Gibbins Sold to Carl Bettison

The British farrier supply and apron manufacturer J&C Gibbins in Woodbridge in Suffolk had a big announcement to make at the recent trade show of the American Farrier's Association convention.

On Friday afternoon, owners John and Caroline Gibbins brought out a nice new jacket with their company logo on it. Emblazoned on it also was the name of Carl Bettison, best known as the public face of Stromsholm Ltd UK.

"We have enjoyed nearly 25 years serving the farriy trade and have now sold our business to Carl Bettison, who is running it as Gibbins UK Ltd.," they wrote in their announcement.

"It is our intention to continue to support Carl and the staff who now work for him, for as long as they need us," they continued.

"However, this seems an appropriate time for us to thank you all for the support and friendship you have given us over many years and to and to wish you continued success," the announcement ended.

The Gibbins product line has always centered on leather, and includes a well-designed farriers vest that has deep coverage in the rear. They also sell a delightfully British line of gardening aprons.

Hoofcare & Lameness has enjoyed working with and knowing John and Caroline Gibbins since they entered the trade in the early 1980s. They are two of the friendliest and most interesting tradespeople that have ever crossed the pond. I will miss them very much. I regret that I never had the chance to visit their seaside offices in England. And I'll look forward to working with Carl, of course, who is also a very old friend.

To learn more, visit http://www.gibbins.co.uk

Palm Beach Laminitis Conference Launches Web Site

Information will be posted at a new web site designed for speakers, attendees and exhibitors at the Fourth International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot, to be held November 3-5, 2007 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Learn more about the in-depth educational opportunities to be offered at http://www.laminitisconference.com.

U.S. subscribers to Hoofcare & Lameness Journal will receive invitations to attend in the mail in the next month or so.

AFA 2007 Convention Competition Winners Announced

The American Farrier's Association (AFA) hosted its annual international farrier competition with more than 60 farriers competing for belt buckles, trophies and lots of cash at the recent AFA Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Judges were Gerard Laverty CJF, TE of British Columbia, Jim Keith CJF of New Mexico, and Jim Poor CJF of Texas.

Here's a rundown of class winners:

1. Journeyman Shoes Class, sponsored by St Croix Forge, was won by Conrad Trow of Kentucky.

2. Hunter Shoes Class, sponsored by the Farrier Industry Association (FIA), was won by Mark Milster of Oklahoma.

3. Mustad Specialty Forging Class, sponsored by Mustad, was won by Darren Bazin of the United Kingdom.

4. 2-Man Draft Shoemaking Class, sponsored by Durasole, was won by Bill Poor of Texas & Bryce Burnett of Florida.

5. The North American Challenge Cup (NACC) Qualifying Class, with pins sponsored by Bloom Forge, was won by Billy Crothers of Wales.

6. The North American Challenge Cup (a.k.a. "Live Shoeing"), sponsored by Capewell, was won by Craig Trnka of New Mexico.

7. National High Point Winner Award, sponsored by Grant Moon & Bob Pethick, was won by Craig Trnka of New Mexico.

8. Overall High Point Winner, sponsored by Equine Forgings Ltd. was a tie between Billy Crothers & Craig Trnka.

9. The Shoeing Rig Contest was won by Glen Spradling of Texas.

10. The Shoe Case Classic was won by Gene Lieser of Texas.

11. The Vern Hornquist Class, sponsored by Myron McLane and Walt Taylor, was won by Dennis Manning of Utah.

Interesting statistics: in the main competition (not counting Vern's class), only 17 per cent of the prize winners were from east of the Mississippi, with three of them being from Kentucky. This is a complete reversal from 20 years ago, when prize winners from the Northeast dominated the prizes and the team placings.

Hoofcare & Lameness's unofficial "Marathon Man" award goes to Mark Milster of Oklahoma, whose name shows up on the finalists' list for five different classes.

British contestants showed up as finalists in all classes except the draft shoes class, which was traditionally dominated by the likes of Edward Martin, Jim and Allan Ferrie, and David Wilson, all from Scotland; no one from Scotland made the trip this year. Billy Crothers, who shared the high-point overall award with USA's Craig Trnka, is the reigning World Champion Blacksmith.

No word yet on who will represent the USA on the national farriers' team for 2007.

Thanks to rules committee chairman Myron McLane for sharing the results with Hoofcare & Lamenes.

Industry News: Intervet Purchased by Schering-Plough

This post could be sub-titled, "Banamine Buys Regumate."

News reports from Europe are confirming that Schering-Plough is acquiring Organon BioSciences (OBS), the parent company of Intervet, from Akzo Nobel, in a move that could create a new leader in the global animal health industry. The deal, said to be worth 11 billion Euros (US$14.4bn), was announced on Monday from the Netherlands headquarters of Schering-Plough.

The deal may place Schering-Plough at the top of animal health corporations worldwide by sales.

One of Schering-Plough's most familiar equine-market products is the anti-inflammatory Banamine. Intervet makes several widely-used vaccines, plus wormers like Panacur and specialty treatments like Regumate.

Read the press release from the Schering-Plough web site here.

How to Prevent Bloated Feet, Nigeria-Style

There is a "real world" out there for racehorses who don't summer in Saratoga or loll about in the misty Kentucky bluegrass mornings.

I hope you will take a second to read this blog post from a Swedish racehorse owner in Nigeria, who actually snapped a photo of an Arabian racehorse there being deliberately "bled" to prevent "bloated feet." His or her horse is the only one at the track that is not allowed to have its blood drained into the sand.

I came across this story because it was selected from all the horse blogs and horse posts on non-horse blogs for something called the "Horse Blog Carnival." If you follow that link, you can also read all the posts--and there are some very good ones--if you have a few minutes to spare.

AAEP Deadline Looms for 2007 Speakers

March 15 is the deadline for submission of proposals and abstracts to present research and techniques at the 53rd American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention to be held at the Gaylord Palms resort and conference center in Orlando, Florida, from December 1 to 5, 2007.

The AAEP uses a web-based submission system; full details are mapped out for you at the AAEP web site.

The annual AAEP convention is the largest horse-health event in the world. No word yet whether or not the AAEP will repeat the successful sub-conference for farriers concept that was launched at the 2006 convention in San Antonio.

Grayson Foundation Funds Research Study on Medication for IR Laminitis Prevention

The Jockey Club's Grayson Foundation announced its new round of funding this week, with a whopping $1.1 million to go to research.

One of the new projects addresses a medication for laminitis prevention in horses with so-called Equine Metabolic Syndrome, or insulin resistance.

Here's the Foundation's description of the new project, which will be conducted by Dr Frank Nicholas at the University of Tennessee:

Levothyroxine as a treatment for insulin resistance in horses (toward a defense against laminitis)
Nicholas Frank, University of Tennessee. First year, $25,638

Approximately one half of horses who develop laminitis are on pasture when the disease develops. Sugar content of grass is believed to trigger pasture laminitis, insulin resistance accounts for some horses being more susceptible than others. This team has already shown that levothyroxine (LT4) can be safely administered to horses, induces weight loss, and increases insulin sensitivity. It is even more effective when given to horses with insulin resistance (IR), obesity and laminitis. This disorder is referred to as equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), and the study of the disorder reveals valuable insights into the relationship between insulin sensitivity, factors such as body fat mass, thyroid hormone status and laminitis.

