A quick news flash from Saratoga: You may remember the name of Quality Road, a three-year-old who was a top contender for the Triple Crown this spring until he popped a quarter crack in a hind foot while setting a new track record at Gulfstream.
While recovering from that crack, he popped one in his front foot on the same side. The colt has been laid up since March, trained lightly, and switched trainers from Jimmie Jerkens to Todd Pletcher.
Quality Road had his first start today since Gulfstream and he won the Amsterdam Stakes on while setting a new track record for six and a half furlongs on the dirt at New York's Saratoga track.
And he set that record in spite of stumbling out of the gate.
It looks like Quality Road is back on all four feet again. That's the kind of hoofcare success story we like to report.
Showing posts with label Saratoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saratoga. Show all posts
Monday, August 03, 2009
AQHA Laminitis Download Link for Steward Clog Information
by Fran Jurga | 3 August 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog
Dr. Mike Steward of Shawnee, Oklahoma developed a simple, inexpensive and effective shoeing treatment for laminitis by making a "Steward Clog" out of plywood. Photo by Andrew Knittle, The Shawnee News-Star.
Tomorrow night the town of Saratoga Springs, New York is going to hear all about clog shoes for laminitis. And have a good time doing it. The Hoofcare@Saratoga series will welcome Dr Michael Steward to be the first speaker of 2009, as we kickoff the year at the National Museum of Racing.
Whether you are planning to come or not, here's a chance to download a great article. "Going Dutch" by Holly Clanahan won second place in the American Horse Publications Awards last month for articles published in 2008. The article is about Dr. Michael Steward of Shawnee, Oklahoma and his clog shoe for laminitis.
AQHA graciously timed the first-ever release of a free download of the article to coincide with Dr. Steward's trip to speak in Saratoga. But this article can and will benefit plenty of horses, owners, veterinarians, and farriers who have never heard of Saratoga or Shawnee.
Click here to initiate the download process on the AQHA web site. Thanks to the AQHA for their help with this, and for the exposure they have given to Dr. Steward and his simple, cost-effective treatment. Yes, many of his cases are Quarter horses but this treatment has now been adopted and adapted (for better or worse) by many levels of farriers and veterinarians and is being used on all sorts of cases.
Tomorrow night we will be celebrating the shoes and boots that are on display in the National Museum of Racing lobby exhibit this summer. Among them is what looks like a stray piece of plywood that the exhibit fabricator left behind. That's the Steward Clog. It will be a pleasure to show Dr Steward his shoe in the Museum's collection.
The right foot of this horse is wearing a Steward Clog held in place with deck screws. Casting tape will stabilize the hoof wall and the appliance.
I think it is important to remember that this shoe was originally a simple design that Dr. Steward's clients could afford. Necessity was the mother of invention. For many people, laminitis was not a case of could their horse be helped but could they afford the help? The Steward Clog was an alternative. Now it seems to be in danger of becoming another high-priced boutique shoeing treatment.
The original way--the simple clog--still works and would be a great, cost-effective technique for equine rescue farms to master. I hope they'll be in the audience Tuesday night, along with everyone who cares about real-world laminitis.
I hope we can work toward a day when "lack of funds" will no longer have to be written as the cause of death on a foundered horse's medical record. And I thank Dr Steward and everyone else who is trying to help work toward that day.
© 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.
Dr. Mike Steward of Shawnee, Oklahoma developed a simple, inexpensive and effective shoeing treatment for laminitis by making a "Steward Clog" out of plywood. Photo by Andrew Knittle, The Shawnee News-Star.Tomorrow night the town of Saratoga Springs, New York is going to hear all about clog shoes for laminitis. And have a good time doing it. The Hoofcare@Saratoga series will welcome Dr Michael Steward to be the first speaker of 2009, as we kickoff the year at the National Museum of Racing.
Whether you are planning to come or not, here's a chance to download a great article. "Going Dutch" by Holly Clanahan won second place in the American Horse Publications Awards last month for articles published in 2008. The article is about Dr. Michael Steward of Shawnee, Oklahoma and his clog shoe for laminitis.
AQHA graciously timed the first-ever release of a free download of the article to coincide with Dr. Steward's trip to speak in Saratoga. But this article can and will benefit plenty of horses, owners, veterinarians, and farriers who have never heard of Saratoga or Shawnee.
Click here to initiate the download process on the AQHA web site. Thanks to the AQHA for their help with this, and for the exposure they have given to Dr. Steward and his simple, cost-effective treatment. Yes, many of his cases are Quarter horses but this treatment has now been adopted and adapted (for better or worse) by many levels of farriers and veterinarians and is being used on all sorts of cases.
Tomorrow night we will be celebrating the shoes and boots that are on display in the National Museum of Racing lobby exhibit this summer. Among them is what looks like a stray piece of plywood that the exhibit fabricator left behind. That's the Steward Clog. It will be a pleasure to show Dr Steward his shoe in the Museum's collection.
The right foot of this horse is wearing a Steward Clog held in place with deck screws. Casting tape will stabilize the hoof wall and the appliance.The original way--the simple clog--still works and would be a great, cost-effective technique for equine rescue farms to master. I hope they'll be in the audience Tuesday night, along with everyone who cares about real-world laminitis.
I hope we can work toward a day when "lack of funds" will no longer have to be written as the cause of death on a foundered horse's medical record. And I thank Dr Steward and everyone else who is trying to help work toward that day.
© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask.
Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page).
To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found.
Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Favorite Sunday Video: "Thoroughbreds Don't Cry" on Saratoga Migration Day
by Fran Jurga | July 26, 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog
Out for a leisurely Sunday drive? Drivers in New York State are probably a little jittery today. It's Sunday, and there shouldn't be many trucks on the road. Yet the highways are jammed, and these big rigs aren't just any trucks. They're big air-ride trailers and horse vans of every size and shape, some carrying six or more horses each. It's Brook Ledge and Sallee Day on the Northway. The windows are down and you can see bay heads inside, nodding sleepily.
And not just any horses: these are some of the best Thoroughbreds in the country. Hundreds of them are landing at airports and moving from training centers and tracks all over the US and Canada.
It's an equine migration. A reverse diaspora. A gathering of the Thoroughbred clan. For these van drivers, all roads lead to Saratoga Springs, New York, where today is "open house" day for the locals, featuring some always-exciting jump racing. The betting windows open on Wednesday. And the stall doors are wide open to welcome the new arrivals.
The vans will unload horses and just turn around and go get more. Today is the last day of racing at New York's Belmont Park so vets and farriers and exercise riders might have a few days off before things get going "up north", although some are already there working.
