Diamond's Back! Questions and Answers About the "New" Diamond Horseshoes and Tools

In 2015 the Royal Kerckhaert Horseshoe Company purchased Diamond Horseshoes and Tools.  What had once been the widest-selling shoe and tool line in America (and far beyond) has been getting a new look and, for many products, a new feel and new features. How are things going for the brand, now that the transition to the new owner is complete? Hoofcare and Lameness posed some questions to Farrier Product Distribution (FPD), which we hope will be helpful to everyone who uses--or whose horses wear--the Diamond brand of shoes and tools.

In wake of breakdowns, Keeneland issues results of track surface review

Keeneland has the unique perspective of being able to compare racing statistics over two different surfaces in recent years. Here, a horse trains on the Polytrack surface, which was removed in the summer of 2014 in favor of a new dirt main track. (David Paul Ohmer photo)

There's nothing like a beautiful day of fall horseracing at Keeneland outside Lexington, Kentucky. Unless it's the dark flip side of that coin: the sickening news that another racehorse has broken down. In the first week of the Keeneland fall meet this year, three horses suffered varying injuries classified as catastrophic breakdowns– one during racing and two during training, ending their lives.

The recent tragedies at Keeneland are magnified by attention on the track as the host of the Breeders Cup at the end of the this month, which will be held at Keeneland for the first time. To accommodate the championship, Keeneland ripped up its all-weather Polytrack surface on the main track and replaced it with a dirt surface, which was used for the fall 2014 and spring 2015 meets.

One of the horses lost was Stonestreet's Rock Fall, a highly-regarded contender for the upcoming Breeders Cup trained by Todd Pletcher. 

Special testing of the racetrack surface has revealed no irregularity, according to a press release issued today by the racetrack. 

Keeneland shared news that Dr. Mick Peterson, University of Maine Professor and executive director of the school's Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, was on site this weekend, working with track officials to review testing and daily measuring procedures to ensure the safety of the dirt track. The review found that Keeneland’s dirt surface met all of the pre-meet test criteria and all maintenance had been performed in accordance with protocols developed for the track. 

The findings were similar to those reported in Dr. Peterson’s Composition and Performance Testing review, conducted just before the start of Keeneland’s 2015 Fall Meet. 

Dr. Peterson performs a review of Keeneland’s dirt and turf surfaces prior to the start of every race meet. In addition to the pre-meet testing, daily measurements are taken on both racing surfaces every race day by Keeneland officials and complete electronic records are maintained and reviewed by Dr. Peterson. 

“Keeneland, along with a small group of industry leaders, has made a commitment to advancing knowledge and providing the most consistent surfaces in the industry,” Peterson 

said. “By participating in the maintenance tracking system to measure and monitor the surface performance, Keeneland both defines the state of the art and is helping to advance our understanding of racing surfaces. When questions arise these records allow us to review all of the maintenance and operating conditions as well as the daily surface inspections, that help to ensure that the most consistent possible surface is provided. Because the racing surface is a critical safety system, all of the maintenance must be performed in accordance with best practices in the industry.” 

Keeneland’s 1 1/16-mile main track was converted from an all-weather Polytrack surface to a dirt surface during the summer of 2014, and racing first was held over the new track during the 2014 Fall Meet. Today, the dirt surface is among the most extensively researched and most sophisticated in North America, with data collected and monitored by state-of-the-art technology and equipment. 

“The safety of our horses and riders is priority No. 1, and we remain confident in the performance of our race track,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing W.B. Rogers Beasley said. 

“Our team works very hard every day to carefully maintain and monitor the race track.”

“The status quo is unacceptable to Keeneland when it comes to safety and other issues critically important to the future of our industry,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “We want everything we do here to be shared with the industry in an effort to benefit racing as a whole.”

“These equine injuries are complicated, multi-factorial events,” Dr. Mary Scollay, equine medical director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, said. “The Commission conducts a mortality review for every exercise-related fatality. Information is currently being acquired and compiled for these case reviews.”