This study seeks to expand the numbers of horses from the 8 that have been reported up to 20, to gain statistical significance. Then statistically sound results will be available for further studies on LT4 and it’s effects on laminitis sensitivity. This will be a pivotal study because the results will establish LT4 as the first effective treatment for IR in horses that are highly susceptible to laminitis. This would confirm the authors’ hypothesis that LT4 can be used to prevent laminitis in at-risk horses by improving insulin sensitivity.

Hoofcare & Lameness will endeavor to keep track of this study and report to subscribers on any new developments on this and all related studies to help IR horses with their laminitis problems.

Another laminitis study, to be conducted at the Ohio State University by Dr. James Belknap will examine the potential use of lidocaine as a preventative of laminar damage in the acute phase of laminitis.

Michigan State University Posts Seminar "Slide Shows" on Web Site

The web site of Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine was enhanced recently with the addition of four "slide shows" from university clinicians on specific hoof-related problems in horses.

The slide shows are in Macromedia's "Breeze" program which mimics PowerPoint and can be controlled by the user.

The lectures, with links to each, are:

Foaling with Dr. Hal Schott (Cases from the neonatal critical care facility, including various congenital skeletal defects and one interested "windswept" foal in particular, which is shown in an embedded video)

Hoof Care of the Laminitic Horse with Dr. Frank Nickels

Fat, Foundered Horses (information on Insulin Resistance problems, or "Equine Metabolic Syndrome") with Dr. Hal Schott

Equine Cushing’s Disease with Dr. Hal Schott

Note: I am not sure about the effects of bandwith on the loading time of the images. Each presentation varies, with about 45 slides being the average. They loaded quite quickly with my DSL connection but I don't know how a dial-up connection would do. No special software is needed to view the files.

Thanks to Michigan State's Office of Publications editor Judy Lessard for announcing the web site update.

AFA Convention Update: Election Results

I had to leave the AFA convention early, unfortunately, and was not able to be at the general membership meeting to hear the election results. However, someone did bolt out of the meeting to phone me the results this afternoon.

Andrew Elsbree of New York is the new president-elect, and Dick Fanguy of Louisiana is the vice president. Almost 1000 votes were cast.

The AFA voted in a bylaw change recently which did away with the office of secretary and created the office of president-elect, which is designed to train the next AFA president.

Andrew and Dick join president Dave Ferguson of Maryland and treasurer John Blombach of Massachusetts as officers. Along with past president Craig Trnka of New Mexico and Board Representative Tom Troisin of California, they will make up the AFA's Executive Committee, which governs the organization. The Board is currently made up chapter presidents and commitee chairs, and the EC answers to the Board.

Congratulations to Andrew and Dick.

Congratulations also to Jeff Hampton of Washington and Irishman Gerard Laverty, now living in British Columbia, Canada. Both passed the AFA's highest certification level, the "Therapeutic Endorsement." Both Jeff and Gerard are subscribers to Hoofcare & Lameness Journal.

American Farrier's Association Forges into a New Era

Greetings from the 36th Annual American Farrier's Association in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A sizeable group of farriers, estimated at 600 or so, has gathered here for educational and business enrichment under the southwestern skies. A heart-warming number of veteran AFA members and old friends are in the crowd, and the trade show is packed with (as usual) with a lot of new products and new companies, as well as the stalwarts of the industry.

The big news so far in the convention has been the vote in the Board of Directors meeting to re-organize the AFA's governance system. The decision making team is currently made up of a slate of officers elected by dues-paying members. They in turn answer to a large board of directors representing 60 or so chapter associations, which are made up of farriers who may or may not be dues-paying AFA members.

On Tuesday this week, the Board voted to replace itself with a team of regional representatives elected by dues-paying AFA members. The chapters will no longer each send a representative to vote on AFA affairs, and the new board members and officers will act as a governing body. I believe that the new system will be put in place by 2008.

In other news, AFA President Dave Ferguson continues to lead the association. Support from the office staff is headed by the new education director, John Bonci.

The education program at the convention was much stronger than I think many attendees expected. The lectures were very well attended. Lecturers included Gene Ovnicek, Bob Racich DVM, Steve Teichman, Mark Caldwell FWCF, Noel Muller DVM, and many more.

The most controversial issue at the convention seems to be the takeover of the AFA competitions by the group known as World Championship Blacksmiths. This group plans to run a regional series of farriers competitions and would host a national championship at the AFA convention. The sides drawn up on this issue are unusual. Many people who are not competition supporters think it is a great idea for the AFA to separate itself from the "sport" aspect of the convention and concentrate on education. Others worry that the AFA is giving away a potential profit center. Still others base their opinions on personalities involved. I believe that the Board endorsed the WCB management plan in spirit but sent it to committee for more study, so this may be an ongoing story.

The Albuquerque Tribune has a nice article about the convention at this url:
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/mar/02/convention-horseshoers-forges-albuquerque/

And a clip of video from the competition at this url:
http://www.abqtrib.com/videos/2007/mar/02/44/

The AFA next heads to Lexington, Kentucky for its 2008 convention in February of next year.

Thanks to everyone who visited the Hoofcare & Lameness booth to renew their subscriptions, order books, or just to say hello. I enjoyed seeing everyone very much. It was also very gratifying to hear people mention that they check this blog often and enjoy reading it. That's great news!

Kentucky Farrier Errol Bradford Has Died

Longtime Kentucky farrier Errol Bradford died Tuesday after a six-month battle with cancer. He was 69.

Bradford was born in Ohio, but as a young man, he traveled west to work as a cowboy for the TS Ranch in Battle Mountain, Nevada. He was 19 when he joined the International Professional Rodeo Association and for six years competed in bull riding and saddle bronc events. At the end of those six years, Bradford had completed his apprenticeship as a farrier and began a 45-year-long career that would take him to some of the top barns in both Thoroughbred racing and the world of equestrian events.

In the racing industry, Bradford's clientele included Belmont S. (G1) victor Sarava, Grade 1 queen Gorella (Fr), Grape Tree Road [GB]) and multiple Grade 1 hero Harlan's Holiday. He also worked on such United States Equestrian Federation stars as the world-ranked Grand Prix jumper Charmed as well as Enchanted and Renaissance, both Horse of the Year in equestrian disciplines, for the Dillard family.

Bradford is survived by his wife, Sissy; their nine-year-daughter, Cora; and a son and two daughters from a previous marriage. A memorial fund has been established to provide educational assistance to Cora and the family asks in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the fund.

Family and friends will gather for a memorial service at The Barn in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, next Tuesday from 4-7 p.m. (EST). As per his wishes, Bradford's ashes will be scattered at Turfway Park, Keeneland and River Downs. The Turfway ceremony will be held March 1 before the 1st race.

