What's the Antithesis of Natural Horsemanship? Meet No Horsemanship: Robotic Horse Training on a Sanitized Track

Call this the round pen backlash. Or high technology's answer to the average human's inability to train a horse. Several sources on the web have pointed me to a web site for what appears to be an Eastern European group that is promoting horse training systems that remove the influence of humans from the conditioning process.

Did you ever wonder what Disney World did with ride parts when they go through periodic renovations?

Kurt Equine Systems of course would appeal to a trainer who has more horses than exercise riders. Or someone who needs to condition multiple endurance horses but simply does not have the time to get them all ridden. There are also problems with weather and reliable help and many other variables in training that can make you dream of a "system" that would get all the horses moving and know when to quit.

Watching this video, I thought I was in a bizarre futuristic equine science fiction film. Dr Who goes to the racetrack? But the racetrack has been sanitized, and the only people in sight are in the control room--or are those robots, too?

The web site promo doesn't give many details; it tells us that these systems work for either horses or camels, so that is a broad hint to me that this prototype has been installed in the Middle East, possibly in Qatar, Saudi or The Emirates, although I think if it was in the UAE I would have heard about it. Someone would have called me from the World Cup back in March and said, "You MUST see this!"

I present this to you only as a wonderment. No comments, just wonderment. I knew when I posted the video of the Seawalker system for hoof rehab that someone would have to top it. And this is way over the top!

Link to individual video clips of horse monorail and robotic training systems.

For the time being, I think exercise riders still have job security but if Todd Pletcher's string gets much larger...

Pergolide Cleared for Equine Veterinary Use by FDA

This announcement just in from the FDA:

May 11, 2007

CVM Working to Address Concerns about Supplies of Pergolide for Horses

The Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is aware that veterinarians and horse owners are concerned about the issuance of an FDA Public Health Advisory (PHA), www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/pergolide.htm, detailing the removal of pergolide products from the market. Pergolide, a drug used to manage the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in humans, is being removed from the market due to concerns about cardiac side effects.

CVM recognizes that veterinarians are prescribing pergolide for the treatment of Cushing’s Syndrome in horses. Veterinarians have been prescribing the drug under the provisions of the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act which allows veterinary practitioners to prescribe approved human drugs for “extralabel” use in animals.

FDA is working with the sponsors of the approved products and all other interested parties to ensure that pergolide remains available to treat Cushing’s Syndrome in horses until a new animal drug application is approved for that use. This includes trying to make the approved product available through veterinary distribution channels and exercising enforcement discretion as appropriate over the pharmacy compounding of pergolide. Bulk substance used for pharmacy compounding should be labeled for “animal use only.” All pharmacy compounding must be done under a valid veterinary prescription to treat an affected horse.

Although the sponsor has stopped marketing pergolide for human use, CVM will also work with sponsors who are interested in seeking approval of a new animal drug application for the use of pergolide to treat Cushing’s Syndrome in horses.

For more information, contact Christopher Melluso, DVM, at Christopher.Melluso@fda.hhs.gov or (240) 276-9065.

New Lameness Treatments: IRAP™ Therapy

One of several new high-tech treatments for equine lameness is the creation of an enriched serum injection for horses with potential joint damage. "IRAP" is not a new hip-hop group; it's a therapy that has quickly made its own place at the table of equine therapy, especially for sport horses and racehorses whose owners expect a return to the previous level of soundness and performance...in the shortest possible length of time.

Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein (IRAP™) therapy works like this: the veterinarian, often a surgeon or lameness specialist, injects a horse’s affected joint with serum that contains anti-inflammatory proteins that block the harmful effects of Interleukin-1 (IL-1), an inflammatory cytokine that has been shown to accelerate destruction of cartilage during osteoarthritis. (A cytokine is a chemical secreted by the immune system to attack infections and damaged or dying cells.)

What makes the process a little complicated is that Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a quite normal part of the horse's inflammatory response but it can sometimes be detrimental to a horse's joints and accelerate damage to cartilage there. IRAP™ creates a barrier that prevents IL-1 from having its damaging effect.

