Showing posts with label Ian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ian. Show all posts

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Hoofcare & Lameness Presents World Horse Welfare's Laminitis Video Conference (Part 3: Management and Pain Relief with Catherine McGowan)


"Managing your laminitic and minimising his pain">Managing Your Laminitic (Horse) and Minimising His Pain" is the third in a series of feature presentations designed to help horse owners recognize the signs of laminitis in horses and to work toward preventing laminitis. In this video, laminitis researcher Catherine McGowan, currently at the University of Liverpool in Great Britain, talks about the tools that a farrier uses to help a horse and relief the physical foot pain caused by laminitis, as well as the pros and cons of medications like Bute for pain control.

The farrier who briefed McGowan is Ian Hughes, farrier at the University of Liverpool equine hospital. He's pretty shy about publicity, in spite of my best efforts.

Learn more about University of Liverpool farrier lecturer Ian Hughes and his role as chief farrier for the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong. This nice photo of Ian (left) at work with his Vettec gun is from the portfolio of Hot Shots Photography.

These videos were filmed at a laminitis awareness seminar organized by World Horse Welfare and British feed company Dodson and Horrell earlier this year. More videos from the series will be posted on the Hoof Blog in the next few days.

The conferences, which were held at leading UK veterinary universities, were organized by Dr Teresa Hollands, Senior Nutritionist at Dodson and Horrell. Featured specialists included Professor Derek Knottenbelt, Dr Cathy McGowan and Alex Dugdale from the University of Liverpool, David Catlow from Oakhill Veterinary Centre and Samantha Lewis from World Horse Welfare, among many others.

The videos in this series include “The Horse’s Foot and How it Goes Wrong” (Professor Knottenbelt,) “Managing your Laminitic and Minimizing his Pain” (Dr McGowan,) “Recognizing the Early Signs of Laminitis” (David Catlow,) “Using Ultrasound to show the Difference Between Fat and Muscle” (Alex Dugdale,) and “How to Fat Score a Horse” (Samantha Lewis.)

To learn more: Watch Part 1 of the series, "The Horse's Foot and How It Goes Wrong" and then go on to Part 2, "Recognizing the Early Signs of Laminitis”.

A partial list of Catherine McGowan's research is available on the National Library of Australia's scientific database website.


© 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

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

New DVD Announcement: "From the Ground Up" Hosted by Ian McKinlay, with Trainers from All Sports, Is Big Brown's Legacy

by Fran Jurga | 20 May 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog



This brief trailer is a promotion for the two-disc 3.5 hour "From the Ground Up" video library compiled by hoof repair specialist Ian McKinlay and many leading horsemen (see list below). The set is sold for $50 plus $6 post in the USA; $12 elsewhere (USA format DVD only). To order call 01 978 281 3222. fax 01978 283 8775 or email
GroundUpDVD@hoofcare.com.


"Quarter Crack" might be Ian McKinlay's middle name. A year ago, you couldn't turn on the television or open a newspaper without seeing his face, as all eyes turned to the hoof repair specialist for insight into Big Brown's chances to win the Triple Crown: would the colt be sound? Could he win with two healing wall separations and a quarter crack?

A year later, McKinlay is still working quietly on the backside of Belmont Park in the morning but he's just finished a bigger idea, and we're rolling it out this month for you.

"From the Ground Up" is a 3.5 hour 2-disc DVD library that explores what can and does go wrong on the track and in the show ring, and how it affects the people in charge. Ian spent months interviewing his clients and his colleagues--top trainers, farriers and veterinarians--and asking them what their experiences with hoof problems at the highest level could teach to all horsemen.

Ian interspersed their words of wisdom and recollections with cases of nasty hoof imbalance, white line disease, wall separations and quarter cracks. His famous Dremel tool is busy in this series and there is some promotion for his glue-on Yasha shoe toward the end, but for the most part this is an educational production at a very low price.

The six segments of the two discs are: 1. Foundation; 2. Pre-Purchase; 3. Diagnosis; 4. Causes and Solutions; 5. Balancing the Hoof; 6. Prevention.

There are a lot of extremes in this DVD. Some of the trainers speak in vague generalities, and the feet that Ian shows and works on are wrecks from the racetrack that are collapsed beyond what most viewers might ever see; these horses obviously started with a weak foot and nothing was done to help the horse until it was deemed a crisis.