The horses will skitter down the ramps and blink as they look around and see all the old shade trees, the painted-a-hundred-times wooden stables and the remains of the original racetrack from 1863. They'll notice immediately that this place doesn't look and smell like Long Island...and it's awfully quiet compared to the New York City tracks that crouch beneath expressways and airport landing patterns.
That was a van ride back in time.
This is a place where a colt can get some sleep. Where a filly can stretch her legs. Where a veteran campaigner's hives might clear up and a career might turn around. Where legends begin.
So let's go back in time with the blog today, too. One of my favorite scenes from any horse-racing movie is the road scene from MGM's 1937 hit Thoroughbreds Don't Cry, which was the film that brought Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland together. You'll see a little bit of the road scene in this clip. Judy sings "Got a Pair of New Shoes" and, of course, I always like to think that the horse is singing along.
This was probably also the first horsey-road-trip scene from a major motion picture, as well as one of the most musical. Horse vans and trailers were a relatively new thing.
Timing is everything: This film was made in 1937, the year that War Admiral won the Kentucky Derby and Seabiscuit was rising to ever higher highs and lower lows out west. They would meet in their famous match race the following year.
Also in 1937, Jean Harlow and Clark Gable made the horse-racing classic film Saratoga about New York's horseracing summer capital but Harlow became ill and died during the filming, though she was only 26 years old.
The makers of Thoroughbreds Don't Cry couldn't have known what else would be going on that year or how famous their young stars would become.
You can watch the whole film on YouTube or stream/order it through Netflix; I've given you the trailer here as motivation.
If you have the time, click here to listen to the taping of Judy Garland singing the song in the film. You'll be humming it before you know it.
One of the best parts of these old horse movies is the chance to see the old vehicles used to transport the horses, including the fake open-window trailer in this clip. I always watch what's going on in the background more than what's going on in the foreground.
The New York Thruway and the Northway would be a much more interesting ride today if those neat old styles were still in use. This drawing from Popular Mechanics in 1924 shows a state-of-the-art over-the-road racehorse van...complete with a flagpole. The article with it said that it could reach and maintain a speed of 50 miles per hour, which was something for the day.
Of course, after Labor Day there will be a reverse migration as the horses abandon Saratoga and scatter to the corners of the globe. But there's something about today, of all days of the summer,
that makes you feel like a giant magnet has caught on all the horseshoes of all the best racehorses in the world and is pulling them up the Northway to Exit 14.
And not a single horse is resisting the pull of that magnet. A trip to Saratoga in August is good for us all.
I'm willing to bet on that.
Join Hoofcare & Lameness on Tuesdays in August in Saratoga Springs at the Parting Glass Pub and Restaurant back room, 40 Lake Avenue, for educational lectures and information about hoof-related care of horses. "Saratoga Safe + Sound" will bring together farriers, veterinarians, trainers, and interesting people from all corners of the horse world (literally) in a casual setting. CLICK HERE for more information or call 978 281 3222; email saratoga@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.
Out for a leisurely Sunday drive? Drivers in New York State are probably a little jittery today. It's Sunday, and there shouldn't be many trucks on the road. Yet the highways are jammed, and these big rigs aren't just any trucks. They're big air-ride trailers and horse vans of every size and shape, some carrying six or more horses each. It's Brook Ledge and Sallee Day on the Northway. The windows are down and you can see bay heads inside, nodding sleepily.
And not just any horses: these are some of the best Thoroughbreds in the country. Hundreds of them are landing at airports and moving from training centers and tracks all over the US and Canada.
It's an equine migration. A reverse diaspora. A gathering of the Thoroughbred clan. For these van drivers, all roads lead to Saratoga Springs, New York, where today is "open house" day for the locals, featuring some always-exciting jump racing. The betting windows open on Wednesday. And the stall doors are wide open to welcome the new arrivals.
The vans will unload horses and just turn around and go get more. Today is the last day of racing at New York's Belmont Park so vets and farriers and exercise riders might have a few days off before things get going "up north", although some are already there working.
The horses will skitter down the ramps and blink as they look around and see all the old shade trees, the painted-a-hundred-times wooden stables and the remains of the original racetrack from 1863. They'll notice immediately that this place doesn't look and smell like Long Island...and it's awfully quiet compared to the New York City tracks that crouch beneath expressways and airport landing patterns.
That was a van ride back in time.
This is a place where a colt can get some sleep. Where a filly can stretch her legs. Where a veteran campaigner's hives might clear up and a career might turn around. Where legends begin.
So let's go back in time with the blog today, too. One of my favorite scenes from any horse-racing movie is the road scene from MGM's 1937 hit Thoroughbreds Don't Cry, which was the film that brought Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland together. You'll see a little bit of the road scene in this clip. Judy sings "Got a Pair of New Shoes" and, of course, I always like to think that the horse is singing along.
This was probably also the first horsey-road-trip scene from a major motion picture, as well as one of the most musical. Horse vans and trailers were a relatively new thing.
Timing is everything: This film was made in 1937, the year that War Admiral won the Kentucky Derby and Seabiscuit was rising to ever higher highs and lower lows out west. They would meet in their famous match race the following year.
Also in 1937, Jean Harlow and Clark Gable made the horse-racing classic film Saratoga about New York's horseracing summer capital but Harlow became ill and died during the filming, though she was only 26 years old.
The makers of Thoroughbreds Don't Cry couldn't have known what else would be going on that year or how famous their young stars would become.
You can watch the whole film on YouTube or stream/order it through Netflix; I've given you the trailer here as motivation.
If you have the time, click here to listen to the taping of Judy Garland singing the song in the film. You'll be humming it before you know it.
One of the best parts of these old horse movies is the chance to see the old vehicles used to transport the horses, including the fake open-window trailer in this clip. I always watch what's going on in the background more than what's going on in the foreground.
The New York Thruway and the Northway would be a much more interesting ride today if those neat old styles were still in use. This drawing from Popular Mechanics in 1924 shows a state-of-the-art over-the-road racehorse van...complete with a flagpole. The article with it said that it could reach and maintain a speed of 50 miles per hour, which was something for the day.
Of course, after Labor Day there will be a reverse migration as the horses abandon Saratoga and scatter to the corners of the globe. But there's something about today, of all days of the summer,
that makes you feel like a giant magnet has caught on all the horseshoes of all the best racehorses in the world and is pulling them up the Northway to Exit 14.
And not a single horse is resisting the pull of that magnet. A trip to Saratoga in August is good for us all.