Portions of this article were extracted from a news release provided by Keeneland.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is the news service for Hoofcare and Lameness Publishing. 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 headlines-link email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

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Disclosure of Material Connection: The Hoof Blog (Hoofcare Publishing) has not received any direct compensation for writing this post. Hoofcare Publishing has no material connection to the brands, products, or services mentioned, other than products and services of 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.

The Last Set: Bob Agne, DVM, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital Podiatry Veterinarian, Killed

If you live in New England and turned on the news today, you heard about a cyclist killed by a car on a Vermont road yesterday. You might not pay much attention, it's one of so many accidents that happened over Labor Day weekend.

But that one news story was different. The victim was Bob Agne, DVM, an equine podiatry veterinarian at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital's new satellite hospital in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Rood and Riddle equine podiatry veterinarian Bob Agne, DVM was killed on Monday, September 7 in Vermont

Bob was cycling on a Vermont highway on Labor Day afternoon when a motorist driving in the opposite direction fell asleep and lost control at the wheel, according to news reports, which added that Bob was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Bob loved his work with horses and was dedicated to improving care for horses with hoof problems, especially with respect to laminitis prevention and treatment.

Rood and Riddle's Scott Morrison, DVM, shared his thoughts on the loss of his colleague and friend on Tuesday:

"On September 7, 2015, the equine community lost a most valuable, skilled and compassionate equine podiatry veterinarian. Dr Robert Agne was the first podiatry intern at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital's podiatry center in 2003 and was then hired on afterwards as a podiatry clinician.

"He was a valued and much-appreciated colleague, who was adored and respected by his clients, colleagues and the Rood and Riddle staff. He cared for many cases with unyielding commitment, patience and integrity. 

"Dr Agne was a dear and true friend to all those who had the privilege to know him."

Dr. Bob Agne graduated from both the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine's Farrier Program, where he studied under Michael Wildenstein, FWCF (Hons), and the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, where he received his DVM degree. In 2003, he moved to Lexington, Kentucky and became the first staff member to augment Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital's fledgling but growing podiatry clinic's original staff of farrier Manfred Ecker, now retired, and veterinarian Scott Morrison.

Twelve years later, Dr. Agne and his wife, Carrie Crowley Agne, moved to the Saratoga, New York area, where he headed the satellite Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital's equine podiatry services. Included in his recent clients was the undefeated three-year-old Thoroughbred filly Lady Eli, who suffered from laminitis following a foot puncture wound this spring at New York's Belmont Park. 


On Thursday, the Daily Racing Form published an unusual article (for that publication). It reported Bob's death from the point of view of his work helping Lady Eli with her laminitis, and included an update on her condition.

The Form interviewed Lady Eli's trainer, Chad Brown, about his relationship with Bob, who would drive all the way from Saratoga down to Long Island's Belmont Park for the filly. This is what Brown said:

“For him to drop what he’s doing and come down and try to first save this filly and then continue to check on her and be available whenever you needed him to come down, I can just tell for a guy like him it was never about the accolades or the money, it was about trying to help this horse,” Brown said. “For the short time I knew him, it seemed like that’s what he was all about, the horse.”

Dr. Agne spoke at many conferences and his writing on laminitis and foot infections was published in journals and books in the United States and Japan. He was especially devoted to following laminitis innovations and research and in 2014 was a founder of the Veterinary Equine Podiatry Group.

The wonderful poem, "The Hoofs of the Horses", is posted here in Bob's memory.

I often share the poem "The Hoofs of the Horses" at times like this. I think horseman/poet Will Ogilvie wrote these words long ago because he knew we'd need something like it for a new generation of people who are stirred by hoofs. Bob Agne is quietly, and with his characteristically understated dignity, at the head of that line. If you can ever get your hands on a book of Will Ogilvie's poems, do it. And don't ever let it go. The same goes for knowing people like Bob Agne.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing 2015.  

