How Much is a Famous Horse's Shoe Worth? Derby Winner Orb's Raceplate on eBay Today

A horseshoe worn by 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb is being auctioned today on eBay. The auction benefits equine research.

People often what a shoe from a famous horse is worth. The answer isn't easy. Authentication is tough, and fraud could be rampant.

Have there ever been horseshoes on PBS's "Antique Road Show"? History Channel's "Pawn Stars" authenticated a horseshoe as having been on Secretariat's hoof based on the brand. Yet secretariat.com says that Secretariat always wore Victory plates. Most of the "authentic" shoes auctioned off as having been on Secretariat seem to be Thoro'bred plates. Will we ever know?

Secretariat's Death by Laminitis, Revisited: The Night America Learned About Laminitis

Do you remember where you were on October 4, 1989? Maybe you hadn't even been born. Or maybe you still remember that feeling of loss, of stunned disbelief, that the horse to end all horses was no longer in a paddock somewhere in Kentucky. 

Only a disease as powerful and mysterious as laminitis to stop him.

Good Luck Reading My Shoe: The Rest of the Story about Secretariat's Raceplate Auction on eBay to Benefit Charity!

One of the original shoes worn by Secretariat in his Futurity Stakes win at New York's Belmont Park on September 16, 1972, has been put up for auction on eBay by Secretariat.com, the official website of Secretariat. The shoe was mounted on a wooden plaque by the late Jim Gaffney, Secretariat's exercise rider for Meadow Stable from April 1972 through May 1973.

That day--September 16, 1972--was Penny Chenery's father's 86th birthday. She called him at a hospital in New Rochelle, New York where he was a patient to give him the news that their horse had won--again! The nurse informed her that he already knew that, according to the account in Bill Nack's book.

That day was also the day of Bull Hancock's funeral. He was the owner of Claiborne Farm, the great character in the film Secretariat who stares Penny Chenery down with the coin toss to see who gets the colt. Again, according to Bill Nack, he was buried at Paris (Kentucky) Cemetery, at about the time that Lucien Lauren was saddling Secretariat for the Belmont Futurity.

Working in concert with groom Eddie Sweat and regular Meadow Stable farrier George Collins, Gaffney collected many of Secretariat's racing plates, meticulously cataloging each one as the colt was routinely shod. The Futurity shoe was obtained on October 8, 1972, when Secretariat was re-shod after winning the Futurity Stakes and prior to his following race, a winning effort in the Champagne Stakes. The Futurity was Secretariat's third stakes victory and his first start at Belmont Park.

The Futurity shoe, from Secretariat’s left front hoof, is mounted on a wooden plaque with blue metal backing, and it contains a plate engraved by Gaffney that identifies the race. On the reverse side of the plaque, the frame has the handwritten inscription documenting the mounting by Gaffney along with the individual identification numbers. The plaque is signed by the Meadow Racing Stable team of Gaffney, owner Penny Chenery, and Secretariat's Hall of Fame winning jockey, Ron Turcotte. The shoe is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and the official winner's circle photo from the race.

The nails from Secretariat's shoes were saved too, and you can buy them. Note that this is a Japanese Izumi nail. Now there's a bit of Secretariat trivia for you!

I shared the eBay photo of the shoe with Ed Kinney, president of Thoro'Bred Racing Plate Company, Inc. of Anaheim, California, which manufactured the shoe. Ed confirmed that, as far as he knew, Secretariat wore Thoro'Bred plates throughout his racing career. This shoe is what is called in racing circles a "low toe", referring to the height of the toe grab, and Ed estimated the size to be a 5 or 6. Neither of us could read the size on the shoe in the photo.

Here's what Ed said in an email, "It is a Thoro'bred Low Toe Front shoe.  The size is hard to see, it is either a 5 or 6.  The two marks under the number indicate Low Toe. I would say that it is authentic.  He raced in our shoes his entire career to my knowledge. (My) Dad knew George Collins, and the name is familiar to me too, but I don't remember, sorry."

The most interesting thing we noticed about the shoe are the little bumps back by the heels. These would be what's left of copper rivets that held either a felt or leather pad. Why did a two-year-old colt need a pad? Nowhere in Bill Nack's Big Red of Meadow Stable is there a mention that the horse had a definite problem, although he does mention rumors that Secretariat was not sound at that time. Did his soles sting? Did he have some kind of an infection? And what did Jim Gaffney do with the pad? We know he kept the nail heads--wouldn't he have kept the pad, too?

Here's a front Thoro'bred raceplate, also attributed to Secretariat, that was auctioned off by Claiborne Farm. It's a different shape from the two-year-old shoe, and perhaps a different size. Presumably this would be one pulled off Secretariat when he arrived in Kentucky from New York to stand at stud. He would have still had his raceplates on, so it would make sense that Claiborne Farm would have them.