I'm willing to bet on that.
Join Hoofcare & Lameness on Tuesdays in August in Saratoga Springs at the Parting Glass Pub and Restaurant back room, 40 Lake Avenue, for educational lectures and information about hoof-related care of horses. "Saratoga Safe + Sound" will bring together farriers, veterinarians, trainers, and interesting people from all corners of the horse world (literally) in a casual setting. CLICK HERE for more information or call 978 281 3222; email saratoga@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.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
You're Invited! You'll Be Welcome at Hoofcare@Saratoga's 2009 "Safe and Sound" Tuesday Night Series
by Fran Jurga | 22 July 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog
Double-click on the image to view or print it full-size. That's Kentucky equine therapist Dianne Volz working on the hooves of a well-known stakes horse at Saratoga's Oklahoma training track.
What: “Saratoga: Safe & Sound”; 5th Annual Hoofcare@Saratoga Events hosted by Hoofcare & Lameness Journal, The Hoof Blog, and Fran Jurga.
When: August 4, 11, 18, 25 (four Tuesdays during the 2009 race meet)
Where: Saratoga Springs, NY 7 pm Parting Pub, 50 Lake Ave with exceptions noted
What: Informal lectures, discussion, interviews
Who: Horsecare professionals, horse owners, blog readers, racing community, press; all are welcome.
Made possible by generous help in many forms from: Life Data Labs, National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Vibram Hoof Pads, Skidmore College, Cindy Ford and the Van Lennep Riding Center, Frieda and Cliff Garrison, Jim Santore, The Parting Glass Pub, CCE Equine and all our friends in and around Saratoga, and all over the Northeast and beyond. (More sponsorships are available.)
Note: Our primary speakers are booked but we will be adding more as people confirm what days they will be in Saratoga to work on horses or conduct other business. Watch for updates.
Week 1: AUGUST 4: "BUILD A BETTER...HORSESHOE" National Museum of Racing, 191 Union Avene, 6-8 pm. "Ride On!" Special Exhibit on farrier/veterinary advances to help horses reception sponsored by LIFE DATA LABS. You'll meet special guests whose shoes and boots and photographs are featured in the exhibit; with the help of Stonestreet Stables, we hope to donate one of Curlin's shoes to the museum. Main speaker: Dr Michael Steward from Oklahoma on his unique Steward Clog system for laminitis (which is featured by the museum); his lecture will commence at the Parting Glass after 8 pm. He is a down-to-earth speaker who makes sense of a difficult subject and will inspire you to keep trying to help horses.
Week 2: AUGUST 11: "BUILD A BETTER...HORSE!" Dr Scott Morrison of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington KY will anchor an all-star evening on foal/yearling problems and no doubt a lot more. Plus: David Hinton, rescheduled for his observations on shoeing for top stakes horses like Curlin and Rachel Alexandra. This is a busy night in Saratoga as the yearling sales will be going on.
Week 3: AUGUST 18: "BUILD A BETTER...HOOF!"--2 events. Mike Wildenstein FWCF (Hons) Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine afternoon for farriers at Skidmore Equestrian Center, 145 Daniels Road. Sponsored by VIBRAM hoof pads. The exact time in the afternoon will be announced soon. Evening program of talks and PowerPoint will be at the Parting Glass. Special guest: Virginia’s Travis Burns from Forging Ahead farrier practice on hoof support alternatives in addition to Mike.
Week 4: August 25: (plans in progress) Origins of the Modern Horseshoe Tour of Burden Iron Works Museum horseshoe factory in Troy, NY at 2 p.m. This is a very special event! Evening program at the Parting Glass is tentative because of Bruce Springsteen's concert on the south side of town, but if traffic is routed to not clog up downtown Saratoga, we should be able to proceed. I am currently seeking advice about this, as it is Travers Week and should be the grand finale of the series. Stay tuned for finalized plans for that night;the daytime plans will not be affected by the concert.
All sessions are free of charge but come early to get a good seat.
Parting Glass sessions start at 7 pm except August 4th, which follows the Museum program.
The Parting Glass will serve dinner before or after the session in the function room or main dining room. You can order from the menu and the food is great!
Some parking is available behind the restaurant but otherwise parking should be available on side streets without too far a hike.
HOTEL INFORMATION: Hotels in Saratoga are very expensive. Hoofcare has a block of rooms at the Comfort Inn & Suites Saratoga Springs on the NY Thruway at Exit 15 (3rd Saratoga Springs exit going north) at a special discount rate of $159 plus tax (breakfast included) and pets are allowed for $10 each. This rate is for Tuesday only and for seminar attendees only. This hotel is a three mile drive from the Parting Glass and close to the racetrack.
To book a room: You need to request the Hoofcare rate when booking your room, call a week in advance for all events except August 4th (reservations will be taken up to August 3rd) and you must call the hotel directly at 518 587 6244 and press "0" for the operator to reach the front desk and book with the person on duty. Do not book through "reservations" as they do not have the special rate information. This rate is only for Tuesday and only for Hoofcare@Saratoga attendees.
More details will always be posted at www.hoofcare.blogspot.com.
Email questions to fran@hoofcare.com or call 978 281 3222. But don't call on a Tuesday.
Please forward this information to anyone you think may be interested.
© 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.
Double-click on the image to view or print it full-size. That's Kentucky equine therapist Dianne Volz working on the hooves of a well-known stakes horse at Saratoga's Oklahoma training track.What: “Saratoga: Safe & Sound”; 5th Annual Hoofcare@Saratoga Events hosted by Hoofcare & Lameness Journal, The Hoof Blog, and Fran Jurga.
When: August 4, 11, 18, 25 (four Tuesdays during the 2009 race meet)
Where: Saratoga Springs, NY 7 pm Parting Pub, 50 Lake Ave with exceptions noted
What: Informal lectures, discussion, interviews
Who: Horsecare professionals, horse owners, blog readers, racing community, press; all are welcome.
Made possible by generous help in many forms from: Life Data Labs, National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Vibram Hoof Pads, Skidmore College, Cindy Ford and the Van Lennep Riding Center, Frieda and Cliff Garrison, Jim Santore, The Parting Glass Pub, CCE Equine and all our friends in and around Saratoga, and all over the Northeast and beyond. (More sponsorships are available.)
Note: Our primary speakers are booked but we will be adding more as people confirm what days they will be in Saratoga to work on horses or conduct other business. Watch for updates.