Since the serum sample is derived from the horse’s own blood, there is minimal risk of an adverse reaction. The incubated serum also does not contain any drugs.

The treatment process consists of drawing a blood sample using a special syringe containing glass beads. The blood is incubated for 24 hours and a centrifuge separates the serum from the red blood cells. The serum, now enriched with Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein, is divided into three or four doses. The horse receives one dose injected into the affected joint once weekly for three to five weeks.

A quick check around the web found that quite a few vet clinics are promoting IRAP therapy. Here are some comments from veterinarians:

Dr. Laura Werner of The Equine Center in San Luis Obispo, California: "The reason IRAP is so exciting is its potential for a long-term effect on battling osteoarthritis. Whereas some of the therapies might only have short-term effect, IRAP has the potential to stop the cartilage matrix from being degraded and increase healing. IRAP has the ability to stop the inflammation cycle and bring comfort to your horse. The research on IRAP is ongoing but the results have been very encouraging."

Dr. Laurie Tyrrell of Virginia Equine Imaging: "IRAP can also be used as maintenance therapy throughout a competition season to reduce the amount of steroid use. IRAP therapy is not for every horse. There are some factors that make a horse a less successful candidate; however the therapy shows great promise for horses that have become refractory to traditional management of osteoarthritis, as well as offering an alternative therapy for those worried about excessive use of corticosteroids."

According to the web site of Steinbeck Country Equine Clinic in Salinas, California: "Coffin joints and stifles that don’t respond well to steroid injections seem to be the most popular condition to treat (with IRAP therapy). Reactions are uncommon largely due to the fact that it is the patient’s own serum."

IRAP is one of the many therapies and treatments that will be on the program of the 4th International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot to be held in West Palm Beach, Florida, from November 2-4.

Pergolide Update: Resource Blog Launched for Horse Owners Concerned about Drug Ban

Above: a horse shows common signs of Cushings disease, including the telltale long coat that does not shed. Horse owners report a rapid improvement of the appearance of horses when they receive pergolide as a medication for Cushings disease. Photo courtesy of our friend, Dr. Christian Bingold.

A proactive horse owner in Pennsylvania has pleaded her case for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) release of the Parkinson's disease drug "pergolide" for equine veterinary use by enlisting the power of the broadcast media. Horseowner Judy Amick and her veterinarian were interviewed for a story that ran on the 5:00 news yesterday on WJAC-TV6, the NBC affiliate in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Pergolide is widely used to medicate horses suffering with Cushings disease. Many people credit oral pergolide medication with controlling their horses' Cushings symptoms, especially the periodic low-grade laminitis that is a common side effect of the disease.

Recently, pergolide was removed from the US drug market by the FDA because of side effects experienced by human users.

Horse owners say that their horses have no side effects, and that the drug is actually keeping horses alive that would have to be euthanized without the drug.

Click on this link to watch a clip from the segment: http://www.wjactv.com/news/13288711/detail.html?rss=john&psp=news

The withdrawal of pergolide has been a call to arms for Pennsylvania veterinary expert and author Eleanor Kellon VMD. She is the resident medication expert on the 5000-member "Cushings list" discussion group on Yahoo.com. The discussion group helps support owners of horses with Cushings or insulin resistance problems.

To mobilize of horse owners to take action in the pergolide situation, Kellon has launched a blog designed to give details on the drug's political battles, and to give owners resources for letterwriting and petitions.

Click on this link to go to the new blog: http://pergolideaction.blogspot.com/

"This site has been started to keep (people) current on the latest information in the fight to keep pergolide available for our horses," Kellon writes of the new blog. "There is at present no viable alternative to pergolide to control Cushing's Disease (PPID) or to stave off the debilitating, often painful and life-threatening side effects of this disease."

Kellon encourages horse owners to sign the "Save Pergolide" petition, and use the site's links to write to federal and state officials, elected representatives, equine veterinarian associations, state horse councils and groups.