If anyone reading this knows anything about George Collins, I would surely like to know more about him.

Proceeds from the sale of this shoe will benefit the Secretariat Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization created by Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery to assist the Thoroughbred industry in the areas of research, rehabilitation, retirement and recognition.

The auction will end December 19th at 9:00 p.m. (ET). As I write this, 60 bids have been placed on the shoe, which is now up to $5,950 and expected to go much higher. Bidding ends on Sunday, December 19, 2010 at 3:22 p.m. EST.

I noticed that there is another shoe up for auction on eBay that says it is off Secretariat; it is priced at $3500 (not an auction) and is for sale loose. That's not the one for the fundraiser!

© 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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Hoofcare@WEG: Paparazzi Moments at the World Equestrian Games

Great Britain's Eventing Team Farrier Brendan Murray carried the British flag into the arena for his country in the opening ceremony. All the British riders followed him.

Here's a great story: Backstage at the opening ceremonies on the first night of WEG, almost 60 nations' riders were lining up. It was an endless line of happy people in national uniforms with video cameras, cell phones, signs, stuffed animals, and noisemakers. They were ready to have fun, although they were clearly honored to be there and be representing their countries.

Ahead of each nation walked three young girls in jockey silks. They carried a sign with the country's name. Next came an individual rider who carried the flag, and then the mass of riders followed the flagbearer.

The rider who carried the flag was elected by the riders. I saw Karen O'Connor carrying the US flag. I saw dressage great Isabell Werth carrying the German flag. The Crown Prince of Dubai carried the flag of the United Arab Emirates. Eventing rider Andrew Nicholson carried the flag of New Zealand.

So I did a double-take when Great Britain gathered at the in-gate to march in. I scrambled for my camera, even though it was totally dark outside. I hoped for a super-flash, just this once. And I got it.

Farrier Brendan Murray was carrying the British flag. It really was Brendan! I found out later that Brendan is retiring as the eventing farrier for the British team; he's been to who-knows-how-many World Equestrian Games and Olympics as the team farrier, and this WEG will be his last. So, apparently, as a show of support and appreciation, the riders elected him to carry the flag.

I still get a little teary-eyed when I look at this picture.

But at the end of the parade of nations, all but one country had passed. As the host nation, the US was last and backstage there was a mass of people getting ready to march into the arena. I took a big gulp when I saw that the girl who lived around the corner from me back in Shirley, Massachusetts had been chosen to carry the flag for the USA. Karen Lende O'Connor was leading the pack of US riders into the arena, and rightfully so. Who ever thought either of us would be here? Wait until I tell the gang back home.

I barely had a chance to wipe my eyes when not three feet from me was another familiar face. Stephen Teichman, US Team Farrier, was marching into the arena with the riders and looked fantastic. He belongs with them; I know how hard he works and I was thrilled to see him.

I could only wonder who might come by next.

But that wasn't the last great moment of that night; there would be many more, including standing next to Muhammed Ali--who ever thought I'd be able to say that? Even at his age and in his health condition, you feel something, as if he could still float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. The man still has it!

I tried to explain some of the USA cultural and horse things to the UAE team (although they insisted that the Saddlebreds were from Poland, no matter what I said); they had never heard of Wynona Judd but the Crown Prince nodded his head when he heard "My Old Kentucky Home" and smiled, "Kentucky Derby song!" They weren't impressed with William Shatner at all until I explained that he was Captain Kirk in Star Trek, then they paid attention.

"Look who's here!" Farrier Hans Albrecht on the Red Carpet at the premiere of Secretariat, by Fran Jurga on the Pavement.

I had a lot of paparazzi competition tonight at the Lexington (Kentucky) premiere of the Disney film Secretariat, starring Diane Lane and John Malkovich. It was such an honor to be invited but I couldn't resist the red carpet. If I stood there, all the celebrities would pass by and I could snap their photos! Here comes the first wave now! They're actors from Hollywood, for sure. Ready, focus...

Hey, wait just a darn minute! That's Hans Albrecht, a farrier from California, or Lexington, depending on how long you've known him. Someone from the Hoofcare + Lameness community was strutting down the red carpet!

I don't know what Hans was doing there or what his connection to the film is nor did I run into him later in the night, as I told him I would. But from now on, he's "Hollywood Hans", in my book. He looked right at home on the red carpet!

I'll never make it as a real paparazzi, since I don't have the nerve to stick my camera in someone's face. I notice that my photos of all the famous riders at the Games seem to be of their backs and all the photos of the famous horses seem to be of their feet--perhaps so only I can match them up.

But every once in a while, the little camera in my pocket comes in handy and I know I'm in the right place at the right time. Brendan and Hans were having the times of their lives when I snapped these two photos. My camera caught that moment for each of them--and for all of you--and saved it forever.