Week 1: AUGUST 4: "BUILD A BETTER...HORSESHOE" National Museum of Racing, 191 Union Avene, 6-8 pm. "Ride On!" Special Exhibit on farrier/veterinary advances to help horses reception sponsored by LIFE DATA LABS. You'll meet special guests whose shoes and boots and photographs are featured in the exhibit; with the help of Stonestreet Stables, we hope to donate one of Curlin's shoes to the museum. Main speaker: Dr Michael Steward from Oklahoma on his unique Steward Clog system for laminitis (which is featured by the museum); his lecture will commence at the Parting Glass after 8 pm. He is a down-to-earth speaker who makes sense of a difficult subject and will inspire you to keep trying to help horses.
Week 2: AUGUST 11: "BUILD A BETTER...HORSE!" Dr Scott Morrison of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington KY will anchor an all-star evening on foal/yearling problems and no doubt a lot more. Plus: David Hinton, rescheduled for his observations on shoeing for top stakes horses like Curlin and Rachel Alexandra. This is a busy night in Saratoga as the yearling sales will be going on.
Week 3: AUGUST 18: "BUILD A BETTER...HOOF!"--2 events. Mike Wildenstein FWCF (Hons) Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine afternoon for farriers at Skidmore Equestrian Center, 145 Daniels Road. Sponsored by VIBRAM hoof pads. The exact time in the afternoon will be announced soon. Evening program of talks and PowerPoint will be at the Parting Glass. Special guest: Virginia’s Travis Burns from Forging Ahead farrier practice on hoof support alternatives in addition to Mike.
Week 4: August 25: (plans in progress) Origins of the Modern Horseshoe Tour of Burden Iron Works Museum horseshoe factory in Troy, NY at 2 p.m. This is a very special event! Evening program at the Parting Glass is tentative because of Bruce Springsteen's concert on the south side of town, but if traffic is routed to not clog up downtown Saratoga, we should be able to proceed. I am currently seeking advice about this, as it is Travers Week and should be the grand finale of the series. Stay tuned for finalized plans for that night;the daytime plans will not be affected by the concert.
All sessions are free of charge but come early to get a good seat.
Parting Glass sessions start at 7 pm except August 4th, which follows the Museum program.
The Parting Glass will serve dinner before or after the session in the function room or main dining room. You can order from the menu and the food is great!
Some parking is available behind the restaurant but otherwise parking should be available on side streets without too far a hike.
HOTEL INFORMATION: Hotels in Saratoga are very expensive. Hoofcare has a block of rooms at the Comfort Inn & Suites Saratoga Springs on the NY Thruway at Exit 15 (3rd Saratoga Springs exit going north) at a special discount rate of $159 plus tax (breakfast included) and pets are allowed for $10 each. This rate is for Tuesday only and for seminar attendees only. This hotel is a three mile drive from the Parting Glass and close to the racetrack.
To book a room: You need to request the Hoofcare rate when booking your room, call a week in advance for all events except August 4th (reservations will be taken up to August 3rd) and you must call the hotel directly at 518 587 6244 and press "0" for the operator to reach the front desk and book with the person on duty. Do not book through "reservations" as they do not have the special rate information. This rate is only for Tuesday and only for Hoofcare@Saratoga attendees.
More details will always be posted at www.hoofcare.blogspot.com.
Email questions to fran@hoofcare.com or call 978 281 3222. But don't call on a Tuesday.
Please forward this information to anyone you think may be interested.
© 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.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Rachel's Hoof Blog Confidential: Hind Hooves of the Hottest Filly in the USA
by Fran Jurga | 29 June 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog
The jock in the shower: Preakness Stakes winner Rachel Alexandra enjoyed a bath after her 19-length romp in Saturday's Mother Goose Stakes at New York's Belmont Park. She set a new stakes record, in spite of being eased to a rolling canter by rider Calvin Borel at the finish.
The jock in the shower: Preakness Stakes winner Rachel Alexandra enjoyed a bath after her 19-length romp in Saturday's Mother Goose Stakes at New York's Belmont Park. She set a new stakes record, in spite of being eased to a rolling canter by rider Calvin Borel at the finish.
Photographer Sarah K. Andrew (Rock and Racehorses) followed the filly back to the barn and waited patiently for Rachel to do a little dance so you could clearly see at least one of the four fleet feet on this filly.
As far as I know, Rachel is still being shod by David Hinton from Oklahoma.
Rachel has now moved to the Asmussen training camp at Saratoga Springs, where the rest of the racing world will join her in a few weeks.
Hoofcare & Lameness and The Hoof Blog will be there, too. Join me on Tueday nights at The Parting for speakers and social time, and plan to be at our special Hoofcare & Lameness night at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame on Tuesday, August 4, where we will celebrate the addition of lots more horseshoes and hoof paraphernalia to the RideOn! exhibit on horse health.
Horseshoes from the Rood and Riddle Podiatry Clinic are prominently featured in the new exhibit, along with hoof boots from Castle Plastics and Hoofeez from New Zealand, another handmade shoe by Cornell vet school's Michael Wildenstein, the new hoof pads from Vibram, a Plastinate hoof model from HC Biovision (formerly featured just in photos) and much more. Watch for speaker and sponsor announcements!
Did I just say that Rachel Alexandra was the hottest filly in the USA? Make that the hottest racehorse, period, in the USA, although I would still give equal time to her older rival, Zenyatta. The buzz surrounding these two horses is enlivening a racing scene that had been written off by the doom-and-gloom set a few months ago.
Follow the Hoof Blog's Fran Jurga on Twitter: www.twitter.com/franjurga
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.
© 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).
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Lost Legend Found: Meet Man o' War's Horseshoer (Finally)
by Fran Jurga | 28 March 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog
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| The statue of champion racehorse Man o" War is the centerpiece of the grounds of the Kentucky Horse Park outside Lexington, Kentucky. (Frank Parsons photo, used with permission) |
Today is Man o' War's birthday. An announcement that 1987 Kentucky Derby winner Alysheba died last night made me think again about Man o' War and how little anyone seems to know about who shod him, or how he was shod.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Invitation: Join Hoofcare@Saratoga at Professionals' Preview Evening for the New RIDE ON Exhibit at the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga, NY
"Ride on! Rough-shod if need be; Smooth-shod if that will do,
but ride on! Ride on over all obstacles, and win the race! "--Charles Dickens
You are invited to a special preview night for professionals to RIDE ON!
invite you to attend a special evening
--Tuesday, July 29, 2008--
at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
109 Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York
(directly opposite the main entrance to the racetrack)
6:30 - 8:30 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Theater
Hoofcare@Saratoga, Hoofcare and Lameness Journal
and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fameinvite you to attend a special evening
--Tuesday, July 29, 2008--
at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
109 Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York
(directly opposite the main entrance to the racetrack)
6:30 - 8:30 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Theater
Program highlights beginning at 6:30 p.m.:
Equine Laminitis Update
Research Update and Field Practice Notes by Donald Walsh DVM of the Animal Health Foundation. Dr Walsh will survey current research accomplishments and treatment innovations from research funded by AHF at the Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit and other research centers. Dr. Walsh's work on behalf of laminitis research is featured in the RideOn! exhibit.