Editor's note: Open the "comments" section of this post to read a message from well-know Thoroughbred trainer Kenny McPeek's thoughts on Errol. Any other friends of Errol's are welcome to post here as well; just click on the word "comments" at the bottom of this post and you can type in the box to leave your thoughts.

Michael Wildenstein: "I am leaving Cornell"

Here's a post I never thought I would write.

Michael Wildenstein FWCF (Hons), resident farrier at Cornell University's Large Animal Hospital, confirmed to me yesterday that he has submitted his resignation to the prestigious university's administration.

Wildenstein has been with Cornell for more than 15 years, during which time he has built the farrier course into a world-famous center for both new farriers and experienced vets and farriers who come to Cornell for week or month long residencies in farriery.

In addition to teaching farriery, Wildenstein serves at the resident farrier for lameness cases, surgery cases, and referral shoeing patients from all over the Northeast. He also teaches veterinary students about farriery and the hoof and represents Cornell by lecturing and demonstrating at conferences around the world.

"The phone is ringing, the word got out very quickly," said Wildenstein, who has reportedly received more than one job offer already this week. He plans to leave Cornell at the end of the current semester, and said that his current class of farrier students is a great group.

He did not rule out returning to Cornell in the future, although perhaps with some amendment of his current three-jobs-in-one position.

One of only a handful of farriers worldwide holding the distinction of Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Farriers with Honors, Wildenstein formerly lived in Europe and shod horses there.

Photo of Mike and Petey courtesy of Lexy Roberts.

Worshipful Company of Farriers Announces Hoof Trimming Conference

"Trimming For Soundness" will be the title of a conference launched today by the Worshipful Company of Farriers in Great Britain. The conference will be held on April 26, 2007 at The Royal Showground, in Stoneleigh, near Coventry, Warwickshire and will presumably be open to all professionals involved in servicing the equine foot.

The preliminary program includes these speakers and topics:

"Introduction" Carl Bettison AWCF (Hons), Chairman, WCF Craft Committee

"Understanding Hoof Horn" John Reilly BSc(Hons) BVSc PhD MRCVS

"Anatomy & Function of the Hoof Relative to Trimming" Chris Colles BvetMed PhD HonFWCF MRCVS

"The Role of the Digital Cushion & Lateral Cartilages" Matthew Jackson Dip WCF UKNHCP AP FI

"Achieving Performance without Shoes" Sarah Braithwaite AANHCP CP FI UKNHCP FI

"Training the Thoroughbred Barefoot" Simon Earle Racehorse Trainer

"Trimming The Donkey Colin" Goldsworthy RSS The Donkey Sanctuary

"Paddock Paradise" Nicola Barker AANHCP FI UKNHCP CP FI

"Trimming For Performance" David Nichols AWCF SNBF

Please Register by Friday, April 20, 2007.

If you live in the UK, you can send a check for £60 (British pounds) (fee includes lunch) made out to The Worshipful Company of Farriers.

Mail to: Craft Secretary WCF, Sheridan House, Keinton Mandeville, Somerton, Somerset, TA11 6DX, United Kingdom.

If you have questions, please e-mail: registrar@wcf.org.uk.

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".



Contact Hoofcare Publishing anytime:
tel USA 978 281 3222 email hoofblog@gmail.com

World Champion Cutting Horse Gets "Low Maintenance" Care to Stay Sound

A visit to cutting horse expert Sally Harrison's blog this morning revealed the winner of this weekend's National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) World Championship.

According to Sally, "Dual Rey Me, ridden by his owner Jeremy Barwick, held his ground as leading weekend money earner to claim the title of 2006 NCHA Open World Champion on Saturday, February 17, at the NCHA World Finals in Amarillo, TX."

“I never work him,” noted Barwick when commenting to Sally on the longevity of the eight-year-old gelding. “We lope him at home and when we have a couple of weeks off, he goes to the swimming pool to swim and then gets turned out. He stays pretty sound. We inject (his hocks) maybe twice a year as pretty much regular maintenance.”

It would be interesting to know how many times a year a high maintenance horse would be injected.

Farrier Classes Doubled in Wyoming

According to a news article in today's Billings Gazette, farrier instructor Rik Mettes at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming is teaching two farrier courses at once this semester to meet the demand of want-to-be farriers.

Rik is a long-time subscriber to Hoofcare & Lameness Journal and a veteran farrier instructor.

The school has published an appeal to local horse owners to bring their horses in for trimming (at $7 a head) or shoeing (at $20 a head), saying that they need twice as many horses now for the students to shoe.

Let's hope there are plenty of horses for the new farriers to shoe once they are out of school, too!

I'd love to know what the application/admission rates are at other farrier schools around the country.

Barbaro's Owners Endow Chair in Equine Medicine to Honor Dean Richardson; Foresee a "World Without Laminitis"

(excerpted from a press release from the University of Pennsylvania)

(Feb. 13, 2007--PHILADELPHIA) A $3-million gift from Roy and Gretchen Jackson, owners of Barbaro, will endow a chair in the name of Dean W. Richardson at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

In acknowledging the gift, Penn President Amy Gutmann said, “Gretchen and Roy Jackson have already done so much for veterinary medicine through their commitment to giving Barbaro every possible opportunity to recover from his catastrophic injuries. People throughout the world now understand that veterinary medicine –- and Penn veterinary medicine in particular –- shares in the advances that define today’s biomedical science. Now, with this generous gift, Gretchen and Roy Jackson not only promote continued progress, but they pay tribute to the doctor who, like them, gave his heart to a magnificent horse.”

Joan C. Hendricks, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine, said “With a new faculty position dedicated to the study of equine disease, we will be better positioned to fight deadly conditions like laminitis.”

The endowed chair is the cornerstone of a major new Penn Vet initiative to fight laminitis, which afflicted Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. Laminitis is a severe, painful condition in horses that can be fatal. The laminitis initiative will foster training programs and studies for new treatments of equine diseases.

“We are very pleased to make this commitment in support of the School of Veterinary Medicine’s research of equine diseases,” Gretchen Jackson said. “Our close relationship with Dr. Richardson over the last eight months persuaded us to name the chair in his honor. We are indeed grateful to him, and we especially look forward to a future without laminitis.”

“I am deeply honored by this generous and important gift,” said Richardson, chief of surgery at Penn’s George D. Widener Hospital and leader of the team that treated Barbaro. “The Jacksons’ remarkable philanthropy will translate into better outcomes for injured and ill horses in the future.”

The Empty Sky: Hoofcare's Loss

My heart is heavier than an anvil tonight.

John Lancaster, a.k.a. Ransom Sloan, has been a key behind-the-scenes person here at Hoofcare & Lameness for the past five years or so. No, you don't know him, you've never met him. And you never will. But if you read our journal, you've seen his photos, appreciated his Photoshop artistry, and been the beneficiary of his generosity, as have I.

John was killed, we think, in a helicopter crash this morning south of Vermilion, Louisiana. He was a helicopter pilot and instructor (when he wasn't helping out Hoofcare & Lameness) and had a gig this winter servicing oil rigs in the Gulf out of Lake Charles, LA. Apparently they were trying to land on the rig when the chopper exploded.