© 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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Hoofcare@WEG: Educational Events for Hoof Blog Readers

Ok, horse world, it's time to plan how and when you're going to take in the opportunities waiting for you in Lexington, Kentucky over the next few weeks. And the opportunities abound, with more events being announced each day. Whether you come for a day or a week, and whether you stay in a penthouse or pitch a tent, you'll never forget this.

Think of it as Woodstock for the horse world.

The World Equestrian Games, along with downtown Lexington's International Equestrian Festival, have a great lineup of both hoofcare and lameness related events coming up over the next three weeks. Both events have trade shows with horse health exhibits; there is a third horse expo in Georgetown, Kentucky (on the north side of the Kentucky Horse Park) as well (featuring legendary trainer John Lyons), and the wonderful Secretariat Festival on Saturday, October 2 in Paris, Kentucky sounds like fun.

The education kicks off on Wednesday with the AAEP/Rood and Riddle/Alltech Veterinary Sport Horse Symposium . Familiar speakers from the Hoof Blog at the conference include Drs. Jean-Marie Denoix, Scott Morrison, Scott Pleasant, and Jeff Thomason among many others. Dr Simon Collins from Dr. Chris Pollitt's Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit at the University of Queensland was a late cancellation.

On Friday, the AAEP and Rood and Riddle will host A Winning Edge: Promoting Peak Performance in Equine Athletes with speakers like Dr. Hilary Clayton and farrier Rodney King on the roster of widely respected names.

The Games begin on Saturday at the Kentucky Horse Park, with the opening ceremonies. The hoofcare education continues with daily lectures and demonstrations at Rood and Riddle's pavilion within the huge Alltech exhibition hall. Farrier Michael DeLeonardo will be working on thermography imaging demonstrations for Equine IR, the company that is providing free scans for the competition horses. USA team farrier Steve Teichman is speaking at the Draper Equine Therapy booth, and the Horse Park's farrier shop has just received a decor upgrade, thanks to Farrier Product Distribution.

In downtown Lexington at the International Equestrian Festival, hoofcare activities range from the Kentucky Horseshoeing School's live demonstrations to a six-lecture full seminar by Dr. Ric Redden and the heart-warming encore of Ada Gates Patton's Hoofcare@Saratoga presentation, "Debutante to Blacksmith".

The American Farrier's Association has assembled a rotating able-bodied crew of volunteer farriers who are covering various phases of the Games. Watch for farrier chairman Thom Gabel and his crews to be both providing services to teams as needed in the barn area and to be standing by ringside during events in their "official farrier" capacity. And if they need administrative support, they won't have far to go, since their national headquarters office is located right in the Horse Park.

Last but not least, Lexington opens its heart on Sunday night, October 3rd, for the premiere of the new Disney film, Secretariat, starring Diane Lane and John Malkovich. You can bet there will be plenty of Secretariat fans among the eventing spectators in Lexington that weekend. Ironically, the premiere will be the night before the anniversary of the day that Secretariat died, October 4th. Surely this will bring to mind why Secretariat died--he had laminitis--and stimulate discussion about how progress is coming on preventing and treating and understanding one of world's most elusive, painful and frustrating diseases.

Watch the Hoof Blog for lots of news and a full schedule about all these activities and many more as they approach. No matter what your interest in horses or hooves, the new few weeks in Lexington will be a feast for your senses and your mind. I hope to meet you while we're there! Send an email if you'd like to get together: blog (at) hoofcare.com. Follow the Blog's hoof-related Tweets from WEG on Twitter.com under @HoofcareJournal and general WEG Tweets under @FranJurga.

© 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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Secretariat Was Never For Sale, But His Photo Is (and with a discount, too!)

Yes, yesterday's mystery foal photo was a trick, to get you into the spirit of the April 1 Holiday! Thanks to all the clever people out there who recognized The Great One in his youth. As Denise said, "The three white sox gave it away!"

Hats off Lynne Myers of Vettec, who was the first to email in the correct answer.

Tom thought he looked wormy and ribby. I actually liked the ribby part. In recent years, I think foals and yearlings are groomed (and fed) to lose their youthfulness as quickly as possible and develop a filled-out horse body, for their presentation to buyers. Of course now that steroids would presumably not be allowed in the yearlings sales, we won't have people saying, "I bought a yearling at the sale and he didn't turn out to be as big as he looked."

Secretariat was the real thing. Big, but balanced.

To celebrate his birthday, The Hoof Blog has a special offer for you from Secretariat.com, where this image lives. Leonard has graciously offered to give a discount to any Hoof Blog reader who would like to purchase a high-quality print of this foal image over the next two weeks; the photo has never been for sale before.

You can even have it signed by Mrs. Chenery. (She was Secretariat's owner--but you knew that!).