Research Update and Field Practice Notes by Donald Walsh DVM of the Animal Health Foundation. Dr Walsh will survey current research accomplishments and treatment innovations from research funded by AHF at the Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit and other research centers. Dr. Walsh's work on behalf of laminitis research is featured in the RideOn! exhibit.
Followed by
Thoroughbred Hooves: The Inside Story
Professional anatomical specimen creator Allie Hayes of HorseScience and Horsescience.com will compare and contrast Thoroughbred feet with other breeds and share a haunting collection of the preserved feet and limbs of Thoroughbreds, including breakdown victims and laminitis sufferers. Allie's educational anatomical specimen are featured in the RideOn! exhibit.
Remarks and short presentations by Thoroughbred trainer and footing expert Michael Dickinson and Cornell vet school farrier professor Michael Wildenstein FWCF (Hons).
Thoroughbred Hooves: The Inside Story
Professional anatomical specimen creator Allie Hayes of HorseScience and Horsescience.com will compare and contrast Thoroughbred feet with other breeds and share a haunting collection of the preserved feet and limbs of Thoroughbreds, including breakdown victims and laminitis sufferers. Allie's educational anatomical specimen are featured in the RideOn! exhibit.
Remarks and short presentations by Thoroughbred trainer and footing expert Michael Dickinson and Cornell vet school farrier professor Michael Wildenstein FWCF (Hons).
7:30 p.m.
Exhibit Viewing
Doors open for a private viewing of RIDE ON! The Museum's new exhibit on advancements in the health and soundness of racehorses. Enjoy the exhibit and share your observations and experiences with our special guest, curator of collections Beth Sheffer of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Exhibit Viewing
Doors open for a private viewing of RIDE ON! The Museum's new exhibit on advancements in the health and soundness of racehorses. Enjoy the exhibit and share your observations and experiences with our special guest, curator of collections Beth Sheffer of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
About the New Exhibit:
The new exhibit focuses on colic, leg fractures, breakdowns, hoof and limb anatomy and laminitis. Artifacts in the exhibit include shoes, braces, and hoof-related equipment handcrafted and provided or loaned by contributors and editors of Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. The main part of the Museum will be closed on Tuesday night but will be open on Tuesday afternoon and on Wednesday. Tuesday night attendees will be able to see the Hall of Fame and the Ride On! exhibit.
The new exhibit focuses on colic, leg fractures, breakdowns, hoof and limb anatomy and laminitis. Artifacts in the exhibit include shoes, braces, and hoof-related equipment handcrafted and provided or loaned by contributors and editors of Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. The main part of the Museum will be closed on Tuesday night but will be open on Tuesday afternoon and on Wednesday. Tuesday night attendees will be able to see the Hall of Fame and the Ride On! exhibit.
About Hoofcare@Saratoga's Plans for August:
Hoofcare and Lameness Journal will host four Tuesday events in Saratoga Springs during the 2008 summer race meet, beginning on Tuesday, July 29 at the Museum. Confirmed speakers for August 5, 12, and 19 include (in alphabetical order) Bill Casner, Michael Dickinson, Ian McKinlay, Steve Norman, Mick Peterson, Conny Svensson, Mitch Taylor, Michael Wildenstein and others to be announced.
The series is made possible by generous support from LIFE DATA LABS, makers of Farriers Formula, as well as the National Museum of Racing, the Grayson Jockey Club Foundation, the Animal Health Foundation and the Van Lennep Equestrian Center at Skidmore College.
The series is presented with the help of CCE Equine and Equilite, maker of Sore No More liniment products.
Hoofcare@Saratoga would not happen without two special friends of the hoof in Saratoga, Frieda Garrison and Jim Santore, and our friends at the wonderful Parting Irish Pub. Join us for one program, or come for them all. Events are free, thanks to our generous sponsors.
The series is made possible by generous support from LIFE DATA LABS, makers of Farriers Formula, as well as the National Museum of Racing, the Grayson Jockey Club Foundation, the Animal Health Foundation and the Van Lennep Equestrian Center at Skidmore College.
The series is presented with the help of CCE Equine and Equilite, maker of Sore No More liniment products.
Hoofcare@Saratoga would not happen without two special friends of the hoof in Saratoga, Frieda Garrison and Jim Santore, and our friends at the wonderful Parting Irish Pub. Join us for one program, or come for them all. Events are free, thanks to our generous sponsors.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS: For the July 29 event only, hotel rooms are available at the spectacular new Hampton Inn on Lake Avenue in downtown Saratoga (directly opposite the Parting Glass Pub) for $159 per night. Call for reservations: 518 584 2100. A special rate of $159 per night is available for the entire Hoofcare@Saratoga series at the Comfort Inn, conveniently located at Exit 15 on the edge of town. Call 518 587 6244. You must request the "Hoofcare" rate. $159 is a very reasonable price during the race meet.
Saratoga Springs is a few hours due north of New York City, and 30 or so minutes north of Albany, where the closest major airport is located. Home of the longest-running Thoroughbred racing season in America, the town is also alive with major Standardbred racing, polo, and all sorts of pleasure and sport horse activities.
For more information, please email saratoga@hoofcare.com
Reservations are not necessary but an RSVP would be appreciated for planning purposes at the Museum. Please email saratoga@hoofcare.com. Do NOT call the Museum or the Parting Glass.
Watch this blog for more announcements of Hoofcare@Saratoga events or call the Hoofcare and Lameness office: 978 281 3222. The office will be closed Monday through Wednesday during the Saratoga event series.
For more information, please email saratoga@hoofcare.com
Reservations are not necessary but an RSVP would be appreciated for planning purposes at the Museum. Please email saratoga@hoofcare.com. Do NOT call the Museum or the Parting Glass.
Watch this blog for more announcements of Hoofcare@Saratoga events or call the Hoofcare and Lameness office: 978 281 3222. The office will be closed Monday through Wednesday during the Saratoga event series.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
What Can a Loose Shoe Do? Remember Longfellow!