I have known John since I was fresh out of college. We both lived in the Woodstock, Vermont area and were in the horse scene. John was the product of a unique alternative school project started by his family and his mother was the president of the horse show facility where I worked.

John came back into my life about ten years ago when I found out he was a ski instructor in Vail, Colorado and that he had married another Woodstock-area horsewoman, Lisa Simons, who went on to become a farrier and then a veterinarian and hoof researcher. Lisa Lancaster is, of course, a key person here and our star author, as well as a close friend. Her upcoming article in the new issue on the histology of the white line at the crena will dazzle you with its insights and its imagery...many of which are the handiwork of John Lancaster.

John was also instrumental in handling the editing and assembly of the material for the book The Sound Hoof, written by Lisa, and he created her info-packed web site, http://www.lancasterequine.com.

The last time I saw John was when he hosted a graduation party for Lisa in May at Michigan State. He was so proud of Lisa's survival of vet school, and I think so happy that they could move back to Colorado and see what next would happen in their lives. With two people that talented, the future looked very bright that day in May.

The Coast Guard is still looking for our friend John out there in the Gulf tonight. Pray for a miracle before you turn off your lights. Maybe leave one on for our friend John.

Balled-Up Feet Cause Concern, Racing Cancelled on Polytrack in Kentucky

The Daily Racing Form reported on Friday that Turfway Park in Kentucky had cancelled racing on Thursday after horses were found to be finishing races with balls of the artificial racing surface stuck to their feet.

In the article, one jockey complained that it felt like his horse was walking on stilts. Trainers were spraying "Pam" cooking oil or WD-40 on the soles of their horses' feet to try to prevent sticking.

Turfway is in the second year of racing on the much-lauded Polytrack surface, recently installed at Keeneland in Lexington and several California tracks.

Turfway augmented the surface for last week's freezing winter racing conditions with a special blend of Polytrack topping surface. Polytrack is marketed as a racing surface that is not affected by weather conditions and that it is safe for horses. However, the weather has been unseasonably cold in Kentucky for the past week or so.

It sounds like they need some bubble rim pads, but I doubt the ones used on pleasure horses would work with race plates. However, if they can bond plastic rim pads to shoes, couldn't they bond a bubble rim?

This looks like an opportunity for glue shoe expertise to shine. If anyone hears of a solution, or has a suggestion, let me know!

The story is posted on the Daily Racing Form web site, but you must register to view it. Presumably, Polytrack will have an additive to counter the sticky stuff...or it will warm up soon. Think spring!

Date Announced for 2007 Cornell Farrier Conference

The 24th Farriers Conference at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine will be held at the Ithaca, New York campus on November 10-11, 2007, according to resident farrier Michael Wildenstein. The university had considered moving the event to be part of a large horse show in Syracuse, but the decision was made to stay on campus this year.

This blog will announce speakers as soon as the information is available.

Cornell's conference is one of the longest running farrier eduction events in the world and certainly one of the leading venues for serious farrier continuing education.

Hotel rooms in Ithaca can be difficult to find if you want too long, especially if there is a football in town that weekend; book now!

By the way, Cornell's farrier education program offers specialized week-long residencies for farriers and veterinarians wishing to have in-depth training with Michael Wildenstein on specific skills or foot problems, or to work on skills needed to pass American Farrier's Association tests. At $250 for an entire week, this has to be the greatest bargain in equine professional education. Learn more at http://www.vet.cornell.edu/education/farrier/courses.htm

Farrier and Wife Killed in Florida Tornado

Danny Ward called to tell me that longtime Standardbred farrier Mike Sluss and his wife were among the victims of last week's horrible tornado in Central Florida. Mike was a Hoofcare & Lameness subscriber and was a graduate of Bruce Daniels' South Jersey Horseshoeing School, which operated in the 1970s and 1980s. The Standardbred Canada web site added these details: (begin quote from site)
(Trainer James) Dean was at the (O'Brien) awards in Mississauga, Ont., on Saturday night...but his heart was in Florida, where his long-time friend and blacksmith Mike Sluss and his wife Melinda were killed by a tornado. The couple's only child, 15-year-old Aaron, survived the storm.

"I flew out [of Florida] on Friday morning, and that's when the storms hit at about 4 a.m.," Dean told Trot Insider. "I wasn't even sure if I was going to get out of Orlando. It was weird, because the storm stayed in the same area; it went west to east and never really moved further south.

"My friend Raphael called and said there were some places that got hit bad but he had no idea about Mike and I didn't either. James MacDonald [brother of horsemen Mark and Anthony] picked me up at the airport and when we got to the house I flipped CNN on to see the damage.

"I was watching the CNN broadcast and when I was sitting there I said 'damn that looks like Mike's shoeing truck'. It's a red truck and had a big white box on the back. Out of the corner of my eye I saw it said Lady Lake and he doesn't even live there so I thought it couldn't be. Two minutes later Raphael called and said 'Mike's dead'."

Dean stayed for the awards but went back to Florida the next day, and has since been trying to help out and clean up.

"There is absolutely nothing left," he said. "There was no warning at all. You can't recognize anything. About 100 yards behind Mike's place it's almost like a forest and all those trees are fine. It looks like the damn thing came over and dropped right on his property," Dean said of the tornado. "All the trees on his property are just stripped right clean, the ones that are still standing."

Dean said that Mike and Melinda's son appears to have escaped serious injuries.

"They had to do reconstructive surgery on his arm. He's lucky. I don't know anyone could have survived that because there is nothing left," he said.

Dean had been a good friend of Mike's for many years, having worked with him at Ben White Raceway as far back as the 1980s. "He used to do all Stew's [trainer Stew Firlotte] horses and Raphael and Mike worked together for eight years. Just last year Mike phased out standardbreds because he's getting older and the young ones can be a handful to shoe; there are a lot of show horses around here so he got doing that," said Dean. "Mike was just here two weeks ago. He stopped in while I was doing feeds and that. Raphael and I just bought shoes from him last week. He used to make all his own shoes and everything. He was just a good guy, too. He didn't have a mean bone in his body."

Dean said a funeral will take place this Friday (Feb. 9) and that a trust fund will be set up for the couple's son.

A story published in Monday's Orlando Sentinel tells the cryptic story of how a woman who lived 30 miles away from the Sluss home found one of Mike's cancelled cheques in her yard after the storm, and of the lives of two people who will be mourned by their community and many in the harness racing world.

(end quote from Standardbred Canada)

Click here to read the Orlando Sentinel story, which has more details but is very disturbing.

Advice to Horse Owners: Be Objective about Obese Horses

(report provided by ILPH)

At the recent Scottish Equine Welfare Seminar of the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh, Robert Eustace FRCVS of The Laminitis Trust rattled the cage of equine obesity in the show ring and in the home paddock.

"Obesity – a major cause of welfare problems" was the title of his presentation.