The image is 10x8 and would love very nice in a frame. Just go to secretariat.com and find this page:
http://secretariatcom.stores.yahoo.net/base.html
which shows both a plain photo (nice!) of this image or an enhanced poster-type image.

On the order form there should be space for a code. Enter the word OATS in the code box and Secretariat.com will know that you came from the Hoof Blog; you'll get a $5 discount on either item. The offer is good until April 15. The print would make a lovely gift or award.

While you're at Secretariat.com, take a look around. They have some lovely memorabilia--even castings of the nails from Secretariat's shoes worn in the Belmont!

So...since we have so many smart people reading this blog...what was the name of Secretariat's horseshoer? Like Man o' War's Mr. McDermott, this gentleman was sort of overlooked in all the books about Secretariat. He's another Lost Legend! Did you know that every shoe ever nailed onto Secretariat was saved, from his earliest shoes? And even the nails were kept.

One of Secretariat's shoes was given to then-President Richard Nixon.

And don't forget that The Meadow, Secretariat's home farm in Virginia, is being turned into a horse park, and there will be a vet-farrier center built in honor of Dr. Britt (Secretariat's vet) and our friend, the late Edgar Watson. Donations are being sought to build the center and you can help! Click here to read more about The Meadow and the building fund.

© 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.

Favorite Photo: This Horse Was In Good Hands

by Fran Jurga | 11 March 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

"You're in Good Hands" by Dwight Usry

This photo just showed up in my email a while ago. I thought it was quite beautiful...and even moreso when I realized what I was looking at.

This horse's toe crack has been patched with PMMA adhesive, which will harden into a shell-like covering that closely mimics the hoof wall. Plastic wrap is placed over the material while it sets and the farrier is smoothing the big patch as it goes through its processes from a pastey liquid to a solid when it is exposed to the air after mixing the two parts together.

The same procedure is used to build up heels, fill in gaps in the wall or sometimes cover a quarter crack patch. A similar process was used in the 2008 Triple Crown by hoof repair specialist Ian McKinlay in his work on Big Brown's separations and crack. The material also can be used to glue shoes onto hooves.

By feeling the texture and heat through the plastic, the farrier will know when it is safe to put the foot down. Once hardened, the patch can be rasped and shaped and may be indistinguishable from the "real" wall at the quarters if the job is done with skill.

You can be pretty sure that was the case here; those long fingers that look like they should belong to an artist or musician were Mr. Edgar Watson's, an expert farrier from Keswick, Virginia. Eddie died this fall, and the farrier world hasn't been the same since.

I'd like to thank Dwight Usry of Peak's Forge in Hanover, Virginia for sharing this photo.

Architect's drawing of the Britt-Watson Veterinarian/Farrier Facility to be built in Virginia in memory of farrier Eddie Watson. The location is The Meadow Event Center; The Meadow is the farm where Secretariat was foaled. The farm was recently taken over as a horse show park and will be the new site of the Virginia State Fair.

Be sure to watch for news of Dwight's fundraiser for the Britt-Watson Veterinarian/Farrier Facility to be built in Mr. Watson's memory at The Meadow Event Park, a new horse park and home for the state fair, built on the farm in Doswell, Virginia where Secretariat was born. Farrier Product Distribution (FPD) has already kicked off the fundraising with a $1000 donation. If you'd like to chip in, I can fax the donation form to you or click here to send Dwight an email.

© 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.

Secretariat's Nail Head Cast in Silver to Raise Laminitis Research Funds

Secretariat.com has announced a commemorative line of jewelry designed and cast from an original nail from one of the shoes worn by Himself in his superlative 1973 Belmont Stakes performance.

Sales from this jewelry line are earmarked to benefit continued research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's New Bolton Center towards finding a cure for laminitis, the debilitating and deadly disease that cut short the lives of both Secretariat and 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro.

Each piece in the Belmont Nail Jewelry Series is cast in solid sterling silver from an officially authenticated shoe nail worn by Secretariat during his record breaking 31 length victory to claim the Triple Crown. The nail head sports what I believe is the Izumi starburst pattern, unless there were other nails in 1973 that had star logos on the head.

The original nail - obtained when the champion was re-shod two weeks after the Belmont - was carefully catalogued and preserved until retrieved for casting. The nail jewelry is available in either a satin (shown) or polished finish measuring just over 1.15" in length and comes with a certificate card in its own embossed packaging.

While the original nail was recently valued at more than $6000 (wouldn't you love to know who the appraiser was?), the Belmont Nail Jewelry Series affords racing fans and collectors alike the chance to pay tribute to Secretariat and his historic legacy while combining horse fashion with charitable efforts that can make a difference in the equine world.

View all the many designs sporting the nail fragment at http://secretariatcom.stores.yahoo.net/benaje.html

Now if we could just see the shoes...