There's an expression, "Safe and Sound" that can be extended to the work that horseshoers do for their four-legged clients. They believe that they put on shoes to help horses run faster, jump better, raise their knees more (or keep them lower), to get traction on ice or on a smooth turf-y jump course.
But they also do their very best to make them safe. They check the nails. They check for loose clinches. They come back for a hot nail. They rasp off any sharp edges. You might think they are making it look pretty, but what they are really doing is keep that sound horse safe out there on the road, track, course, field, or arena.
One of the very most famous stories of a horse with a loose shoe in a race goes back to 1872. The great champion Longfellow was to run in the 2.5 mile Saratoga Cup against a longtime rival, a horse called Harry Bassett.
The 1872 New York Times record of the race begins with this dramatic sentence: SARATOGA, July 16. Never, perhaps, in the racing history of the Saratoga or any other track has such a scene been witnessed as took place today the scene attending the race between Longfellow and Harry Bassett.
On the way to the post, Longfellow's shoe came loose. The race was off, and at the halfway point, he lagged uncharacteristically behind. His jockey went to the whip; it was the first time the champion had ever felt its sting. He accelerated and almost caught his rival; he lost by only a length, and the record was broken for that distance.
When Longfellow pulled up, it was on three legs. The loose shoe had bent over double and was embedded in his frog. One report said he had puled off the heel of his foot. He had kept on running, and almost won. But he never raced again.
Of course, Longfellow's shoes were steel and Big Brown's are a very lightweight aluminum alloy. But that story does drive home the lesson that a loose shoe is a dangerous situation.
Big Brown's shoe was obviously loose...but not that loose. He was lucky. And today, a jockey would be wont to pull up a horse before the damage was done, but go to the whip as they did in 1872.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Big Brown's Owner Says Loose Hind Shoe "Not An Issue"
The Blood-Horse is quoting one of Big Brown's owners, Michael Iavarone of IEAH, this morning:
"His feet are ice cold, quarter crack not an issue. He had a very loose hind left shoe, but that’s not an issue."
The jockey complained that the horse was not handling the track well. Various reports from the media describe the track as loose and deep and suggest that the track was not watered because of the water pressure problems at the track yesterday (which left almost 100,000 racegoers without toilets).
(CORRECTION: This turned out to not be the case, according to one eye-witness. The track was watered. The grandstand had no water or toilets, but the track did! Other comments suggest that the holding barn did not have water, either.)
Much has been written about Big Brown's problem-packed front feet, but not much about his hinds. He won the Derby with turndowns on his hinds; turndowns are popular at Churchill Downs, according to crack specialist Tom Curl, who worked on Big Brown's right front foot. My guess is that all or most of the runners in the Derby also had them.
A turndown is the practice of turning the heels of the hind raceplate down so they become, in effect, like mud calks. They are believed to help with traction.
Big Brown's hind shoes were pulled after the Derby and he exercised and lived barefoot behind for a couple of days until Todd Boston, a shoer at Churchill, re-did his hinds.
I don't know what he had on behind for the Preakness but I do know that turndowns are illegal in New York. They do allow a small bend, but no sharp angles, that's for sure. Fred Sellerberg is NYRA's man in the paddock; his job is looking at the shoes. The guy has some sort of x-ray vision and seems to be able to spot an illegal shoe before the horse leaves the holding barn. Or at least he says he can. He just nods his head and says, "Believe me, Fran, I can tell". He is roughly my age and does not wear glasses, so I'm impressed.
Fred also would have seen a loose hind shoe. A paddock shoer, in addition to Fred, is on hand for exactly that reason and occasionally a race is held up in the paddock while a shoe is re-nailed.
So a loose shoe was probably a function of another horse stepping on it during the race or the horse stumbling and grabbing, or just normal wear and tear in the course of the race. Big Brown hit serious traffic problems in the first mile of the race and one ABC commentator suggested that he may even have been kicked by Da'Tara as he came up too close and had to be pulled back.
Watch the replay on slow-motion mode; at times it looks like Big Brown is a carousel horse, going up in the air, although still making forward progress.
Even more likely is that it was pulled loose when Big Brown was yanked up by the jockey. There are some dismal photos of the horse in biomechanical disarray as the rest of the horses charge past him. I wonder how his mouth feels today.
Tale of Ekati received a tough gash in the race and has a pretty serious wound on his leg, according to trainer Barclay Tagg.
When Rags to Riches didn't come back after the Belmont last year, she was sent to New Bolton Center for a complete medical and orthopedic analysis, from head to toe. Coolmore (her owners) insisted. They didn't find anything wrong that was ever made public but the filly spent the summer hanging out in her stall.
IEAH is the midst of building a new equine hospital next door to Belmont Park. Let's hope that they put their future staff to work checking out Big Brown so he can run again. If they are going to be in the equine health business this fall anyway, they can get a head start and protect the horse from further injury or illness if there is any doubt.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Work and Play for Noted Veterinarian During Saratoga Visit
Linda and Dr. Frank Gravlee say hello to Rags to Riches at Todd Pletcher's barn. Note the strategically placed hay that prevents me from documenting her feet for you.It was Alabama Stakes week at Saratoga, so Hoofcare and Lameness Journal made sure that someone from Alabama was on hand. Veterinarian and nutritionist Frank Gravlee, founder of Life Data Labs and inventor of Farriers Formula, enjoyed a hero's welcome, as did his wife, Linda, who is CEO of Life Data.
The Gravlees were featured in an article in Thoroughbred Times this summer for their innovative research on Thoroughbred nutrition at their research farm in Alabama. The Gravlees well-bred mares have foals by stallions like Distorted Humor, Royal Academy, and Posse at their sides. One of the foals' first lessons is how to stand still on a horse scale; they are monitored carefully and the mares' feed is scientifically formulated, measured, and administered. The farm's yearlings are headed to Keeneland next month to be sold.
Part of the Gravlees' whirlwind tour of Saratoga was a speaking engagement for Dr. Frank at our Hoofcare@ Saratoga event. After the lecture, Dr. Frank signed copies of his new book, co-authored with Dr Doug Butler, Laminitis and Founder: Prevention and Treatment.
Everyone in Saratoga was very welcoming to the Gravlees. Of course it didn't hurt that the Farriers Formula tractor-trailer rig had been stuck in traffic on Union Avenue outside the racetrack a few days before they arrived. It was just setting the stage!