Martin Deacon Wins 2007 Farriers Prize at Badminton Horse Trials

At the prestigious (and grueling) Badminton Horse Trials in the Cotswold district of England this weekend, one of the world's best farrier competitions was held, and there were no anvils or forges in sight.

Each year, Badminton presents The Farriers Prize, which is a "Plaque to Owner and Farrier of the Best Shod Horse." As I recall, the horses put forward for the prize are inspected and evaluated by a representative of the Worshipful Company of Farriers.

In the past two years, the winners were Welsh farrier teammates and world champion competitive farriers, James Blurton and Billy Crothers. Another year, I remember the prize going to Sam Head, son of Mac Head FWCF, for his shoeing job on one of William Fox-Pitt's horses.

This year's winner was Top 12 finisher Sarah Cohen's Hide and Seek II, and the winning farrier was Martin Deacon FWCF of Leicestershire, England. Sarah was also the highest-placed British rider this year.

Martin is a very well-known farrier in Britain, and a stalwart of the Worshipful Company of Farriers. He is also the author of one of the most popular books sold in the Hoofcare and Lameness library; No Foot No Horse (Foot Balance: The Key to Soundness and Performance) is Martin's treatise on using conventional balance paradigms to shoe both correct and crooked-legged horses. Portions of the book have been reprinted as articles in Hoofcare and Lameness over the years.

Photo of Clayton Fredericks presenting W P in Limbo at the initial vet inspection in front of Badminton House in Gloucestershire, England courtesy of Kit Houghton and Mitsubishi Motors. Yes, the game of badminton takes its name from this estate, although the game was brought back to England by British officers who had been stationed in India. When it was played at an 1873 party on the lawn on Badminton House, the home of the Duke of Beaufort, the nameless game became ever linked to the foxhunting estate.

Accelerometry for Track-to-Hoof Evaluation Funded in Canada

"Comparing track surfaces using accelerometry and strain measurements on the hoof as biomechanical indicators of the hoof track interaction" is the title of a study that has received second-year funding at the university of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. Principle researchers are Drs. J. Thomason and A. Cruz.

The Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario recently joined both the Ontario Thoroughbred and Standardbred Racing Industry and private donors to fund Equine Guelph’s Research Program athe University of Guelph. This generous support has enabled the program to celebrate an important milestone with funds surpassing $500,000 for 2007-2008 for equine research.

Stem Cell Therapy for Suspensory Injury Shown on Vet Hospital Video

Here's a link to a video of a surgical procedure at the New England Equine Practice in Patterson, New York. This is one type of procedure for stem cell therapy. The surgeon extracts bone marrow from the horse's sternum to harvest stem cells, which are then injected into the tendon or ligament that is damaged.

The video is posted at this link:
http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070505/VIDEO/305050015&SearchID=73280174051805

More information on this type of therapy, which was developed by surgeon Roger Smith at the Royal Veterinary College in England, is at the web site of the Vetcell company, marketers of the procedure.

You can also read an article about New England Equine Practice's new surgical facilities and hospital.

All-women Jockeys in American Storyboard Classic at Suffolk Downs

Women will take over Suffolk Downs racetrack in Boston, Massachusetts on June 16. That will be the day of the premiere of the new documentary "Women in American Horse Racing," produced by American Storyboard, right here in Gloucester, Massachusetts, home of Hoofcare and Lameness Journal.

To highlight the film's premiere, Suffolk will run the inaugural American Storyboard Classic, a race in which all jockeys must be female.

The film is sponsored in part by Autotote and The Daily Racing Form.

More details at the American Storyboard website.

State Racing Commissioners Urged to Ban Toe Grabs

Bill Casner, owner of WinStar Farms in Kentucky and head of the committee on shoeing and hoof care that was formed out of the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit in January, addressed the Association of Racing Commissioners International last week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

His message? Toe grabs should be outlawed from US Thorougbred racetracks. California was the first state to officially ban shoes with grabs higher than 4 millimeters.