This is not an instructional DVD, per se; I would hope that no one would watch it and then pick up a Dremel drill and start removing parts of a horse's foot. But from nicely-dressed Olympic and Triple Crown trainers sitting in the sun to horses with big chunks of hoof missing, this DVD at least starts to connect some of the dots.

When some of our most valuable horses have some of the most miserable lameness problems, the irony has to be that Ian McKinlay never says the obvious: the best trainers should have the best horses and the best horses should be sound and not need a hoof repair specialist on speed-dial. But it never seems to work this way.

This DVD is a little bit of Entertainment Tonight meets Food Network, or maybe This Old House. Ian is an excellent host. Celebrity talking heads "tell all" about their hoof problems; notable vets and farriers lean on hammers philosophically and sharp knives trim off dead tissue while sheared heels and collapsed frogs make you wonder if gravity will ever show mercy.

Starring from Thoroughbred racing: Bob Baffert, Richard Mandella, D. Wayne Lukas.

Trainers featured: John Campbell (harness racing), Bruce Davidson (eventing), Anne Kursinski (jumpers), Ian Millar (jumpers), Bryant Pace (reining), Havens Schott (hunters), Betsy Steiner (dressage), Ted Turner (Quarter horses)

Farriers featured: Jim Bayes, Doyle Blagg, Tom Curl, Hank Joseph, and Dwight Sanders

Veterinarians featured: Drs John Steele and Alan Donnell.

Note: The DVD would be really long if viewed at once but it is divided into chapters to make it easier to both find points for reference and to view it in parts.

This is a very ambitious project and should stimulate interest in making more DVDs that step back and take a wider look at the "why" of hoof problems rather than just the "problem:solution" approach. Is it a horseowner DVD? Is it a farrier/vet DVD? You can make up your own mind but I know you'll enjoy watching it while you decide.

© 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.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Quality Road: Another Quarter Crack in the Road to the Derby

Tell me it isn't true: just when you thought it was safe to make him the favorite without an asterisk, top Kentucky Derby contender Quality Road has popped another quarter crack, this time in his right front.

Ian McKinlay reported on April 23 that he will be patching the new crack, which he says is minor, probably on Saturday, after suturing it today. The foot has been soaked and poulticed. The poultice was pulled on Friday morning, Ian said, after being applied to draw out any infection before the patch is applied. He will lace it with sutures later today. The same procedure will be used on the front foot that was used on the hind, which includes suture-lacing and an embedded drain covered by a patch.

Quality Road has had a quarter crack in his right hind foot for the past 26 days; the first crack opened during or immediately after his record-setting win in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream on March 28. The crack was patched in Florida and then dried out and re-patched with a drain when the colt returned to Belmont Park in New York under the care of trainer Jimmie Jerkens. Recently he has been training well and looked solid; plans are to ship him to Kentucky to race in the Kentucky Derby on May 2.

As of this morning, no announcement had been made to scratch the horse from the Kentucky Derby. Ian said he thought the horse would be able to make the race, based on other cases he has worked on.

Ian remarked again on the immense size of the three-year-old colt. "I'm six-three, and I look just barely over this horse's butt," he said. "And he's wearing a size five. He's a very, very big horse with a small foot."

That comment brought to mind a section on Ian's new video, From the Ground Up, which includes interviews with many trainers and horseshoers about foot problems and quarter cracks. Bob Baffert talks about the curse of the size-five foot, but then says with satisfaction that War Emblem was an example of a small-footed horse that overcame it and won the Kentucky Derby.

Click here to read several previous articles from earlier this month about Quality Road's quarter cracks.

Click here for the April 6th account of Ian McKinlay's work on the hind foot quarter crack.

Note: From the Ground Up is premiering for sale during Derby week and can be ordered through the Hoof Blog. This 3.5 hour, 2-DVD set includes interviews with top trainers and riders from most disciplines including (to mention a few) Thoroughbred trainers Baffert, D. Wayne Lukas, and Richard Mandella, Standardbred driver John Campbell, Dressage rider Betsy Steiner, Reiner Bryant Pace, Hunter Rider Havens Schott, Jumpers Ian Millar and Anne Kursinski, Quarter Horse Halter Exhibitior Ted Turner, Veterinarians John Steele and Alan Donnell, and Farriers Dwight Sanders, Jim Bayes, Hank Joseph, Tom Curl, and Doyle Blagg.