However, the visit to Saratoga was related to Dr. Gravlee's research into laminitis and equine nutrition, and the publication of the book, rather than to a promotional push for the company.
Dr. Frank Gravlee stopped in the midst of his autograph party to chat with Diane and Curtis Burns. They market the Burns Polyflex shoe (http://www.noanvil.com/), which Curtis designed, worn recently by winning stakes horses like River's Prayer, Octave, Teuflesberg, and Zanjero. Curtis is a flying farrier who pops up everywhere.Go to our main home page at hoofcare.com
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
"Hoofcare@Saratoga" Toe Grab Forum Explored Thoroughbred Shoeing
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK--An evening dedicated to the proposed ban of toe grabs by state racing commissioners brought out a diverse group of interested attendees on August 7th. The second of Hoofcare & Lameness Journal's "Hoofcare@Saratoga" Tuesday evening gatherings at The Parting Pub filled every seat in the restaurant's function room.
Facilitated by the Grayson Jockey Club Foundation, the evening focused on the work of the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit's hoof committee. On hand to present thewere committee chairman Bill Casner of WinStar Farm, and committee members Mitch Taylor, owner of Kentucky Horseshoeing School, and Steve Norman, a well-known Churchill Downs shoer.
A late-afternoon condensed run-through was presented for anyone who needed to attend the yearling sales that night.
Facilitated by the Grayson Jockey Club Foundation, the evening focused on the work of the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit's hoof committee. On hand to present thewere committee chairman Bill Casner of WinStar Farm, and committee members Mitch Taylor, owner of Kentucky Horseshoeing School, and Steve Norman, a well-known Churchill Downs shoer.
A late-afternoon condensed run-through was presented for anyone who needed to attend the yearling sales that night.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Shoes for Thought: Burns Polyflex Synthetic Glue-on Prototypes Put to the Test at Major Racetracks
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| The new Burns Polyflex shoe is made of polyurethane with a wire core (Fran Jurga © photo) |
This shoe is the brainchild of Florida-to-New-York farrier Curtis Burns. I ran into him at Keeneland back in April, and then again at Saratoga. The shoes are underneath some very good horses--this is the foot of a top stakes-winning filly.
People talk about the eternal quest for a better mousetrap...for me, the quest is for a better horseshoe. And as long as there are farriers out there, they will never stop trying to come up with a better design and a safer way to keep a horse's feet in perpetual motion.
Curtis deserves a big pat on the back, as does his wife Diane, who does a lot of the molding. I think you'll all be hearing a lot more from them, but for now it is one horse at a time.
Will there be a special shoe design needed for the new Polytrack surfaces being installed at the California tracks and Woodbine in Ontario, among others? I'm sure there is one on a drawing board somewhere right now!
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Saratoga in My Rearview Mirror: Highlights of Hoofcare@Saratoga 2006
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| There's a nice sign to welcome you to Saraoga, but there isn't one that says good-bye as you leave town. Perhaps that's because no one ever really leaves. Even if they don't come back the next summer they plan to, someday. |
From the small print in The Saratoga Special recently: "We're in good shape, for the shape we're in." That's a quote attributed to David Mullins, Thoroughbred breeder and yearling consignor. I'll have to remember that one.
From famed sportswriter Red Smith: “To get to Saratoga from New York City, you travel about 150 miles north, turn onto Union Avenue and travel back in time to the mid-19th century. Its elegance and charm is why Saratoga has been selected as among the top 10 sports venues of the 20th century.”
From Dogwood Stable's Cot Campbell: “Louisville is fine; Lexington is OK; Miami is good; but Saratoga is truly glamorous. Saratoga is in a class by itself.”
The "Hoofcare@Saratoga" tour is playing like a tv-reality show so far. In other words, nothing is going according to the script! We've had one event cancelled because of 100 degree heat (even the racetrack was shut down, it was so hot)...and a cancelled speaker another week...a speeding ticket...a handicapped dog in the back seat...a car accident on the Mass Pike...and yet I know in another week or so when I am back in Massachusetts, those won't be the things I remember.
I'll remember the thrill of seeing people--dozens of people who've never heard of Hoofcare & Lameness before that night--marching into Dr. Don Walsh's "Hoofcare@Saratoga" evening on laminitis. Yes, they really showed up, Hoofcare@Saratoga was a reality!
I'll remember driving down Nelson Avenue and peeking through the hedges for a glimpse of Stonerside, the former Greentree Stables training track and barns. If I was to pick my favorite horse architecture in the world, I think Stonerside/Greentree would be it. But Bill Mott moved to new quarters this year, and I think Godolphin Racing has taken over. Someone has...and they've put up big "No Trespassing" signs at the gates. How sad. I don't remember Stonerside ever being overrun with tourists.
I'll remember going to the farrier shop at the Skidmore Equestrian Center at midnight with Cornell farrier Michael Wildenstein and Skidmore farrier Jim Santore to see one of the sweetest horseshoeing shops in the land. I'll be back with a load of cameras one day to photograph Jim in this shop.
I'll remember a fabulous lunch way up in the turf club with racetrack legend Ada Gates, who was visiting from Los Angeles.
I'll remember watching Dianne Volz trying to do therapy on Flower Alley and wondering why she's not covered with bite marks (or worse).
I'll remember an August with almost perfect weather (once that horrific first week of stifling heat was over).
I'll remember the palpable emotion in the air at the dedication of the farriers' memorial behind the Oklahoma training track. And how surprised I was when Pat Day popped out of a golf cart and led everyone in prayer. He said that horseshoers had saved his life by keeping the horses safe. I'd not thought of it that way.
I'll remember the farmers' market in Saratoga and how nice it was to fill my car up with fresh vegetables for the long drive home.
I'll remember the easy-going attitude of everyone at the Parting and the bartenders' sincere attempts to try to understand just what laminitis is.
I'll remember the first time I entered the state park in Saratoga; I hadn't been there since I was in high school. All those trees. The architecture. The gardens. And the Gideon Putnam hotel, such a perfect place to stay. If only they allowed dogs.
I'll remember the school-girl thrill I got the first time I saw Funny Cide and Showing Up, just lounging in their stalls in Barclay Tagg's meticulous shedrow.
I'll remember a stolen hour when I was able to browse through the horse books at the Lyrical Ballad bookstore on Phila Street, with Don and Diana Walsh. That has to be one of my favorite places on earth. What a treat.
I'll remember standing next to Bluegrass Cat and one of Pletcher's handlers saying softly, "Suave, suave" and hearing it echo'd by the other handlers to the four other stallions tapdancing on the pavement. It sounded more like a Tibetan prayer chant than a horseman's command. (And "suave" they did, once each was efficiently hosed down, rewrapped, and sent to his stall.)