Robert was able to graphically show the difference in what horse owners nowadays think is acceptable weight compared to forty years ago and even twenty years ago, by using winner photos from old and recent horse shows. The attendees were captivated by this visual proof of the changing form of horses shown in-hand (what we call "halter" horses in the USA).

Robert expanded on the damage that is occurring to these obese animals and their progeny, if indeed they were able to reproduce.

He concluded with some very basic sound advice to all horse owners: Every time your horse is shod, use your weight tape and mark on the stable wall the weight it shows. This will prove that the horse owner is keeping an accurate record of the weight at a regular interval so any weight gain or loss is easily detected.

Farrier Elmer Campbell Has Died

Elmer Campbell, one of the first farriers elected to the Kentucky Derby Museum's "Hall of Fame" for farriers, has died in Florida.

Elmer is shown in the middle in this photo with his twin sons Charley on the left (I think) and Joe on the right. This photo was taken at the 1985 Breeders Cup at Aqueduct. Both sons were shoers with their father at the New York tracks; Joe is still there and works as paddock farrier at Saratoga in August. Charlie died in 2005 after a long battle with cancer.

I will post more information shortly to add to this story.

New "TracMe" Therapeutic Horseshoe Hits Its Stride at Hoof Conference

The new "TracMe" aluminum wedge/roller horseshoe was unveiled today at the International Hoof Care Summit meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The new shoes are sized like raceplates and look like therapeutic shoes. The larger sizes have wider (some would say onion-esque) heels and optional clips.

Trac Me is the project of metals manufacturing pro Mary Lovejoy of Versailles, Kentucky. A few years ago, her mare Zena developed laminitis and was a patient at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital’s podiatry unit, under the care of Dr. Scott Morrison and farrier Manfred Ecker.

Mary became intrigued with the clinic's display of aluminum shoes made by Manfred, or offered by different manufacturers. And she thought she could do better. When Zena recovered, she became determined to bring her metal trades background to the farrier world, and TracMe shoes became a full-fledged business plan.

The preliminary shoes were designed by Manfred Ecker and tested by top farriers like Dr. Scott Morrison, Mike Wildenstein (Cornell University), Jay Thomlinson (Virginia) and James Gilchrist (Palm Beach Equine Clinic).

Aluminum milling has been a state of the art process for making shoes for almost ten years now. The demand for aluminum egg-bar shoes sent GE Forge and Tool’s KB shoe line to the top of the class when GE’s Bob Garner went high-tech and mastered the aluminum extrusion and computerized milling process. The result was a streamlined horseshoe that didn’t break because (in a nutshell) the aluminum “flowed” around the form of the shoe instead of across the form. Major improvement!

TracMe shoes retail for $36 a pair and up.

Learn more at http://www.tracmeshoes.com or call Mary Lovejoy at
847-247-1121 or 859-873-6402.

© Hoofcare Publishing 2007

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

Magnetic Toe Clip Device Helps Farriers Position Shoe for Nailing

Our trusty reporters on the trade show floor at the farrier meeting in Cincinnati report that one of the most unique items they have seen is the "Shoe-Tru" device. It is an oversized toe clip with a magnet that adheres to the shoe.

Assuming that the toe of the shoe is "out there" with the toe of the foot, not set-back, the clip holds the shoe in placing for safer, more steady nailing. Once the nails are in, the farrier just slips the clip off the shoe.

Many farriers lament the unpopularity of toe clips on USA horse shoes; most people use side clips. Users of both types of clips site the ease of nailing on a clipped shoe. The magnetic clip may help with nailing, but not have the burn-in requirements of a "real" clip.

There are some ingenious people out there!

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

Barbaro's Final Update

At around 10:30 this morning, after spending a restless night on his feet in his stall at New Bolton Center, 2006 Kentucky Derby Barbaro was euthanized by his surgeon Dr. Dean Richardson.

I was able to participate in a press briefing from Dr. Richardson this afternoon and can share this information:

1. The decision to euthanize Barbaro was not related to a re-fracture of his leg. To take weight off his foundered left hind, Barbaro bore increased weight on the right hind and severely bruised the lateral heel, which lead to an abscess in that heel area.

2. Barbaro did develop laminitis in both front feet.

3. On Sunday night, Barbaro did not lie down. Richardson said the horse is usually quiet at night and lies down to sleep. He did not do that last night and Richardson said it was the first night the horse had been in distress. The horse's distress was in spite of pain medication and the use of the sling. "We couldn't control his pain," Richardson said.

4. On Monday morning, Barbaro was relatively comfortable in his sling and alert. He ate his grass brought to him by his owners. He was given a heavy dose of tranquilizer and then an overdose of anesthesia through a catheter that was already in his neck.

5. "It could not have been more peaceful," Richardson stressed.

In retrospect, Richardson commented, "There were some Eureka! moments. But this is how science works, it's more like a gradual accumulation of expertise. I am sure I made mistakes, or, I should say, I am sure there were things I could have done better. You have to believe that you will get better at your job, otherwise why would you go to work in the morning?"

Referring to the cascade of events leading to the decision to euthanize the horse, Richardson said, "It's like a deck of cards. If one thing starts to go, others follow."

"My only gratification," he said near the end of the conference, "Is that he had eight or nine months of being a happy horse a majority of the time."

The press conference ended about 4:30 this afternoon.

Barbaro's Last Update: Rest in Peace

Word just in that 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized this morning at New Bolton Center. More information to follow.

What's Next for Barbaro: External Fixation for Collapsing Right Hind

Left: Barbaro's right hind leg as it appeared on radiographs in November. This leg is now equipped with an external fixation device for support; pins were surgically implanted through the leg to attach to a brace.

A sobering statement from New Bolton Center this morning:

"On Saturday, January 27, Barbaro was taken back to surgery because we could not keep him comfortable on his right hind foot. That foot developed a deep subsolar abscess secondary to bruising when he went through a period of discomfort on the left hind foot. It is not laminitis but the undermining of the sole and part of the lateral heel region are potentially just as serious.

"We attempted to manage the right hind foot in a cast and then in a custom fabricated brace but it was impossible to have access to the foot for treatment as well as acceptable stability and comfort.

"We elected to place his right hind in an external skeletal fixation device in order to provide the foot a chance to heal. This means that two steel pins have been placed transversely through his right hind cannon bone. These pins are connected to external sidebars that in turn are connected to a lightweight alloy foot plate. This results in the horse eliminating all weight bearing from the foot; the horse's weight is borne through the pins across his cannon bone.

"There is significant risk in this approach but we believed it was our only option given the worsening of the right hind foot problem. The major risk of the external skeletal fixation device is that the bone bearing the weight can fracture. Unfortunately, we felt we needed to take this risk because this approach offered our only hope of keeping Barbaro acceptably comfortable.

"He had a perfect recovery from anesthesia and has been in and out of the sling since then. His left hind foot appears to be stable at this time. We remain concerned about both front feet. Remarkably, his attitude and appetite were excellent overnight.

"We will continue to treat Barbaro aggressively as long as he remains bright, alert and eating. This is another significant setback that exemplifies how complex his medical situation remains because both hind limbs have major problems."