I'm still wondering who's going to pick up the feet of horses in the paddock to check...You can see turndowns and bends. A farrier can see a bar shoe. But unless the horse is standing on a firm, flat surface, will the horseshoe inspector really be able to tell how high or low the grab is?

Read the complete article on the Thoroughbred Times web site.

Mr. Casner subscribes to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Do you?

Photo of Steve Norman's hands and flat hind shoe at Churchill Downs by Dan Burke.

All HoofBlog text and images © Hoofcare Publishing 2007 unless otherwise noted. To learn more about new research, products, and treatments for the horse's hooves and legs as reported to veterinarians and farriers in the award-winning "Hoofcare & Lameness Journal", go to http://www.hoofcare.com

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

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

The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat

As if the ghost of Barbaro wasn't strong enough, I'll have the ghost of Secretariat lingering in my mind on Saturday, when the 133rd Kentucky Derby is run at Churchill Downs.

Secretariat's ghost will be larger than life thanks to the recent publication of a new book on the great horse. The Horse God Built by Lawrence Scanlan is the latest to go on an almost-full bookshelf on the big red horse.

I recommend this book with some reservations. The book claims to be the story of the relationship between Secretariat and his longtime groom, Eddie Sweat. Scanlan makes a noble attempt to recreate Eddie, who is now dead, but because of the time that has passed, Eddie cannot be separated from the bigger story of African Americans in racing. The author makes a few nods to the fact that racism and class discrimination existed on the racetrack in the 1970s, but he doesn't go there with conviction. Racist statements by trainers just hang in the air. Scanlan seems distracted, evidenced by musings throughout the book about his own horse and imagining what things were like for Eddie Sweat.

Most African Americans are gone from the backstretches of American tracks. Most are also gone from the horse farms where the horses are bred and raised. If that is so, why is it so? And who is Eddie's counterpart today? To me, that's the bigger story of this book, and Scanlan doesn't go there.

You might want to buy this book for the final chapter, called "Eulogy for a Horse." It describes the death and funeral of Secretariat, and has anecdotes about his autopsy, his gravesite, etc. I thought I had read everything about Secretariat, but I did not know how he died or where. I assumed that he had been euthanized in his stall when he suffered a relapse of laminitis. If Scanlan's report is correct--which he attributes to the farm manager and owner Penny Chenery--then I had been missing a big part of the story. In this case, ignorance was bliss.

The final chapter also tells the story of how Man 'o War died and his body laid in state in an open casket...thanks to the fact that he was embalmed. A human apparently requires two pints of embalming fluid; Man 'o War required 23. His funeral and all the speeches were broadcast live, by radio, across the country.

When Will Harbut, Man 'o War's longtime groom, died, the Blood-Horse obituary listed his survivors as "a wife, six sons, three daughters--and Man 'o War." The horse died a month after his groom.

From Will Harbut to Eddie Sweat to whoever snaps the leadline onto the bridle of Saturday's winner...what did these grooms have in common? If Circular Quay or Scat Daddy wins the Derby on Saturday, it may well be Todd Pletcher's groom Isabel who is there with the leadline. The media will love her but more importantly, they will see her, because she is a woman in a man's world, unlike Will and Eddie, who were nameless and faceless in their roles with superstar horses.

I'd like to thank Lawrence Scanlan for trying to piece together Eddie Sweat's story. It's a tall order. Most of all, I'd like to thank Eddie Sweat for having nurtured Secretariat into the horse we all will remember.

The Horse God Built is sold in bookstores everywhere but please try to purchase it from an independently-owned bookstore. You can also order it from Robin Bledsoe's horse bookshop in Cambridge, Massachusetts: 617 576 3634 or robin.bledsoe@verizon.net

Photo: Secretariat in full stride, winning the Gotham Stakes for three-year-olds in New York. Bob Congianese photo from the cover of The Horse God Built.