Best Shod Horse Award Debuts at Grand National Steeplechase

For the first time in the history of both the Worshipful Company of Farriers and racing in the United Kingdom, one of The Company's prestigious Best Shod Horse awards will be judged and presented at a race meeting. The hooves of the starters in England's world famous Crabbie's Grand National will be evaluated by a farrier judge, who will decide which horse's hooves are best prepared to tackle Aintree Racecourse's legendary obstacles like Becher's Brook and The Chair.

Which horse will gallop into history on the best-formed hooves and wearing the most appropriate shoes?

Sire De Grugy's Sporty White Horseshoes Go Beyond Fashion for Cheltenham Festival Jump Race

Sire De Grugy, 2014 British Jumps Horse of the Year, won his last race wearing Ezy-Fit white polyurethane shoes with steel cores and is expected to continue to wear them when he defends his Cheltenham Festival title in the Queen Mother Champion Chase this week. (Shane Francis photo)

White shoes. The first thing you wonder is if he has a girth to match, right? But Sire De Grugy is going after more than gentlemanly fashion this week when he puts his best feet forward to uphold his reputation earned last year, and his 2014 title as British Jumps Horse of the Year.

He'll just do it with a little flash, and a lot less pain.

British Racehorse's Story Touches a Nerve: Illicit Neurectomy Revealed After Breakdown and Euthanasia

Nerves in the distal limb of the horse, shown in yellow in this image, are very specialized. It is possible to selectively de-sensitize only the heel area of the foot, a common location of foot pain, with a neurectomy, a relatively simple surgical procedure that is commonly used for many racehorses in the United States but banned in Great Britain on welfare grounds. Image from The Glass Horse: Elements of the Distal Limb.

Political scandals often draw a line in the sand for the accused. It comes down to: “What did they know and when did they know it?”

Sometimes, lame racehorses can make the same question a valid one. And the wrong answer can cost a trainer his career.

That’s what happened in England this week, when a trainer received a four-year ban, ostensibly for the off-season use of steroids. But what really earned him the ire of the public and the racing world was the post-mortem discovery that a horse in his stable had run eight races after having a chronic foot lameness caused by an ulcerated corn resolved by surgically severing the nerves to the back part of his foot.

The British racehorse suffered from a lameness problem stemming from an infected corn, which is a form of heel bruise in an area of the horse's foot known as the "seat of corn". Corns are common in so-called "thin-soled" horses. (Photo © 2011 Hoofcare Publishing, from the Wildenstein Photo Library.)

How did anyone come to know the horse had been secretly nerved? During the horse's eighth race since surgery, the horse ruptured the superficial flexor tendon in the same leg as the injured foot. The trainer ordered the horse to be euthanized on the track. A subsequent necropsy looked closely at the injured limb; the pathologists reported their finding, that the horse had been nerved in that foot, in violation of British racing rules.

The very same surgical procedure would have been legal in many racing jurisdictions in the United States.

It's not all bad news for lame horses in jump racing. Here's a horse who's been on the Hoof Blog before. This is Knowhere, one of the original poster colts for stem cell implantation in tendons. He suffered a serious tendon bow in 2005 but has managed to stay in training and racing since his return. He lost his rider somewhere at Cheltenham this year.

The procedure is known as a “low” palmar digital neurectomy (PDN). This minor surgery has traditionally been performed on many horses that have so-called incurable navicular disease. It is sometimes performed repeatedly in the same horse, since the nerves regenerate. And it is sometimes even performed on multiple limbs of the same horse.

The problem in America? Buyer beware: it is difficult to ascertain if a horse has been “nerved” or not. Nerved horses (sometimes called de-nerved horses) are suspected by some of being unsafe mounts.

The problem in Britain? No one knew the horse had been nerved until it broke down on the track and necropsy examination revealed the surgery.

Debates go on and on in the United States about both the safety of nerved horses and the ethics of performing the procedure. If you believe that it is best to relieve a horse’s chronic pain, neurectomy certainly achieves that goal.

The nerves of a horse’s distal limb are very specialized, and it is possible to selectively desensitize the palmar or plantar region of the front or hind foot. This is where heel pain and “navicular” type pain are centered. One snip and the horse’s pain is gone.

So is its ability to know if it stepped on a nail or not. The British and some US states—such as California and Arizona—think a horse shouldn’t race if it can’t feel its foot. In the show horse world, nerving is still a common and economical solution to the problem of a lame horse that has not responded to therapeutic shoeing. FEI rules prohibit a nerved horse from competing. But how would anyone know?

Nerving salvages the careers of laid-up show, performance and rodeo horses. Horses that I see nerved are usually older horses with chronic conditions and the owner understands that it is a salvage procedure to keep the horse comfortable. They ride with care It makes a less painful retirement for many geriatric horses with chronic foot pain.

But I don't live in the real world. In some cases, horses return to the show ring. In some states, neurectomy keeps a horse racing and earning money.

Jump racing horses are among the fittest equine athletes of the horse world. This is Neptune Collonges, one of the top horses in Great Britain. He's expected to race again this year, at age 11. (Charles Roffey photo)

And that was all British trainer Howard Johnson wanted: a horse that kept racing, so its owners would be happy.