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Disclosure of Material Connection: The Hoof Blog (Hoofcare Publishing) has not received any direct compensation for writing this post. Hoofcare Publishing has no material connection to the brands, products, or services mentioned, other than products and services of 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.

New Zealand Farrier Stuart Muir Joins Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital Podiatry Center in Kentucky

New Zealand farrier Stuart Muir is now in the USA working at the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital Podiatry Center in Lexington, Kentucky (image by Fran Jurga © Hoofcare Publishing)

New Zealand farrier Stuart Muir has crossed the Pacific and joined the staff at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital's innovative Podiatry Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

Muir has been working at the clinic for about six months, but this weekend he took the stage at his first farrier-vet seminar with podiatry center director Scott Morrison DVM. The team traveled to New York to share their expertise at the Equine Clinic at Oakencroft near Albany. The clinic hosts a vet-farrier podiatry seminar each October and invited Morrison back for the second year in a row.

Muir is a native of Christchurch, on the south island of New Zealand, and a 14-year veteran of the farrier profession. In New Zealand, he shod sport and race horses; he is a rider and had taken up Western riding before he and his wife made the decision to move.

How do you prepare for a high-profile job like staff farrier at Rood and Riddle? Muir is a certified farrier through the New Zealand national system and said that, like so many others, he acquired the skills needed for his position at Rood and Riddle by independently pursuing ways to further his education. He traveled to Australia to attend farrier education events with icons like Chris Pollitt and Grant Moon, as well as events at home in New Zealand, but in 2010 won a grant from the Equine Research Fund of New Zealand that financed a trip to the United States.

At the Equine Clinic at Oakencroft, farrier Stuart Muir worked on a pair of front shoes that illustrated two different ways to achieve asymmetric collateral ligament support  for the front hooves of a barrel racing horse. And then he nailed them on. (image by Fran Jurga © Hoofcare Publishing)

As part of that trip, Stuart spent a week doing an externship at Rood and Riddle, which was followed by a second externship in 2011. When fellow New Zealand farrier Rodney King left Rood and Riddle to return home, Stuart was looking into what it would take to fill the vacancy.

Stuart and American Jeff Henderson are currently the two farriers who work fulltime for Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital. The Podiatry Center employs five veterinarians, including Dr. Morrison, and numerous technicians with equine podiatry support expertise.

--written by Fran Jurga

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To learn more:
Gateway page to the New Zealand government definition of a "farrier" and explanation of the national farriery training and certification program there.

New Zealand government horse careers interview on farriery as a career with Stuart Muir 

© 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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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.

Silent Anvil: John Collins Was Zenyatta's Hoof Man, Kentucky Horseman, Everyone's Friend

John Collins shod horses, played polo and enjoyed his friends. He died suddenly in Kentucky last week. (Scott Morrison photo)

I wrote about Kentucky horseshoer John Collins once. But I wasn't really writing about him. I was quoting what other people (and horses) had already written about him.

John Collins

Take, for instance, what Zenyatta wrote on her blog about her Bluegrass hoofsmith when she returned to Kentucky from her stellar racing career:

"My blacksmith here at Lane’s End is the same person who took care of my feet years ago when I lived in Kentucky! His name is Johnny Collins. He is the same man who put on my shoes when I went to the Keeneland Sale in September, 2005! He took care of my feet when I was a little girl!

"Now, here he is taking off my shoes at the farm several years later. This is absolutely adorable! Johnny told me he’d been keeping track of me and all of my progress since then! It was so great to touch base with him, my first blacksmith, after all of these years!"

I quoted what the New York Times had to say about John Collins, too, and shared their photo of him.

And after his sudden and premature death last week, I once again found myself reading what other people had to say about John Collins.

The wrong side of John Collins was featured in the New York Times the day John pulled off Zenyatta's race plates when she arrived back in Kentucky to become a broodmare. I guess the photographer didn't know that if he waited a few minutes, the horseshoer and horse would both face the same way. What I love about this photo: Zenyatta's near hind is off the ground. She's balancing on two legs. John's apprentice could have been pulling the hind shoe at the same time...(Credit: Luke Sharrett for The New York Times

I never met him. I always meant to. I figured I'd run into him in Kentucky some time and introduce myself, since I was sure he wouldn't have a clue that some writer in Boston had been writing about him all this time.

But I never got the chance. John Collins was only 50.

What I do know is that other people are still talking about John Collins, and I've pulled together a patchwork quote quilt to share with you:

John Collins learned horseshoeing as apprentice to the legendary Jackie Thompson who in turn learned the trade from George Tompkins. In my last conversations with Jackie before his death, he said he was worried about how to keep African Americans in the Bluegrass active in horseshoeing. (Hoofcare file photo)

Doug Watkins, Breeders Supply (horseshoe retailer in Lexington): "He loved horses, period. Loved working on 'em, bettin' on 'em and ridin' 'em."

Mike Cline, manager of Lane’s End Farm: “No one had more friends than Johnny Collins.”

Dr. Scott Morrison, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital: "I knew him well, from polo and horseshoeing, we took a few trips together."

Don Robinson of Winter Quarter Farm in Lexington, where Zenyatta was foaled: "We are crushed."

Doug Watkins: "He was an avid polo player which is a bit unusual for a person of color. Bobby Bryant, who worked for John a while, commented on Friday that he played polo at Bruce Hundley's on a regular basis which probably would have been frowned upon except that everybody loved to see the women who came to watch him play."

Mike Cline: “He’s just one of those people you wanted to be around. I feel really bad for his mother, his sisters and his family. We are all in shock out here. He was a really fit, healthy guy.”

Scott Morrison: "I think everyone he met quickly considered him a friend. He loved horses, going to the races, playing polo and shoeing them. He was an ex-boxer and basketball player."

Johnny Collins (far side) and Scott Morrison at polo. (Scott Morrison photo)

Don Robinson: "John was like your friend and family. And he had a way with horses--he was a natural. He’s one of the few people I’ve seen that was just a natural with horses. He was absolutely at ease with a horse, and they felt it.”

Doug Watkins: "Every time he walked in this door he had a smile on his face and we would laugh and cut up with his apprentices, Nate and his nephew, Carl (Scoobie)."

John Greathouse of Glencrest Farm in Midway, KY: I'd like to think that John was not only our friend but a go-to guy at the sales and the farm. Will he be missed? More than anyone can know..."

The Paulick Report noted that John Collins was a graduate of what Robinson called the “Jackie Thompson finishing school,” a reference to the highly respected Central Kentucky farrier who, in turn, learned from the legendary George Tompkins. Though the three men, all of them African-American, were unrelated, their craft was passed down from one generation to the next almost as if they were family. Collins referred to Thompson as “Uncle Jack.”

Doug Watkins: "There were also many discussions about how to fix problems on foals and yearlings and stories about 'Uncle Jack'. Every visit (to the shop) was an adventure."

Don Robinson: "He was a class guy. I’m lucky to have known him.”

Scott Morrison: "He took on, and trained, many young farriers. He was the kindest guy I knew. He had a smooth friendly way about him, with people and horses."

Doug Watkins: "One of the last times I saw him he had forgotten his receipt and his truck was still in the parking lot so I took his ticket to him and Scoobie rolled down the passenger window. There they were eating Lee's fried chicken with Nate in the back seat and I said 'I see how you guys are,  white folks sit in the back, huh?' and we laughed and laughed over that one."

Scott Morrison: "He shod at Lane's End, Winter Quarter (where Zenyatta was foaled), Winter Green, Mill Ridge, Miacomet, Glencrest . He handled the feet of many great horses. He learned from Jackie Thompson (and) started shoeing when he was 16. He was 50 years old when he died."

John Greathouse: “The world lost a great person...You were as good a guy as there was out there and a good friend. I will miss our time together. My condolences go out to Johnny's family. I was glad to have known him and will miss him dearly. RIP Mr. Collins.”

Doug Watkins: "Don't get me wrong, he was a VERY good horseshoer but that fact is not what made him. He was fortunate enough to work on some very nice horses with some great people in his career and horses like Zenyatta are hard to screw up. What made John was the fact that he was such a good person.  I hope the way I put this doesn't take away from his abilities because it wasn't meant to. He was just such a good person."

Rest in peace, Mr. Collins. And anyone reading this: please pass this man's spirit on.

To learn more:
Online funeral guest book for John Collins
The Paulick Report: RIP John Collins, Beloved Central Kentucky Farrier
Trim Toes for Zenyatta

Post script: John Collins was inducted into The Black Sports Hall of Fame at the 2012 Black Horsemen's Derby Eve Backside Party in Louisville, Kentucky.

Thanks to Doug Watkins, Scott Morrison, The Paulick Report  and everyone quoted for their help.

Read more here: http://www.legacy.com/guestbooks/kentucky/guestbook.aspx?n=john-collins&pid=160307746&page=4#storylink=cpy

© 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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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.

Kentucky Derby 2012: Famous (and Fast) Thoroughbred Feet from Churchill Downs

 

That's a long apron! I think horseshoer Steve Norman, who is quite tall, wears such a long one because he often has shorts on underneath! This could be an historic photo; Steve is shoeing Winstar Farms' undefeated Gemologist for trainer Todd Pletcher.

 

The biggest day of the year is here. What's going on behind the scenes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky? The Hoof Blog has assembled a gallery of images for you that you probably won't see anywhere else. Thanks to Dan Burke of Farrier Product Distribution for his shots of horses being shod this morning. Place your bets, sip your julip and take an intimate look at a few hooves!

Dan stopped by the track kitchen and pointed out to me that the kitchen has been insured good luck always: a lone horseshoe hangs over the counter. Yes, the heels point upward because whoever nailed it there believes that they are holding the luck in that way.

Back in the shedrow, Churchill Downs horseshoer Todd Boston lays a new Kerckhaert raceplate on a hoof of Prospective, trained by Mark Casse.

Details, details: Churchill Downs knows the power of details.

Where are you celebrating the Derby today?

A vet's station wagon left open while he or she was working on the backside at Churchill. Tabitha Kaylee Hawk photo.

Stormy skies interrupted yesterday's races. The horses were cleared from the track when lightning threatened.

Steve Norman and his assistant work their way around El Padrino for Todd Pletcher. This horse has been below the radar the past few weeks.

Which horse's name will go up on the paddock sign next?

© 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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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.

Kentucky Oaks: Famous Fillies' Foot Fashions at Louisville's Churchill Downs

 For old times' sake: The Louisville Courier-Journal asked horseshoer Steve Norman 

what he thought about toe grabs a few years ago. This is what they heard.

It's Derby Week!  But before Churchill Downs rolls out the red-rose carpet for the Kentucky Derby, the track hosts the very special Oaks Day, an impressive card of stakes races topped by the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks.

The country's top three-year-old fillies lined up for yesterday's race but first they had to be shod. Luckily, Dan Burke of Farrier Product Distribution (FPD) in nearby Shelbyville, Kentucky took some photos of some of the filles having their hooves done.

Horseshoer Todd Boston is right at home at Churchill Downs. Here he is shoeing Believe You Can, the winner of the Grade One Kentucky Oaks. Small world: The filly was ridden by Rosie Napravnik, daughter of the New Jersey horseshoer. It was Rosie's first Grade One victory. She finished a fast-closing second in the race last year.

Todd Boston worked on a hind foot of Summer Applause, who finished fourth in the Kentucky Oaks. Todd is nailing on Kerckhaert raceplates, which are distributed to US sales outlets by FPD.

Say hello to Sacristy, trained by Wayne Catalano;  she was a late entry and finished seventh in the Oaks. This is what her feet looked like before she was re-shod for the race on Thursday by Pat Broadus.

The Hoof Blog sends a big thank you to Dan Burke, who just might have some more photos of the colts later today. In the meantime, visit Dan's blog on the FPD web site to see a video of Todd Boston shoeing a hind foot on Summer Applause.

Visit Dan Burke's blog for Farrier Product Distribution

© 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

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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.

Derby Day: Thoroughbreds Start Running Toward the Roses From the Day They Are Born--If They Can, That Is

The foals in this video from Juan Carlos Blazquez, farrier at the University of Madrid 

in Spain, may not be American Thoroughbreds but that hardly matters. "JC" is
someone who obviously enjoys the challenge of helping foals in need--and the reward 

they give him when they respond to treatment.

It happens every year: thousands of Thoroughbred colts and fillies hit the straw bedding of foaling stalls in breeding farm barns across the United States. An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 future racehorse foals are bred each year, according to Jockey Club statistics.

This year, 21 of them made it to the Kentucky Derby.

Today, when the Kentucky Derby comes on tv, think about the foals eligible to race in 2015. They're on the ground now, although some just barely are.

And some are on the ground, literally, because they can't get up. Maybe they can barely stand to nurse. Their spindly little legs give way beneath them like rubber stilts. They walk on the fronts of their fetlocks, or the backs of their pasterns are on the ground. Their hind legs might cross when they try to walk forward. They stand bow-legged. Or even cross-legged.

At most farms, foals go through periodic evaluations by the farrier. Their legs change as their bodies develop and change--for better or worse--can be rapid. (Richard Clay photo)

Phones ring in equine clinics and farrier shops around the country. "Can you come out and take a look?" There will be x-rays, there will be examinations. Decisions will be made based on dollar signs and question marks that will hang in the air.

Some will be sentenced to an early and perhaps merciful death, in spite of their expensive breeding.

The fate of others will be left to the "wait and see" approach.

Some will respond naturally--and positively--to the forces of weightbearing and increasing maturity. A tendon will almost overnight go from lax to taut, while its opposing tendon will go from taut to lax. The foal is soon not only standing, he's walking and jumping around just like the rest of them.

For others, especially those whose problems are in the bony column and joints rather than in the tendons, there will be weeks of splints on, splints off, braces on, braces off. For some, surgical intervention will be needed; for others, the prescription is for special shoes, glue-on levers, massages.

Some foals respond naturally, by themselves to the forces of weightbearing and simultaneous growth. (Richard Clay photo)

More x-rays. More evaluations. As with the tendons, sometimes the legs will start to straighten as the chest develops and the weight changes the pressure of gravity on the tiny hoof at the bottom of the column. Maybe he doesn't toe in so badly after all.

For others, the newborn foal looks fine and a problem in the limb will only become obvious after a week or two. Or a kick in the pasture creates a pain reaction that in turn leads to a club foot.

Heads will be scratched. Tears might be shed.

Foals may only need to wear splints or bandages briefly. (Richard Clay photo)

Maybe while we're all watching the Derby, the potential winner of the 2015 Derby will be trying out a new set of glue-on baby shoes that re-direct its weight down the leg where the foot should have been. An extension will stabilize the tiny hoof and it won't buckle anymore. Maybe it will never buckle again.

It is possible: each year we hear about colts running in the Derby against the odds. Colts so crooked they never made it to the sales. Colts who grew up in a vet clinic. Colts who defied the odds. And each year that goes by, the body of knowledge of foal deformities expands. New products come on the market. This might work...

People try new things. People try old things. They look in the historical books by breeders and vets and farriers and re-try methods that have been forgotten or ruled out of date. Everyone knows Assault had a club foot. And Big Brown won the Derby with a wall separation. Mine That Bird toed out as a yearling. Swaps had a chronic hoof infection. Sir Barton, the first winner of the Triple Crown, was as famous for sore feet and lost shoes as his racing ability.

Removing the bandages is a suspenseful moment. Did the plan succeed? (Richard Clay photo)

The horses running in the 2012 Derby weren't all born with perfect legs and feet. They don't all land flat, some of them wear bandages because they need to protect their front legs from hooves that don't land exactly where they should. The old timers used colorful terms like cross-fire, scalp, paddle, dish, forge, interfere, over-reach, brush, wing, rope walk,  step on themselves--all descriptive terms to put a word on a horse's not-quite-straight path through life.

Splints and bandages and shoes are worthless without people who know how to use them--people who also know and care about a foal. (Richard Clay photo)

Against all the odds, some of those foals grow up to be racehorses. Some grow up to be extremely fast racehorses. Sure, they're always pulling shoes and whacking themselves. And there's a good chance their careers won't be as long as the straight, strong and truly conformed Thoroughbreds they race against.

Two years from now, their first foals may be on the ground.

Foals soon catch up when the bandages come off. (Richard Clay photo)

Sometimes it gets really crowded in the winner's circle after the Kentucky Derby but there are always a few people in a horse's past who deserve to be there, but never are.

You know who you are. Your work and care put these colts on the road to the Derby, whether they were--or are--crooked or straight. They're running for the roses today because they can, thanks to you.

If the crowd only knew, 100,000 or so Derby hats would be rightfully tipped to you.

Note: Richard Clay's beautiful photos were taken in Virginia on May 5, 2009. That's right: three years ago today. Is that little black colt running in the Derby? He could be. If so, it's because the people you see in these photos gave him extra attention and care and concern. Thank you, Richard, for documenting that foal and his people.

About Juan Carlos Blazquez: In his notes to this video, he remarked that he had donated his services to one of the foals. He said that he hoped that someone somewhere might see this video, realize how many lives of horses have been wasted, and be moved to work for the betterment of future horses; if knowledge can be shared, he will be satisfied. I think he speaks for all of us.

© 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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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.

Rood + Riddle Official Vets (and Farriers) for Alltech National Horse Show

The Alltech National Horse Show’s press release was just full of news.

First of all, the parapetetic National Horse Show has moved again. After 100 or so years in the middle of Manhattan and the most glamorous setting imaginable, the show picked up stakes from Madison Square Garden and moved first across the Hudson River to the Meadowlands in New Jersey and then to Florida for a run, then back to New York, but to Syracuse this time, the show’s most recent venue.

Now it’s on to Kentucky, where the great show has found a home at the Kentucky Horse Park's indoor arena and a star-billing date on the fall hunter/jumper competition calendar.

And the show not only found a home in Kentucky--it found a title sponsor. It is one whose name we already know well: Alltech.

When the 128th Alltech National Horse Show opens at the Horse Park on November 2, it will have a new group of farriers backstage. The show has formed an official alliance with the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, just down the road from the Horse Park. The alliance extends to Rood and Riddle providing the show farriers, the show veterinarians, and even the show equine pharmacy.

"We're planning to make a big effort," said Rood + Riddle's Scott Morrison DVM, head of the hospital's unique podiatry center. "We want to make certain that the competitors at the show are satisfied with their foot care."

A sport horse that regularly comes to Rood + Riddle for shoeing showed off a front foot one day. Striped hoof horn is a challenge for farriers since distortion in the tubules is very obvious. Rodney King didn't object to having photos taken of this horse. (© Hoofcare + Lameness photo, Fran Jurga)

Morrison said that the show is "only" expecting to attract about 360 horses, which he thought his team could easily handle. He said he expects two of the clinic's farriers, Rodney King and Jeff Henderson, will provide the bulk of the show service, and that he would be on call as well.

"We're looking forward to it," Morrison continued. "We'll get it done!"

Hind foot of a dressage horse that was being shod last May at Rood + Riddle's podiatry center. (© Hoofcare + Lameness photo, Fran Jurga)

The first week in November will be a busy time in the state of Kentucky. The fledgling horse show will have to compete this year (and only this year) for the attention of people in the Bluegrass because the Breeders Cup will run on Friday and Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Morrison remarked that one of the podiatry center's biggest consulting clients, Irish horse trainer Aiden O'Brien, will be bringing several horses to Kentucky for the Breeders Cup, and Morrison expects to be on call for any horses that need his help at both the National Horse Show and the Churchill Downs events that weekend.

Another view of the dressage horse. The stalls in the background are holding stalls. Many trainers and owners bring multiple horses and, after hauling long distances, can offload the horses to the holding stalls until all the horses' feet are done and it's time to leave.   (© Hoofcare + Lameness photo, Fran Jurga)

Is this the first time that the official farrier service at a horse show is to be provided by a veterinary hospital? Most likely, it is. But like the location of the horse show, the role of the show professionals is obviously changing as well. It may also be the first time that a group practice has provided all the veterinary services for an event of this magnitude.

The original National Horse Show was first held in 1853 in Springfield, Massachusetts and attracted 500 horses.  (Engraving published in Gleason's Pictorial, 1853). After the current version of "The" National Horse Show began in New York in 1883, the show featured a 14-mile endurance race through Manhattan for military horses; it finished in the show arena.

At Rood + Riddle, both veterinarians and farriers are employed under the same roof in the pursuit of making lame horses sound and keeping sound horses that way, thanks to the podiatry center building. The unassuming building tucked behind the main hospital sometimes resembles a swarming ant hill of humans, trucks, trailers, vans and horses: each professional may have clients booked into the podiatry center for out-patient procedures or trimming and shoeing, and the staff come and go from the center throughout the day. Horse owners haul their horses from any number of states for consultation or for regular periodic treatments and shoeing.

A normal staff of four veterinarians and at least three farriers, plus interns, apprentices, technicians, administrators and helpers make up the staff on a typical day. The vets and farriers may work all or part of the day on the road in service to clients in the Lexington area, or be busy with cases at the podiatry center or with hoof-related concerns of patients in the hospital.

Rood + Riddle's podiatry center offers off-site referral services so several staff members acrue some of the highest numbers of frequent flyer points in the entire horse industry. Other cases are handled by reviewing radiographs, photos and videos via the Internet or Federal Express.

Rood + Riddle operates a satellite podiatry center at The Sanctuary, an equine rehabilitation facility in Ocala, Florida, and the staff regularly attends to clients' horses in the Wellington, Florida area during the winter months. In addition, the vets and farriers all seem to evolve into educators after they join the staff, and are involved as clinicians and lecturers at educational events all over the world.

At the World Equestrian Games, Rood + Riddle created and hosted a mini-museum of farriery tools and shoes.  Visitors could pull out the glass drawers to see shoes on display. (© Hoofcare + Lameness photo, Fran Jurga)

Most people connect Rood + Riddle with the Thoroughbred racing and breeding world of Lexington, but the clinic obviously has a burgeoning sport horse practice embedded behind its racehorse reputation and address.

"Rood + Riddle is extremely pleased to serve as the Official Veterinarians and Farriers for the upcoming Alltech National Horse Show,” Dr. Tom Riddle, co-founder of the hospital, said in the press release. “Rood & Riddle’s participation in both the World Equestrian Games and the National Horse Show underscores our practice's commitment to the sport horse."

Rood + Riddle was a sponsor of last year's Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, held at the Kentucky Horse Park, and the clinic served as the official veterinary hospital for that event, with staff vets serving at the Horse Park. At WEG, farrier services were provided by the American Farrier's Association.

At the World Equestrian Games last year, large monitors suspended on two walls showed video footage of podiatry work at Rood + Riddle. This monitor was displaying quarter crack repair. (© Hoofcare + Lameness photo, Fran Jurga)

About the show: While historically the National Horse Show included Nations Cup international show jumping, gaited horses, fine driving and even classes for fire and police horses, the Kentucky version of the show will be an indoor AA-rated hunter, jumper and equitation over fences extravaganza. The show, as always, will host the finals of the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals in equitation.

NOTE: Hoofcare + Lameness would like to compile a list of farriers who have served in the capacity of official farrier to The National Horse Show. If you can help with this list or have old programs with information, please email Fran Jurga. As it turns out, farriers have played a big role, historically, in the show, and this seems like a good time to research more history.

© 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

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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.