External fixation for laminitis and other conditions is not an unproven technique for New Bolton. The hospital's Dr. David Nunamaker is probably the world's leading expert on this type of support. Photos of similar fixations from Hoofcare & Lameness files will be added to this story when I am back in the office.

From Gretchen Jackson, owner of Barbaro, on Saturday:

"He's got a lot of issues, and not any of them is bad enough to say goodbye. But put together it's not a good day for Barbaro," Mrs. Jackson told Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Scott Morrison DVM, consultant on Barbaro's foundered left hind foot, was at home in Kentucky yesterday.

Journalist Jensen recently won an Eclipse Award, racing's highest honor, for his reporting on Barbaro. He is basically embedded at New Bolton Center, somewhere near the reception desk.

Stride Characteristics vs. Conformation: The "Deep Impact" Impact

Interesting report today from the Japan Racing Association, as presented this week at the Asian Racing Conference in Dubai:

(As posted on http://www.thoroughbrednews.co.nz)

"The success of Deep Impact, an unremarkable-looking racehorse, is down to his incredible stride, extensive scientific data revealed.

"Dr Hiroko Aida, from the Japan Racing Association, displayed the running form of Deep Impact in the veterinary science workshop at the 31st Asian Racing Conference in Dubai.

"A host of measurements were taken from high-speed video data of the Kikuka Syo (Japanese St Leger) at a rate of 250 frames per second.

"Sophisticated analysis has revealed that the champion racehorse’s ratio of overlap time to stride duration was 8.5 per cent, compared to that of an average horse, which is 17.1 per cent.

"It was postulated that this characteristic, which is also common to the great American horse Secretariat, may be an essential feature of superior horses.

"Aida said that such video analysis could in the future identify the “next Deep Impact” before he hits the sale ring."

Editor's Note: Deep Impact was Japan's superhorse. He retired this fall with earnings of 1.5 billion yen (about $13 million US). When Deep Impact traveled to France this fall for his gallant third-place finish in L'arc de Triomphe, chartered jumbo jets full of his fans accompanied him. Deep Impact is one of many stakes-winning offspring of American champion Sunday Silence, who stood at stud in Japan before his death caused by laminitis.

Barbaro Update: Cast changes, heel abscess in right hind

From the University of Pennsylvania today:

“Barbaro was placed under anesthesia yesterday to have his left hind foot cast replaced,” said Dr. Dean W. Richardson, Chief of Surgery. “We also removed the cast on his right hind leg and replaced it with a custom-fabricated plastic and steel orthotic brace to give his foot additional support.” An abscess near the lateral heel of his right hind foot was drained, and the brace that was applied will allow more regular treatment of that foot.

“Barbaro had another smooth pool-recovery and has been comfortable with an excellent attitude and appetite since then,” said Dr. Richardson. “We will probably replace his left hind foot cast under anesthesia again at least two or three times at roughly two-week intervals if his comfort is maintained. We were very pleased with the progress of his left hind foot since the last cast was applied.”

In addition, new shoes were placed on both front feet for additional support.

Waltham and Royal Veterinary College Organize British Laminitis Conference in March

(edited from press release received 25 January)

The WALTHAM^® Equine Studies Group and the Royal Veterinary College have joined forces to host a laminitis conference at The Royal Veterinary College at North Mymms, Hertfordshire (England) on Saturday 24 March 2007. Targeted at vets, researchers and others interested in the condition, the conference includes recent research findings and advice with respect to laminitis.

Pat Harris PhD MRCVS, head of the WALTHAM^® Equine Studies Group will chair the conference; she said: "This conference should bring you up to date with the current thinking on the pathophysiology of laminitis and how to manage affected animals. In addition, we will provide exciting new insights into ways that may help us to predict which animals are more likely to suffer from this debilitating condition, as well as management strategies that may reduce the risk of an episode occurring."

The program covers key aspects of laminitis, its possible causes and management regimens. Dr Annette Longland BSc, PhD will discuss "Starch, sugar, and fructans: what are they and how important are they?". Jonathan Elliott MRCVS (Professor of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology) will look at new insights into the cause. Ray Geor PhD, DACVIM will examine the role of obesity and insulin resistance. Pat Harris will cover the nutritional counter-measures to laminitis. Celia Marr PhD, MRCVS will examine the medical management of the acutely laminitic Horse. Simon Curtis FWCF HonAssocRCVS will explain the role of the farrier in the management of laminitis. Nicola Menzies-Gow MRCVS (Lecturer in Equine Medicine) will provide insights based on various laminitis field studies. Jonathan Elliott will present a paper by Simon Bailey MRCVS (Lecturer in Veterinary Pharmacology) examining how an increased risk of suffering from this condition may be predicted now and in the future.

To register for the conference please telephone Kerry Knight on (011+ from the USA) +44 (0) 1908 576258. The fee is £30 (approximately $60US), which includes lunch and a full copy of the proceedings.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is the UK's first and largest veterinary school and a constituent College of the University of London. Equine laminitis has been a focus for researchers at the College for the past 15 years. The research team involved includes pharmacologists, endothelial cell biologists, bacteriologists, endocrinologists and epidemiologists. The group has made significant steps towards understanding the link between events in the gastrointestinal tract and failure of the dermal-epidermal bonds within the hoof laminae. Recent work has turned to understanding the factors making some horses and ponies particularly susceptible to bouts of laminitis.

Eclipse Awards: The Hoofcare & Lameness Connection

At last night's Eclipse Awards for "horse of the year" honors, the racing world waved good-bye to the stars of 2006. It was a great year for racing, although most of the nominated horses are injured or retired; one is even dead (Pine Island, who broke down in the Breeders Cup).

Barbaro, nominated for top three-year-old honors, was no doubt watching the ceremony from a tv in his stall at New Bolton Center's ICU. He didn't win. He lost to Bernardini, the horse who kept on running and won the 2006 Preakness while Barbaro broke down near the start. Bernardini is already in Kentucky, with mares lined up for the breeding season that is starting now.

At evening's end, Barbaro again ran second to Invasor as horse of the year. Invasor's story was one of the quirkiest of the year. He arrived from Uruguay as a surprise to his trainer, having been purchased on a whim by Hoofcare & Lameness subscriber Hassan bin Ali, who was in Uruguay buying endurance horses for Dubai's royal family.

Hassan's next stop from Uruguay was the Hoofcare & Lameness office, where he grilled me, as usual, about new horseshoes and technologies that might be of use to his training program. But he also showed me videos (on his cell phone, of course) of the horses in Uruguay, and "this super racehorse".

The next time I saw Hassan bin Ali was when he joined Invasor in the winner's circle at the Whitney Stakes in Saratoga. Invasor just kept on running, all year, and won the Breeders Cup Classic, defeating even Bernardini. And the best news is that Invasor will keep on running in 2007.

Back home in Uruguay, I'm sure the crowd went wild. Congratulations!

Barbaro Update: Surgeon Honored by Media

New Bolton Center's Dr. Dean Richardson was in the spotlight at last night's Eclipse Awards. Earlier in the day, Richardson was honored by the Turf Publicists of America with the group's Big Sport of Turfdom Award. The award is given to key non-media figures in racing who cooperate with or provide expert information to the press.