I'll remember the horseshoers, especially the parade of them through Butch Colbert's farrier supply trailer every Wednesday morning. So many new friends.
I never did get to wander through the shops on Broadway...or eat at Hattie's Chicken Shack...and I still haven't been to Yaddo. I suppose if I'd done it all and seen it all, there would be no reason to come back and I want to be very sure I have plenty of reasons to return to Saratoga next August.
We have great memories of this year to carry around in our hearts like so many talismen against change. There is always that feeling that even though it has been there for 250 years, this place is just too good to be true. It can't possibly last...but I sure hope it does.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
It's Saratoga Time!
My fingers are itching to flip the calendar over to August, because that will mean it is time to head to Saratoga, where Hoofcare & Lameness will have a satellite office this summer.
Be sure to let me know if you will be in Saratoga, and let's get together.
Plans are for a series of Tuesday night gatherings in the out-back function room at The Parting, a favorite traditional Irish restaurant and pub on Lake Avenue, just a block off Broadway.
Here's the schedule:
8 August--"New Product Night"--lots of samples and information on new products from our advertisers, or just come and say hello! We'll have plenty to talk about!
15 August--Come by after the dedication of the farriers memorial at the Oklahoma track; later in the evening, a wonderful presentation on new laminitis research for prevention, causes and treatment by Dr Don Walsh of Pacific Equine Hospital and the Animal Health Foundation. He raises the funds for Dr Chris Pollitt, Katy Watts, Phil Johnson and other leading researchers.
22 August--"Make history, not horseshoes". This is a marathon event; daytime events a few miles away at the Burden Iron Works in Troy, site of the world's largest horseshoe factory back at the turn of the century. I will post more about that event. In the evening, come by the office at the Parting Glass and meet Ada Gates, the first woman to be licensed as a farrier on a USA racetrack. She now owns Harry Patton Horseshoeing Supplies in Los Angeles and guess what! Her great grandfather was Henry Burden, of Burden Iron Works fame. This evening fun is sponsored by Life Data Labs, who helped us launch the Tuesday evening sessions last year.
What to expect: This is one Saratoga night out where you won't need a black tie, a designer dress, or big wads of cash. You can help me post to this blog, maybe, or show me photos of your boat or your horse or your latest work project. Meet some other people, see some new things, maybe have a laugh. I travel a lot in the winter and see people at trade shows and events, but these Tuesday nights are a chance to slow down and just enjoy your company!
The phone number for the satellite office in Saratoga is . Look for me in the morning on the backside or check our ad in The Saratoga Special. I'll be the one taking photos of feet. I will also post updates on this blog.
Be sure to let me know if you will be in Saratoga, and let's get together.
Plans are for a series of Tuesday night gatherings in the out-back function room at The Parting, a favorite traditional Irish restaurant and pub on Lake Avenue, just a block off Broadway.
Here's the schedule:
8 August--"New Product Night"--lots of samples and information on new products from our advertisers, or just come and say hello! We'll have plenty to talk about!
15 August--Come by after the dedication of the farriers memorial at the Oklahoma track; later in the evening, a wonderful presentation on new laminitis research for prevention, causes and treatment by Dr Don Walsh of Pacific Equine Hospital and the Animal Health Foundation. He raises the funds for Dr Chris Pollitt, Katy Watts, Phil Johnson and other leading researchers.
22 August--"Make history, not horseshoes". This is a marathon event; daytime events a few miles away at the Burden Iron Works in Troy, site of the world's largest horseshoe factory back at the turn of the century. I will post more about that event. In the evening, come by the office at the Parting Glass and meet Ada Gates, the first woman to be licensed as a farrier on a USA racetrack. She now owns Harry Patton Horseshoeing Supplies in Los Angeles and guess what! Her great grandfather was Henry Burden, of Burden Iron Works fame. This evening fun is sponsored by Life Data Labs, who helped us launch the Tuesday evening sessions last year.
What to expect: This is one Saratoga night out where you won't need a black tie, a designer dress, or big wads of cash. You can help me post to this blog, maybe, or show me photos of your boat or your horse or your latest work project. Meet some other people, see some new things, maybe have a laugh. I travel a lot in the winter and see people at trade shows and events, but these Tuesday nights are a chance to slow down and just enjoy your company!
The phone number for the satellite office in Saratoga is . Look for me in the morning on the backside or check our ad in The Saratoga Special. I'll be the one taking photos of feet. I will also post updates on this blog.
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What's special about this photo is that it was taken minutes after the finish of the Kentucky Derby. My guess is that Mine That Bird's camp had not done a dress rehearsal of where to go and what to do if the horse won and would be headed to the winner's circle.
Charlie Figueroa has been Mine That Bird's groom and exercise rider throughout the Triple Crown, as well as Chip Woolley's legs while the trainer has been on crutches. Charlie normally works at the farm back in New Mexico, where he breaks and trains the young horses.
I've seen a hundred pictures of this man in the past couple of months and he's been smiling in most of them. But the smile on his face in this photo, when he's just grabbed his muddy horse out of the winner's circle to bring him back to the barn, is very special. You can almost see the lift in his walk. He's a happy man.
After all that racing has been through lately, the Triple Crown seemed to have an angel looking over it, even though Friesan Fire and Dunkirk are now out with fractures, I Want Revenge has fetlock ligament damage, and we're still waiting for Florida Derby winner Quality Road to get back to the races after recovering from his matching front and hind quarter cracks.
They've gone to the four winds: Pioneerof The Nile with his hot fit flames is back to California. Belmont winner Summer Bird is headed to Louisiana. Mine That Bird's team seems to understandably like it at Churchill Downs, where rumor has it that the Kentucky Derby Museum has asked Chip Woolley for his crutches when he's ready to walk on his own again.
The Triple Crown may be over, but in six weeks, the sun will be glowing through the fog in Saratoga at dawn, the way it always does and the way it always has. With luck, these three-year-old horses we've come to know and maybe even Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra will give the racing tribe some thrills at America's oldest track.
Charlie, his big smile, and his fast little horse would fit right in.
See you there!
Hoofcare Publishing will host a series of informal educational events in Saratoga during the race meet on Tuesday evenings. Watch this blog for more details of speakers and sponsors, or email Saratoga@hoofcare.com for more details about attending or sponsoring. The blog will come alive! Most events are held either at the Parting Pub's back room or at the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame.