AM- 11AM; Demonstrations 12PM -3PM

Hotel list available; nearest airport is Philadelphia.

More details: http://www.vet.upenn.edu/nbc/equine/farrier-symposium.htm
If you attend, please mention that you learned about the event on the Hoof Blog.

(Double click on page images to view and print full page flyer and registration form.)

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Barbaro Update: Cast changes, heel abscess in right hind

From the University of Pennsylvania today:

“Barbaro was placed under anesthesia yesterday to have his left hind foot cast replaced,” said Dr. Dean W. Richardson, Chief of Surgery. “We also removed the cast on his right hind leg and replaced it with a custom-fabricated plastic and steel orthotic brace to give his foot additional support.” An abscess near the lateral heel of his right hind foot was drained, and the brace that was applied will allow more regular treatment of that foot.

“Barbaro had another smooth pool-recovery and has been comfortable with an excellent attitude and appetite since then,” said Dr. Richardson. “We will probably replace his left hind foot cast under anesthesia again at least two or three times at roughly two-week intervals if his comfort is maintained. We were very pleased with the progress of his left hind foot since the last cast was applied.”

In addition, new shoes were placed on both front feet for additional support.