Today's Daily Racing Form has a nice article about the award and Richardson; here are a few salient quotes about Barbaro's current status.

"He has steadily improved," said Richardson. "He's eating great. He hasn't been in a sling in over a week. The fact that he bounced back, and quickly, is very encouraging. It's still disappointing that he had a setback, but these types of things are not unexpected."

"We've been able to decrease his pain medication," Richardson said. "He's not sedated. It's to address his hind foot."

"But this was a significant setback, so I don't think he'll leave for at least a month, and it could easily be longer," Richardson said.

"He's a smart, enduring, tough kind of horse," Richardson said. "I think this shows that a lot of horses can behave like this if given the opportunity. Most horses who make it this long go home. I'm hoping he's one of those.

"It's awkward getting an award like this because we're not done. We haven't finished the job. Trying to reconcile that, I hope the award is for the effort that has been made, and for the ongoing effort. I hope something good comes out of this. I'm just a small part of this. Barbaro is the biggest part."

Richardson said that if and when Barbaro is relocated to Kentucky, his care would be handed off, most likely, to Dr. Scott Morrison of Rood and Riddle Equine Clinic.

Competition Farriers Unite: WCB's First "SuperClinic" is a Success

They came from all over the United States. They also came from Brazil, The Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, and Great Britain, too. And they kept on coming, hammers in hand and trucks lined up.

An estimated 181 farriers congregated in an arena outside Houston, Texas on January 11-13, to see, hear, and evaluate a concept called "World Championship Blacksmiths", farriery's newest experiment in entrepreneurship and originality. The WCB's "Super Clinic", presented by Anvil Brand Shoe Company, used a "who's who" of the game's top experts as instructors to draw in the attendees, but many were also curious to know what the organization might be like, and how it would run its events.

WCB Chief Planning and Operations Officer Jill Ballard of Ithaca, Nebraska reported having trouble getting the attendees out of the arena at the end of the night. "We shut off the music, we told them it was over, but they just stayed and stayed," she told Hoofcare & Lameness on January 17. "Finally, we had to turn off the lights to get them out of there!"

WCB has ten work stations but added rigs of member farriers to accommodate the demand from attendees to practice forging skills with the clinicians. After the formal lessons of the day, the work stations were opened for practice and Ballard said the attendees poured out of the stands and right to the work stations, ready to try what they'd just learned.

While the corporation's purported mission is to run a national series of farrier competitions leading up to a grand finale championship, the Super Clinic was an educational first step. The clinic was offered free to farriers who wish to become members of the organizational side of the corporation, which already has over 200 members and has received "chapter" status from the American Farrier's Association, including a seat on the AFA's Board of Directors. The company was only launched in June of 2006 and is the first private company to be delegated chapter status by the AFA.

A quick math calculation shows that nine out of ten current members of the organization attended the event.

Clinicians were Jim Quick, Craig Trnka, Jason Smith, Jim Poor, Shayne Carter, Jim Keith, Mark Milster, and Austin Edens, as well as the current members of the American Farrier's Team, which represents the US in international competitions. All the clinicians have attained the level of the Certified Journeyman Farrier in the AFA. Current World Champion Blacksmith Billy Crothers of the UK also was part of the program; Crothers is an Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers in Britain.

WCB Chief Executive Officer Craig Trnka of Albuquerque, New Mexico was pleased with the turnout and the program. "All the clinicians involved stuck to the core basics of horseshoeing and that's what made this clinic such a success," he said.

The entire program was videotaped and projected onto a large screen so that attendees could see the workmanship clearly and at close range, while remaining comfortably seated. Media services were provided by Dan Burke, Dave Farley and Royden Bloom of Farrier Product Distribution in Shelbyville, Kentucky. DVDs from the event will be sold by WCB in the spring.

In addition to Anvil Brand and FPD, sponsors included Centaur Forge, Life Data Labs, Vettec, and Emerson Horseshoe Supply.

The next event on the WCB calendar, besides attendance or competition entries by most members at the annual convention of the American Farrier's Association in February, will be the first regional WCB competition, to be held in Bossier City, Louisiana on April 20-21. This will be competitors' first opportunity to attain points toward qualifyinig for the national championship.

More Anesthesia, Second Tenotomy for Barbaro

From the University of Pennsylvania, via news release:

As previously planned, Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was placed under general anesthesia this morning to fully examine his left hind foot. “While his condition was unchanged over the last two days, we were unable to fully assess his left hind foot with him in his stall,” said Dr. Dean W. Richardson, Chief of Surgery. “In today’s procedure, another area of undermined hoof wall was removed. The left hind deep digital flexor tendon was cut to help decrease the pull on the coffin bone by that tendon. This was previously done in July, but the tendon had healed and was pulling on the coffin bone, contributing to the malalignment of the coffin bone. Because he has been more uncomfortable on his left hind, we put a cast back on the right hind lower limb for additional support. ”

Dr. Richardson reports that “Barbaro was awoken from anesthesia once more in the recovery-pool and had an uneventful recovery. He continues to receive intensive management for his discomfort on the left hind foot.”

Barbaro remains in the Intensive Care Unit of Penn’s George D. Widener Hospital at New Bolton Center.

Barbaro Clarification: Richardson Explains Cast Did Not Cause Relapse

The American public received a good lesson in the frustration of dealing with laminitis this week, as injured racehorse Barbaro experienced a flare-up of discomfort in his foundered foot. The episode began less than a week after a foot cast was applied by Rood and Riddle veterinarian Scott Morrison to stabilize the foot.

Surgeon Dean Richardson clarified today that the horse's problem is the sub-quality hoof growth, not the cast itself, in an interview with Dan Gelston.

"The medial aspect of the hoof was always going to be a problem because of the way it was healing," Richardson told Gelston, whose stories are distributed worldwide by the Associated Press (AP). "The cast did not cause this problem. This issue with the foot was probably inevitable."

Photo caption: Dr. Scott Morrison tends to a low-rise hoof cast on Thoroughbred mare Banjolene at the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital. Photo courtesy of Dr. Morrison; © Hoofcare & Lameness Journal

Barbaro: Cast Removed at New Bolton Center

This just in from the University of Pennsylvania:

"Barbaro has had a significant setback over the last 24 hours. He became acutely more uncomfortable on his left hind foot. The foot cast was removed and some new separation of the medial (inside) portion of his hoof was found. This required some additional debridement (removal of the damaged tissue) last night.

"He is being treated much more aggressively at this time for his discomfort. He is continuing to eat well and is otherwise stable."

Third Sport Horse Veterinary Congress in The Netherlands This Month

Jumping Amsterdam & Veterinary Sport Horse Congress
January 26-27, 2007 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The Third Veterinary Sport Horse Congress will once again be held in combination with the "Jumping Amsterdam" showjumping event on January 26-27 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands at the RAI Congress Center.

The two-day program brings a unique atmosphere featuring international speakers from the USA, United Kingdom and Spain.