On page 32 of the rules of British racing it says simply: "Neurectomy operation: horse may not start 152(iv)".

Compare this with most US states that require a nerved horse's surgery to be recorded on a list (Massachusetts), or added to his official registration records, as is the case with harness racing horses in the state of Kentucky.

In Britain, there is no list and apparently no official recording of the surgery. It's a Catch-22: the procedure makes it illegal for a horse to race so the horse would be removed from racing. But then again, there's no record so if the horse changed hands...how many trainers are savvy enough to really tell if a horse has sensation in his heel bulbs or not? How many actually feel their horses' feet?

The effects of a neurectomy gradually wear off but the timeframe varies from horse to horse. Some horses might benefit from the surgery, such as the case of the British horse, who suffered from an infected corn and went on to race successfully in the tough sport of National Hunt racing.

But the flip side is also true: an infection could go deeper into the foot and cause more damage...but the horse might gallop on until the infection spreads to an area served by other nerves or until a structural rupture or fracture occurs.

Neurectomy surgery is performed at the site of the nerve branch that the surgeon wishes to sever. (Modesto Bee photo of surgery at Pioneer Equine Hospital as published previously on The Hoof Blog.)

Johnson's hearing before the British Horseracing Authority conflicted with the testimony of his veterinarian. It was vague whether the vet knew that the trainer planned to race the horse again; the vet testified that he hadn't ever heard of a neurectomy being done on a racehorse before.

When interviewed, Johnson gave the following explanation when questioned as to what was his understanding of the denerving operation: “…Well, when you de-nerve something like say in the foot he said the horse would become sound, and I just wanted the horse to run.…you have to try every corner to get a horse to win a race.”

The Panel received expert evidence from (veterinary surgeon) David Ellis from the Newmarket Equine Hospital. He explained that a neurectomy removes sensation from the painful area, masking the signs of pain but not curing any pathology which gives rise to the pain.

Following a palmar neurectomy, such as undergone by the horse in question, Mr Ellis explained that the gelding was at risk that an injury, such as a fracture of the heel or navicular region or a penetration or infection, would go undetected.

As to the welfare aspects of equine care, Mr Ellis noted that it cannot be in the best interests of a racehorse’s welfare that in order for it to be sound enough to be trained and raced it has to have an operation to permanently desensitize the area which is giving rise to pain and lameness. The Panel accepted this evidence.

Racehorses of all types are under scrutiny for how their welfare is being protected. What seems like an act in the best interest of the horse is sometimes disputable.

Hoofcare and Lameness originally learned of the judgment against Howard Johnson when word came from the British charity World Horse Welfare that it welcomed the British Horseracing Authority’s decision to impose a four-year ban from training on Johnson, who subsequently announced his retirement. The charity’s Chief Executive Roly Owers said: “We welcome the BHA’s verdict and sentence of Howard Johnson which is proportionate to the seriousness of his crime.

“When we use horses in sport, that places a significant burden of responsibility on our shoulders for their welfare, and Howard Johnson simply did not live up to that responsibility. He showed a callous disregard for the well-being of the horse when he made the decision – not once but eight times – to run Striking Article without any feeling in one of his forefeet.

"This was a reprehensible act that clearly crossed the line between the acceptable and unacceptable use of horses in sport.

“We are also dismayed that a trainer of Johnson’s experience and stature is pleading ignorance of the rules. Ignorance is no excuse for not knowing the rules but more importantly it’s no excuse for cruelty. Looked at it another way, we just need to apply a little simple common sense: how could anyone think it was acceptable to race a horse that was in so much pain it needed a neurectomy in the first place?

“This case should send out a clear message to everyone involved in racing that the welfare of the horse has to come first, not the need to win at any cost.”

There are plenty of ways for a jump racing horse to go lame. (Pablo Camera image)

Remember the old saying, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? We're learning that equine welfare is in the mind of the owner (or trainer). What seems like the kind thing to do in one country is seen as the antithesis in another.

The moral of this story: Remember what you say and when you say it. And to whom. Most of all: know the rules...and follow them. Work to change them if you don't think they're in the best interest of the horse.

Maybe that's what Howard Johnson will do in his retirement.

 TO LEARN MORE

Hoof Blog: Neurectomy Ethics Rear Up Again in California (October 2007): What happens when you buy a horse in a state where nerving does not have to be disclosed but you intend to run it in a different state...where nerved horses are prohibited from racing? That's what happened in California a few years ago. The following year, running nerved horses was banned in California.

Hoof Blog: Watch a horse undergo a neurectomy procedure at California's Pioneer Equine Hospital in a special video.

Hoof Blog: Cobra Venom Raises Its Numbing Head at Racetracks (Cobra venom use has been described as creating a "chemical neurectomy" when injected into a horse's foot)

Watch a detailed procedural video of a neurectomy at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Thanks to Charles Roffey for the photo of Neptune Collonges, to Pablo Camera for the action photos and to Carine06 for the photo of Knowhere.