The DVD covers the problems trainers have with hooves and the possible ways for trainers and farriers and veterinarians to each use expertise to aid in improving the horse's chances for soundness. Advanced cases of wall separations, white line diseases, quarter cracks, sheared heels and conformational problems are shown and some cases are reviewed with advanced treatment, and prevention is discussed.

The DVD set is $50 plus $5 post in USA, $12 post elsewhere; Visa and MasterCard accepted. To order call 978 281 3222 or email HoofcareDVD@hoofcare.com.

© 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.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Video: Ian McKinlay's Quarter Crack Patch Drainage System

by Fran Jurga | 9 April 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog



As promised, here's "film at eleven", just like on the evening news. Ian McKinlay videotaped the steps in the process he used to make a sub-p,atch drainage system for a quarter crack on Kentucky Derby contender Quality Road, who is now training at Belmont Park with trainer Jimmy Jerkens and will hopefully get a good work by this weekend.

PLEASE NOTE: The horse in this video clip is not Quality Road. It's his stunt double. Ian did do this procedure yesterday on Quality Road (scroll down for more on this horse's crack and patch over the past five days) but did it again on another horse in order to make this video so the Hoofcare and Lameness community could see both what he did and how he did it.

The drain is a precautionary step so that if the horse does have a flareup of inflammation, it can be treated. Please read the previous post about the technique, which Ian is not claiming to have invented.

I know that everyone will ask about the glue, it is the same PMMA-adhesive Ian has been selling, but in a new packaging system that will allow the user to cool it in summer to slow down the setup time so it can be shaped. Ian's Tenderhoof company sells sutures, drains and adhesive on his website. Click here to learn more.

Thanks to Ian for doing this; it's not easy filming a procedure in a racetrack shedrow with a moving horse, and that's just the beginning: editing and narrating can be even more work than the filming. I'm sure that this makes it much easier for everyone to understand.

© 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.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Ian McKinlay: Quality Road's Hoof Is Patched and Ready to Go

by Fran Jurga | 8 April 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

Hoof repair specialist Ian McKinlay checked in this morning to let Hoof Blog readers know that the heat is gone from Quality Road's foot and that he was able to patch the colt's quarter crack today at trainer Jimmy Jerkens's barn at New York's Belmont Park. (Scroll down to read Monday's post about the crack.)

There is so much riding on this horse's ability to stay in training over the next few weeks as the Kentucky Derby approaches that Ian modified his usual patching technique: he installed a drain under the patch in the event that any fluid needs to escape. "It's probably overkill," Ian said, "but why take any chances?"

He said that the foot was "cold" (meaning not overly warm to the touch, indicating inflammation).

Other professionals, such as Rob Sigafoos and Dr. Scott Morrison, have used drains under acrylic repair and hoof casting material routinely but Ian has been cautious about this, perhaps because so many of the cases he works on are drive-bys, and he may not be able to return to make adjustments. Thoroughbred racehorses, especially lame ones, circulate from the track to layup farms to other tracks to sales to vet clinics to training centers and back again.

A galloping young Thoroughbred, especially one as large as Quality Road, would also put a lot of stress on a tiny length of plastic tubing.

We should have media on his new technique later this week.

© 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.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Ontario Farriers Association 2009 Convention to Feature Ian McKinlay and Dr. Jeff Thomason

by Fran Jurga | 30 January 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

Ian McKinlay spoke at a Hoofcare@Saratoga event at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York in August 2008, sponsored by Life Data Labs.

You have two months to find your passport.

Today the Ontario Farrier's Association announced the program for its 29th Annual Convention, to be held Friday March 27th and Saturday March 28th at Woodbine Racetrack, near Toronto, Ontario.

“Understanding Equine Lameness” brings together two unique experts on the horse's foot--two professionals whose paths would normally not cross.

Ontario native Ian McKinlay of Tenderhoof Solutions and Jeff Thomason PhD, anatomy researcher in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Guelph will be guest speakers.

McKinlay has over 30 years in the equine industry and is known for his innovative techniques and products to successfully treat and prevent hoof lameness. Ian is one of the foremost specialists on hoof care in North American racing and is the man who cares for the valuable feet of racing superstars such as Big Brown, the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner.

Interestingly, Thomason was co-author of the research paper "Modelling horse hoof cracking with artificial neural networks", published in Canadian Biosystems Engineering/Le génie des biosystèmes au Canada (43: 7.15-7.22). In the study, the relationships between data on horse hoof crack damage and a number of other variables were modeled with artificial neural networks (ANNs), and a system for categorizing cracks on real horses was developed.

Dr. Thomason is a leader in the study of equine biomechanics and equine locomotion. "For us to fully understand lameness issues it is important to understand the science of the equine hoof and Dr. Jeff Thomason is our guide," says the OFA in its announcement.

To learn more about these seminars and other important farrier-related information from Ontario, please visit the Ontario Farrier's Association website at www.ontariofarriers.com

© 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.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Slide Show: AAEP Convention's Farrier Conference Reception


Please click to launch the automatic slide show.

The Farrier Conference at the American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention in San Diego wrapped up last Wednesday night at a "meet the speakers" reception that included some key figures in the world of hoof research, education, and innovation. All farrier conference attendees were invited to the reception.

Many of the people reading this blog have been the beneficiaries of the hard work and even harder thinking that the men and women in the room that night have brought to the art and science of caring for horses' hooves. It was an honor just to be in the room!

The conference was moderated by Dr. Steve O'Grady, who somehow escaped the camera, as did speakers Jay Merriam and Ian McKinlay.

Thanks to everyone who had anything to do with the conference, especially John Suttle, who encouraged farriers to attend--which they did! The audience was an interesting mix of vets and farriers, young and old, from all over the country--and the world.

More reports from the AAEP Convention will be posted as they are completed.

© 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.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

New Extreme Hoof Makeover Video: Ian McKinlay and Conny Svensson Combine Glue, Nails, Adhesive and New Shoe Designs for 11th Hour Pre-Race Hoofcare

In July, a Standardbred named Before He Cheats needed major hoof renovations before he could race in a big stakes at The Meadowlands. Harness shoer specialist Conny Svensson and hoof repair specialist Ian McKinlay went to work and, when they were re-done, rebuilt and reshod all four feet.

Luckily, Ian had his video camera and he created a start-to-finish documentary of the process and is allowing the Hoof Blog to share it with you.

The segments are roughly nine minutes each, since YouTube.com has a ten-minute limit for clips. So, settle back and watch this horse's feet change shape. Remember that this is an 11th hour makeover. In reality, the horse should not have been allowed to get to this stage. Conny and Ian were asked to transform it for a race a few days afterwards. This is stop-gap therapy. Hoof triage. It certainly could have been prevented.

Here's part one:



And here's part two (with a very happy ending):



© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. All images and text protected to full extent of law. Permissions for use in other media or elsewhere on the web can be easily arranged. Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online or received via a daily email through an automated delivery service.

This post was originally published on October 2, 2008 at http://www.hoofcare.blogspot.com, with the permission of Ian McKinlay and www.tenderhoof.com

To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness, please visit our 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. Comments to individual posts are welcome; please click on the comment icon at the bottom of the post.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Thoroughbreds with Crushed Heels: Ian McKinlay's Latest Video Offers Advice



Hoof repair specialist Ian McKinlay, known for his literal "stop-gap" expertise for keeping racehorses like Big Brown running in spite of cracks and blow-outs, has created a short video about crushed heels in racehorses.

Ian spoke to an SRO audience at a Hoofcare@Saratoga event a few weeks ago and will be speaking at the AAEP's farrier conference in San Diego, California in December.

Learn more about his dual-density rimming technology for shoes at www.tenderhoof.com.

All HoofBlog text and images © Hoofcare Publishing 2008 unless otherwise noted.

To learn more about new research, products, and treatments for the horse's hooves and legs as reported to veterinarians and farriers in the award-winning "Hoofcare & Lameness Journal",
go to http://www.hoofcare.com

Direct “subscribe now” link to Hoofcare & Lameness Journal: http://www.hoofcare.com/subscribe.html

Contact Hoofcare Publishing anytime:
tel 978 281 3222 fax 978 283 8775 email bloginquiry@hoofcare.com

Monday, August 11, 2008

Hoofcare@Saratoga: Double Session with Big Brown's Ian McKinlay on August 12

New Jersey comes to Saratoga: Conny Svensson, left, is a Swedish horseshoer specializing in Standardbreds at the Meadowlands; among his famous charges has been the leading money earner Moni Maker. Ian McKinlay, right, is a Canadian-born hoof repair specialist based in New Jersey whose recent clients have included leading Thoroughbreds Big Brown and Ginger Punch. Track surface researcher Mick Peterson PhD of the University of Maine completes this Tuesday's roster. (Photo kindly loaned by George Geist, IUJH)

All roads lead to Saratoga Springs, New York on August 12th; join us for a special double session with three great speakers!

The afternoon session will be from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Theater at the National Museum of Racing on Union Avenue, just 1/2 mile or so off I-87 at exit 14, and opposite the main entrance to the racetrack.

The evening session will be from 7 to 9 p.m. (or so) at the Parting Glass Pub on Lake Avenue in downtown Saratoga Springs, just off Broadway.

In the afternoon session, meet quarter crack repair specialist Ian McKinlay who will go over the development of glue-able horseshoes, hoof injuries and the work he did on horses like Big Brown to use adhesives to help horses with quarter cracks and wall separations. Ian will speak, show slides and videos, and be available for questions.

Two of Ian's Big Brown shoes, a.k.a. "Yasha" shoes, are on display in the National Racing Museum. One is a front shoe worn by Big Brown in the Kentucky Derby; the second is a new Yasha shoe so you can see how much the plastic compressed with use. In the next case are Secretariat's front shoes from the Belmont Staks in 1973.

Dr. Mick Peterson, a specialist in racetrack surfaces, will discuss how the hoof hits the track and what the "impact" of different surfaces may be on hoof structures. Dr Peterson is conducting research for the Jockey Club's Grayson Foundation.

Standardbred shoer Conny Svensson will also join us, and talk about his work at the Meadowlands and how he overcomes problems with different surfaces. Because of a work-related emergency, he may arrive too late for the Museum session.

Admission is free; you can order meals and drinks in the meeting room at the Parting Glass.
Call the info line at 978 857 5900 if you have questions. Please don't call the museum.

You will also have a chance to view the RIDE ON exhibit at the museum, which salutes the valiant efforts of horsecare professionals to help injured horses.

NOTE: There is a concert in Saratoga on Tuesday night, so traffic may be tough. Take back roads. Do NOT take exit 13 to come into town. You can get to the Parting Glass from Exit 15 as well as 14.

See you there! This is a wonderful opportunity to meet three top professionals in three different aspects of the hoof.

On Tuesday, August 19, another double session is planned, with Allie Hayes of HorseScience and Michael Wildenstein of Cornell vet school.

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Big Relief: Big Brown Wins Haskell Invitational at Monmouth, Shoes Still Glued


I guess he can hold his head high again. Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner (and Belmont also-ran) Big Brown returned to form this afternoon and won the Haskell Invitational Stakes at New Jersey's Monmouth Park.

That answers one question, but opens a lot of others. Will the van take him back to Aqueduct on Long Island...or will it swerve northward toward Saratoga, where the bigger test and a rematch with his Triple Crown mates might be waiting at the Travers Stakes on August 23?

Hoof repair expert Ian McKinlay checked in today and reported that Big Brown is still wearing the glue-on Yasha shoes with thick black heel cushions.

Remember, Ian will be speaking on hoof repair and glue-on shoes on Tuesday, August 12 at the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs, New York, sponsored by Life Data Labs, and again that evening in downtown Saratoga, as part of the Hoofcare@Saratoga events. Standardbred shoer Conny Svensson from the Meadowlands and racetrack surfaces researcher Dr Mick Peterson will also be speaking on the 12th.

This week, the 5th, is a program from the Grayson Jockey Club Foundation's Shoeing Committee on shoe variation and surface variation with new high-speed videos from Mitch Taylor along with Steve Norman and Bill Casner, with a guest lecture from trainer/surface expert Michael Dickinson of Maryland.

Call the office at 978 281 3222 for more information, or email saratoga@hoofcare.com. I look forward to seeing you there...and thanks! to all the blog readers who came last week.

I think most of us would like to see Big Brown in Saratoga, too.

Thanks to Steve Sherack and IEAH for the nice photo of their horse, Big Brown.

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

ESPN, CBS Hoof It with the Hoof Pros at New York's Belmont Park


ESPN spent a morning with Tim Shortell at Belmont Park this week. Tim, a horseshoer on the New York tracks, explained the difference between low-toes, XTs, mud calks, etc. and shod a horse for the camera. Click here to go to the ESPN site to watch the video; sorry I can't post it here. Tim looks more like Clint Eastwood every day.

Meanwhile, CBS News called Hoofcare and Lameness to track down Ian McKinlay, and once they found him, reporter Dr. Debbye Turner (she's also a veterinarian) did a weekend feature on the quarter crack specialist. They will be posting the video online. It's nice to know that CBS reporters and producers are reading this blog!

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.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Triple Crown "Crack"down: Update from Ian McKinlay on Big Brown's Latest Hoof Malady

This device from Holland was marketed in Europe for stabilizing quarter cracks on Standardbreds. This photo shows clearly what a typical quarter crack would look like after being cleaned up. Notice where the start of the crack is at the hairline vs where the bottom of the crack is at the shoe. A quarter crack is a fissure in the hoof wall and is a reaction to stress so it will generally follow the angle of the horn tubules if the intertubular horn is weak, or the path of least resistance. Big Brown's crack is only 3/4" long, according to Ian, and is up at the top of the wall.

As promised yesterday, Hoofcare and Lameness caught up with hoof repair specialist Ian McKinlay today. Ian has promised a photo of Big Brown's new quarter crack on Wednesday of this week.

Ian was called to Belmont Park the other day when trainer Rick Dutrow noticed something wrong with the medial (inside) hoof wall on Big Brown's left front foot.

As avid Big Browners will recall, the left front foot is the site of the original wall separation that started the chain of hoof repair and layups for the champion colt over the winter months. Ian had removed the heel tissue on the inside heel of the left front, as detailed in previous posts and videos on this blog. The horse then shipped to Florida, where his right front inside heel was removed and repaired by Tom Curl.

Since then, Big Brown has been training and racing on a designer adaptation of a Thoro'Bred racaing plate that is glued on his foot without nails. The Yasha shoe system is like an orthotic insert between the shoe and the foot. One density of plastic, similar to the gasket that holds your truck's windshield in place, circuits the shoe and holds adhesive in place. Another density is a thick block pillow on which the remains of the heel sits as it grows out. Big Brown raced successfully in these shoes, winning the Florida Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.


Note: in the "combi" Yasha paradigm, the plastic coats the foot surface of the shoe and acts like a dual-density rim pad. Some Yasha shoes have dual densities for different parts of the foot. Big Brown's shoes do not look like this.

"He doesn't even need the shoes anymore," McKinlay said today. "He could be in a regular shoe now."

My first thought was that a crack had developed at the hair line above the patch because of the stress from the material as the colt pounded down on the heel but Ian assured me that was not the case. "It's back around a little ways toward the heel," he said, "but not near that area. Besides that heel is all grown down now."

Many reports state that the crack has been "patched" but that is not the case. The crack has been cleaned up and treated with drying agents to dry it out and allow drainage of any infected area inside the crack. Then it was laced with the sutures as illustrated in the video posted on this blog last night (scroll down to May 25 video post to see that technique illustrated).

"As soon as I tightened it down, the foot started to cool out," Ian said. "Call me Wednesday to find out how it went."

Ian will check Big Brown again on Wednesday and decide what the next step will be in, in terms of replacing or relocating sutures, covering the crack with hoof wall adhesive, etc. The horse would then have nine days to train up to the mile-and-a-half Belmont.

In an email just received this evening, Ian gave an update: "By the way, his foot went cold within five hours of lacing him up, couldn't ask for more than that."


Sunday, May 25, 2008

Big Brown Really Does Have a Quarter Crack This Time

According to Ian McKinlay on Sunday night, this horse's crack would be similar to the one that Big Brown has.

It's 12 days to the deciding race of the Triple Crown. We are on the verge of possibly the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. How wonderful it would be to have a new racehorse hero.

But...reports coming out of Belmont Park tell us that Big Brown has developed a quarter crack that is being disinfected and will be patched by specialist Ian McKinlay later this week when it is dry.

Hoofcare and Lameness received verification this evening from Ian McKinlay that the news is correct. Ian has posted some photos of the type of minor crack that Big Brown has on his web site for his Yasha shoes.

The irony here is that it was reported back in the winter months that Big Brown was suffering from quarter cracks on both front feet, when he actually had wall separations. This time, he really does have a quarter crack, apparently.

There are all sorts of hoof cracks and some quarter cracks are much worse than others. Some are painful for the horse while others are not.

A true quarter crack is a fracture in the hoof wall, much life a painful vertical split in your fingernail. Imagine how painful that split would be if you had to bear your weight on it!

The word "patch" or "repair" in conjunction with a quarter crack is a bit of a misnomer. The word "stabilize" would be more apt. The goal is to prevent shearing movement between the two parts of the hoof separated by the crack. Some people lace the crack to stay open a small bit so the coronet (hair line) stays at its normal angle while others lace it up very tightly to prevent any movement at all. Most decisions are based on two factors: the severity of the crack and the risk of infection.

In all cases, the horse is evaluated for its individual suitability to treatment. Some horses are very sensitive to hoof pain. Some have damage to the coronary band. Some have old chronic cracks that reappear. And some have infected quarter cracks, which cannot be patched until the infection is gone and the fissure is "dry". The age of the horse also affects the treatment plan.

Big Brown is in good hands and we all know that some horses have run--and won--with quarter cracks patched as little as a week before a big race.

Remember: Ferdinand won the 1987 Breeders Cup Classic with his foot patched for a quarter crack. He slipped by Alysheba to win.

Scroll down the blog to read some past stories about Big Brown and his special shoes and his famous wall separation problems.

And stand by for more news.

Quarter Crack Repair: What Lies Ahead for Big Brown?



This video by Ian McKinlay explain the steps he goes through to "patch" a quarter crack so a horse can continue to train and race. Hit the "play" icon to watch the video; it is almost ten minutes long.

This video is part 2 of the first video we posted about quarter cracks back before the Derby, when there was confusion between wall separations and quarter cracks. We all thought Big Brown had quarter cracks until Ian clarified the situation. The first part of the video can be viewed here but it does not much, if any, narration.

The steps you see here are the final ones in the process. First the horse needs to be wrapped for a few days to draw out any infection and let the crack drain. Once the crack is clean, the repair process begins.

THE HORSE IN THIS VIDEO IS NOT BIG BROWN. This horse is being repaired for a chronic, pre-existing quarter crack that had become infected, not a fresh one like Big Brown's, but this will give you an idea of what process Ian McKinlay normally uses.

You will hear Ian comment on the prevalence of hoof injuries at Belmont this year.

By the way, Ian McKinlay is scheduled to be demonstrating his Yasha shoes at the University of Pennsylvania's Technical Horseshoeing Conference next weekend. Click here to go to yesterday's post about the conference.

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.)

Friday, May 16, 2008

Big Brown's Big Switch: New Shoes, New Heels for Tomorrow's Preakness

This morning, I stumbled out onto the lawn and grabbed the paper before the sea gulls could target it (or me). Once inside, I propped the paper up, set to peruse it with coffee in hand, when I sputtered in amazement: Hey! Hey! Hey!

There on the front page of the Boston Globe was not a photo of the Boston Celtics in their playoff bid for the NBA championship, nor a photo of the Red Sox, but rather a huge photo of Big Brown getting new shoes (and heels) yesterday at Pimlico in Baltimore, in preparation for tomorrow's Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown for three-year old Thoroughbreds.

(Sports, by the way, are front-page news here in Boston.)

I was surprised. Trainer Richard Dutrow obviously made a big change in plans here. Earlier this week, he said that Big Brown would not be re-shod for the Preakness, but that he would have Ian McKinlay work on the horse when he arrived in New York for the Belmont Stakes, the third race in the series.

Following the Kentucky Derby, farrier Tom Curl, who had worked on the horse through the winter in Florida, said that the feet came through the Derby very well and the adhesive wasn't cracked and the Yasha shoes were stable.

Obviously, they decided to give his feet a tuneup. The horse also went out for a light work over the Pimlico surface wearing bell boots to protect his new glue and a mud knot in his tail.

Other news this week was that Big Brown will not race as a four-year-old. He will go to stud sometime later this year. Also, if he does not win the Preakness tomorrow, he will not go on to the Belmont. But will he go on to Saratoga for the Travers and on to Santa Anita in the fall for the 2008 Breeders Cup?

Thanks to Yahoo.com sports desk for the following shots from a slide show of hoof repair specialist Ian McKinlay of New Jersey working on the Kentucky Derby winner.

Apparently, Ian drew quite a crowd yesterday, including Tom Hammond and Donna Brothers of NBC, so you may see Ian (or, more likely, the top of his head while he's working) on tomorrow's telecast of the race. Let's hope you see him in the winner's circle!

PS Friday Afternoon Update: Ian checked in and said that Big Brown's feet are "just fantastic", but that they had gotten a bit long. He just trimmed up the feet and reset the Yasha shoes and pads. He said that when he started, there was one guy standing around to watch and by the time he was into the job, the word was out and it "turned into a free-for-all".




Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Big Brown: The Most Famous Feet in Derby History!

Big Brown's left front foot has a raceplate glued on with a PMMA epoxy type adhesive that is custom selected. The specs used are Lord 403 with a #19 accelerator. You can see a copper "clip" embedded in the glue; it is riveted to the shoe and is used only as a receptor for additional glue. The horse had wall separations on both front feet that required repair.

Racing fans, rejoice! I have finally obtained actual close-up photos of the feet of Kentucky Derby favorite Big Brown. The following photos were taken on or about April 11, 2008, when the horse's feet were re-glued and re-shod by farrier Tom Curl of Florida, who has been working on the colt since he shipped south for the winter. 

There has been some confusion and misinformation in the press so to clarify: the colt was originally worked on by Ian McKinlay in New York, and the horse benefited from his new Yasha shoe technology and heel resection technique. Ian has been supplying photos and videos of the technique and system. 

But the horse subsequently was worked on by Tom Curl, an associate of Ian's. Tom did the work on the second foot. What you see is a collaborative effort of two experts using a new technology that has been helping a lot of horses over the past few months.

 
This is the bottom of the foot, showing the placement of the clips. The shoe has a rubber-like gasket rim pad on the inside that is half the web of the shoe. Adhesive is under the other half of the web. This is a unique modification of the "direct glue" technique used by farriers.

This foot shows the repair situation on the inside heel of the first foot, which was done by McKinlay in New York. You can see that the new heel wall is growing down.

Here's the foot worked on in Florida by Curl, showing the heel repair on the right side of the photo. The glue on the left side is just for reinforcing the shoe.

Here are both of Big Brown's feet as he looked on April 11.

Now for an update: Tom Curl told me today that he checked Big Brown's feet the day he left Florida and headed to Churchill Downs. He watched the horse gallop with trainer Rick Dutrow. 

Tom said that he used more glue than McKinlay because he knows the Derby will fall three weeks after the horse was done, and the glue can be stressed over time, so he was pro-active.


Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Derby Update: Video of Thoroughbred Wall Separation, Shoe Procedure



Ok, racing fans! Things are coming together now! Unless this video crashes the blog once and for all, here is a complete video showing Ian McKinlay's procedure for reconstructing a blown heel quarter / subsolar abscess in a Thoroughbred racehorse. This is very similar to the procedure he used on Big Brown, Richard Dutrow's colt favored in next week's Kentucky Derby.

The second part of this video shows a top Standarbred with a similar problem.

You will also see a lot of detail on the shoe and Ian has provided a voiceover to explain what he's trying to do.

Assembling this information has been a work in progress, but this video puts it all together. Previous posts from this week and last week (scroll down the blog to read more) included a video of quarter cracks, the difference between quarter cracks and wall separations, glue-on shoes worn by Kentucky Derby contenders, and the direct rim glue application technique with copper clips and heel cushions.

Thanks again to Ian McKinlay, along with Conny Svensson, Jimmy Takter, and Richard Dutrow, and to Big Brown's owners, IEAH, for working with us to provide this information that may be helpful to other horses.

The end of the video has a link to the Tenderhoof web site, which has not gone live yet, so save that URL for future reference. This video is not an advertisement for any commercial product; Hoofcare and Lameness has no business arrangement with the shoe or the new company.

This is provided for educational purposes and to hear feedback from other professionals.

Disclaimer: Obviously, Ian McKinlay is a highly skilled hoof repair and quarter crack specialist. That is all he does and he works as a consultant to the trainer, supplementing the work of the regular horseshoer and veterinarian.

This is NOT a how-to video. Also, the problems of these racehorses are well documented, as Ian mentions, and very common. You would probably not see these problems in horses competing at other sports, and if you did, the recommended solution might be very different. Those horses might enjoy the luxury of a layup. Racehorses have work to do.

Thanks to all!


All HoofBlog text and images © Hoofcare Publishing 2008 unless otherwise noted. Video courtesy of Ian McKinlay.

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