On Friday January 26 different orthopaedic problems of the back, stifle, shoulder and foot will be addressed.

One of the topics is the diagnosis and prognosis of collateral ligament injuries, presented by Jorge de la Calle DVM of Spain. Another highlight is a presentation about the risk of laminitis in sport horses and Andy Bathe's case-based presentation of lameness and poor performance evaluation. The second part of the afternoon contains topics about shoulder and back problems.

On Saturday January 27, the main topics will be tendon and the Metacam Pain Management Panel, with an international panel discussing the (ab)use of medication in sport horses. One of the speakers in this pain management panel will be Dr. Frits Sluyter, a member of the veterinary committee of the FEI.

International speakers at the Veterinary Sport Horse Congress are veterinarians Andy Bathe (UK), Jorge de la Calle (ESP), Rick Mitchell (USA), Jim Orsini (USA) and Frits Sluyter (SUI).

The chair of the congress is Gertjan ter Heijden, equine veterinarian at the veterinary clinic in Zeddam (NED).

In the evening, Jumping Amsterdam will present international show jumping. At Jumping Amsterdam 2007, sport and education will meet at the highest level!

For more information, or to register, please visit http://www.proveto.org

Note: On January 25th, a practical workshop on advanced ultrasound of tendons in sport horses will be held with teaching clinicians Hans van Schie and Andy Bathe (UK). This "Meet the Specialist" session will be held at the Veterinary Clinic in Emmeloord and is intended for veterinarians with advanced ultrasound experience.

Bryan Fraley Will Speak on Laminitis Therapy at North American Veterinary Conference on January 17

Bryan T. Fraley DVM will present a full day's program on laminitis and foot therapy at the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, January 17. Dr. Fraley is a foot-specialist veterinarian at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, where he is works with Scott Morrison DVM on laminitis and other hoof problems. Morrison recently made headlines for his consulting role in treating racehorse Barbaro's laminitic left hind foot at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center.

Fraley's topics will be: Acute Sinker Syndrome Diagnosis and Therapeutic Options, Management of Severe Foot Infections, Treatment Options for Acute and Chronic Laminitis, Brief Review of Some Interesting Podiatry Cases, and How to Apply Foot Casts with Axial Support for Sinker Syndrome and Cast Shoes for a Multitude of Foot Conditions.

The conference, which continues through the weekend, will be held at the Gaylord Palms resort and conference center in Orlando. It is one of the largest meetings of veterinarians in the world.

Barbaro Update: Morrison Casts Foundered Foot for Stability

Left: Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital's Scott Morrison DVM finishing tendon surgery on a laminitic horse.(Hoofcare & Lameness Journal photo)

On Wednesday, January 3, Scott Morrison DVM of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky traveled to Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Rattling around in his briefcase were strips of 3M Fiberglas casting tape, Goretex fabric, thick felt, Betadine and a large aluminum bar shoe. One can only imagine what that jumble looked like on the security screen. For once, TSA inspectors waved the veterinarian through.

Morrison used those materials to create a temporary supportive foot cast for Barbaro, the champion 2006 three-year-old colt whose right hind leg shattered soon after the start of the Preakness Stakes last May. Since then, Barbaro has been a patient at the University of Pennsylvania's Widener Hospital for Large Animals at the university's rural vet school campus called New Bolton Center. In July and August, the colt fought the painful disease of laminitis in his "good" hind leg. He was left with one broken leg and one hoofless one, but he struggled to survive. The damage to his laminitic foot continues to be the greatest concern.

Laminitis is the devastating disease that ended the lives of great racehorses like Secretariat and Sunday Silence, the Standardbred champion Nihilator, and more recently, the two great European champion dressage mares, Annastasia and Poetin.

Morrison, who heads Rood and Riddle's innovative podiatry clinic, was sought as a consultant to assist with the foundered (a common term for a foot that has been ravaged by the disease of laminitis) foot. He first saw the horse on December 20 for an evaluation, then returned on Wednesday to try to help stabilize the foot.

On Friday, January 5, Dr. Morrison told me that the cast was applied, "because the foot is so unstable. He's just not growing enough wall on the medial (inner) side, and he's bearing most of his weight on the arthrodesis (surgically-fused) leg."

Morrison padded the bottom of the foot with thick felt soaked in Betadine (iodine solution); the hoof wall was padded with Goretex fabric padding which was then covered with 3M casting tape. The cast extends up over the pastern area to just below the fetlock, according to Dr. Morrison.

"He lands on his toe when he walks," Morrison commented, "and that needed to be addressed. I had asked them to take radiographs before I got there, and they showed demineralization (thinning or actual deterioration) of the coffin bone (pyramid-shaped bone in the base of the foot, encased by hoof capsule) at the toe and on the medial (inside) wing.

"I attached a big aluminum bar shoe to the bottom of the cast to help with derotation, to try to get that coffin bone more parallel to the ground."

Morrison observed that the horse was uncomfortable at first with the change in footwear, but that surgeon Dean Richardson reported the horse was more comfortable with it the next morning.

An ancillary purpose of the cast is to stabilize the foot in the event that the horse needs to be moved out of his intensive care unit home at New Bolton Center. Speculation is that the horse will be moved to an as-yet unnamed farm, possibly in central Kentucky, to continue treatment in a more active setting. No date has been announced for his discharge from New Bolton.

Dr. Morrison is the founder and head of the podiatry clinic at Rood and Riddle; his unit is the largest such clinic in the world. The clinic currently employs four foot-specialist veterinarians and five lameness-specialist farriers, as well as a staff of technicians and administrative support staff. Morrison is a specialist in laminitis and consults on cases all over the world. He is also a consulting editor to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal.

His most recent article chronicled the transplant of frog tissue on the bottom of an injured foot via the punch biopsy tool method; he was able to create a germinating bed of new frog tissue in a damaged area. Ironically, he is probably most renowned for an article detailing his use of sterile maggots to debride many cases of infected hoof tissue. That article can be downloaded at http://www.hoofcare.com.

© 2007 Hoofcare & Lameness Journal/http://www.hoofcare.com
Contact: tel 978 281 3222 fax 978 283 8775 email bloginquiry@hoofcare.com

Barbaro Update: Richardson Explains Limb Deformity

As supplied today by the University of Pennsylvania:

“The shoe on his right hind foot was further modified as his strength improved,” said Dr. Dean W. Richardson, Chief of Surgery. “We are aware that there is some public concern about his abnormal motion on the right hind limb, however, this is not unexpected. His gait may be abnormal as he learns to adapt to having fusions of two major joints in his lower limb and to the special shoe. In addition, the fracture had some collapse on the medial (inside) part of the pastern region after he developed laminitis on the left hind foot. Although this is visually unattractive, the mechanics of the lower leg are not seriously affected because the pastern and fetlock joints are fused.

“The right hind has healed well enough that we are optimistic about that possibility,” said Dr. Richardson. “However, Barbaro’s left hind foot, which had laminitis, remains a more formidable long-term challenge. The foot must grow much more for him to have a truly successful outcome.”