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

Follow Hoofcare + Lameness on Twitter: @HoofcareJournal

Read this blog's headlines on the Hoofcare + Lameness Facebook Page

 

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

Pedal Osteitis Sent Grand National Champion Red Rum to the Beach, with Pop Marshall's Blessing

by Fran Jurga | 5 April 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

Riders on the beach at Ainsdale, between Liverpool and Southport, England. This image was originally uploaded by ~ paddypix ~.

Yesterday was a special day in the racing world. You may have heard that a 100-1 longshot won the 162nd Grand National steeplechase at Aintree racecourse near Liverpool in England. This year's winner, Mon Mome, was noteworthy because he was a Frenchbred and because he's trained by a woman. Add the fact that he won by ten lengths and that it was his jockey's first time to ride the famous race and you can see that it was quite a day for that team.

The Grand National always makes me thinks of the great champion Red Rum, who won the race over and over. I think he won it three times and was second twice. By the time he won it the third time, he was 12 years old...and had started in over 100 races.

Red Rum was trained by a hard luck fellow named Ginger McCain who drove taxis at night and kept the horse out behind a used-car lot. McCain bought the horse at a sale for one of his owners, only to find out that the horse was lame. So he took him to the beach, and noticed afterwards he wasn't quite so lame. And Ginger McCain wondered if he might be onto something.

Veterinarians diagnosed pedal osteitis as the horse's problem. Technically, that is an inflammation of the pedal bone, or coffin bone, or P3--whatever you call it, wherever you are from. It was the 1970s, though, and just to take a radiograph of a horse's foot was a big deal in those days. There was certainly no nuclear scintigraphy like we would have today to diagnose pedal osteitis.

Veterinarians examine radiographs of horses that show foot pain, particularly ouchiness or tenderness on landing. Instead of lateral radiographs, they might look at the bottom of the coffin bone, to see if there are irregular edges on the bone. Horses with tender feet often do have irregular bone edges, but the problem is that many sound horses do, as well.

Pedal osteitis is a controversial diagnosis today, but was a much more common diagnosis 20 or 30 years ago, particularly in racehorses who are trimmed short and run on hard ground. Dr. Bill Moyer of Texas A&M University has written some thoughtful papers on the subject of the murkiness of the diagnosis of pedal osteitis.

McCain was a genius in the way he trained Red Rum. He was the first trainer to harrow the beach, marking the gallop--this came after another horse of his cut its tendon on a broken bottle that had washed ashore, but it also softened the hardpacked sand. Other trainers had given up galloping on the beach because they felt it made horses more lame, but the harrowing really seemed to work for Red Rum.

If you've ever taken a horse to the beach, you know that it can be an interesting ride the first few times. After a while, horses usually love it, but the waves, open space and the shifting sand take some getting used to. But not for Red Rum: the first time McCain took him to the beach, the gelding walked right into the ocean up to his chest.

McCain supplemented the gallops on the flat sand with lots of time standing or walking in the water; surely the cold Irish Sea was good for any inflammation in the horse's feet. He also trained him up and down the forgiving sand dunes, which were great for the horse's muscles without putting a lot of stress on his feet.

I can see a lot of readers nodding their heads on that one; the sand would spread the load over the surface of the foot, rather than pinpointing it on the wall or shoe, if he was shod. On the other hand, wild horses that live on the beaches and dunes tend to get quite splay-footed, which might be fine as long as you're on the sand, or if the turf of the racecourse is soft.

Finally, McCain had a very good farrier working at his side to keep Red Rum's feet as balanced as possible. The late Bob "Pops" Marshall Sr., father of World Champion farrier Bob Marshall of Canada, lived right down the road and was Red Rum's personal farrier.

This video shows Red Rum winning the grueling and dangerous (and, many say, cruel) Grand National for the third time. He was also second twice, all in five years. Not bad for a horse they said would never race again.

If you ever have a chance, find a copy of the book Red Rum by Ivor Herbert. It might be a challenge to find it in the USA, but it's worth it. Or, let me know and I'll find you a used copy.

To learn more about pedal osteitis, dig out issue #64 of Hoofcare and Lameness and read "Treating Septic Osteitis of the Distal Phalanx (P-3)" by Andy Bathe MRCVS, or find Dr. Moyer's paper "Nonseptic Pedal Osteitis: A Cause of Lameness and a Diagnosis?" in the Proceedings of the 1999 AAEP Convention.

And put Red Rum on your list of legendary horse heroes. I suppose if he had come along now, they would have just paid to have him glued up but this is now and that was then. This horse and trainer did it the old-fashioned way, and moved a nation to tears...tears of joy.

2005 Grand National: Video of Entire Race on Web

Hoofblog: Hoofcare & Lameness Journal




How fit and athletic can a horse be?

Or, some people ask, why would you do this to a horse?

If you can spare about ten minutes, visit the BBC web site and watch a video of the entire 2005 Grand National from Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. Then make up your own mind.

I have to admit that I had never watched it from start to finish before. I had only seen highlights and to watch it in its entirety is mindboggling. They just keep running! The world's most famous steeplechase is over three miles and takes about nine minutes.