History Mystery: Laminitis at the Battle of Little Big Horn?

Is there any one among us who does not know the meaning of the three simple words, "Little Big Horn"? Today is the anniversary of the day after the massacre known generally as "Custer's Last Stand". The battle was June 25, and the history books tell us that it was today, June 26, when the annihilated troops of the US 7th Cavalry were found.

Comanche, the lone survivor of the battle of Little Big Horn, with the German immigrant farrier Gustave Korn, who saved his life and helped the horse recover from seven wounds suffered in the battle. Photo courtesy of Newwest.com and the Library of Congress, available from the Denver Public Library's Western Image Collection. Note the swallowtail saddle cloth, now in vogue with dressage riders.

Volumes have been written about the horses that carried the Custer troop but recently an interesting footnote has been unearthed in the book Laminitis and Founder: Prevention and Treatment by Drs Butler and Gravlee. I was very surprised when Custer's name popped up in that book.

The authors put forth an interesting footnote from agricultural (not military) history that has not been widely published before. They quote a report published in the journal Agricultural History in 1944, which states that Custer's horses had been wintered in fields known for heavy growth of highly selenium-rich plants and soil.

In 2000, Cornell equine nutritionist Harold Hintz mentioned the lameness problems of Custer's late-arriving pack train horses; he brought equine selenium toxicity back into the Custer conversation.

Sitting Bull took care to not winter his horses in those types of fields.

But it wasn't until the 1930s--more than 50 years after the massacre--that it was scientifically proven that selenium is toxic to horses in large doses, and that it causes a form of laminitis-like changes of such severity that horses' feet will actually start to slough. In Custer's day, it was known as "alkali disease", and the US Army had kept records of horses sloughing their hooves when grazing in the upper plains states as far back as 1860. (USDA, 1991 report on selenium toxicity)

(To learn more about selenium toxicity, scroll down and read our post from June 11, 2007; horses are still suffering from selenium-based laminitis today, as the University of Missouri vet school shares.)

By the way, the Native American name for the Little Bighorn is "The Greasy Grass" River.

Most peoplewill confidently tell you that no one on the US Cavalry side survived the battle, but that is not so. But only one horse, named Comanche, was found alive on the battlefield. He alone was standing, if barely, out of 225 horses that marched into the valley. 

Comanche was a wild horse from Texas who was rounded up and sold to the US Government. He was ridden by a horse-loving Irish immigrant, Captain Myles Keogh. Writer Deanne Stillman has been hard at work on the definitive biography of Comanche as the icon of the American wild horse. Her new booHorse Latitudes: Last Stand for the Wild Horse in the American West, will be published by Houghton Mifflin in spring 2008.

But in recognition of today's anniversary, a couple of chapters were sneak-previewed on the web today, and you can have a good read, thanks to http://newwest.net/topic/article/comanche_the_horse_that_survived_the_battle_of_the_little_bighorn_part_1/C39/L39/.  (Make sure you read both chapters, and make it all the way to the battle.)

Another interesting book is Custer's Horses by Gary Paul Johnston.

And what became of Gustave Korn, the German farrier who was Comanche's personal groom? Korn cared for Comanche at Fort Riley in Kansas, among other locations. The horse was revered by the US Army.

However, in 1890, Korn was assigned to field duty and was killed at Wounded Knee. According to records, Comanche became depressed without Korn by his side, although another farrier, Samuel Winchester, was assigned to be his personal servant.

On November 7, 1891, Comanche died of colic in Winchester's arms. The horse was 29 years old.

As an interesting aside: Comanche's hide was stuffed and he has been living at the University of Kansas at Lawrence for over 100 years, unless he has been moved recently. It's very interesting to read that his hide was excessively long-haired, even though winter had not begun.

Comanche was never ridden after Little Big Horn, and spent his days roaming freely about the fort, where he bullied people for food and ate out of the trash. He also developed a liking for beer and was known to be intoxicated more than once.

To learn more:
Colorado State University hoof tissue test for selenium toxicity

Hintz HF, Thompson LJ. Custer, selenium and swainsonine. Vet Hum Toxicol. 2000 Aug;42(4):242-3.

All HoofBlog text and images © Hoofcare Publishing 2007 unless otherwise noted.

Contact Hoofcare Publishing anytime:

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Farrier/Vet Running for President...of the United States

First we had a U.S. Senator (Lincoln Chafee/R-Rhode Island, now in the private sector) who had a horseshoeing career before politics.

Now we have a candidate for President of the United States who knows his way around an anvil.

One of the first academic achievements listed on Donald K. Allen's resume is that he is a graduate of Midwest Horseshoeing School in Macomb, Illinois. Allen, who now lives in Youngstown, Ohio, shod horses for nine years, and proudly says that he was licensed, presumably in Illinois. He graduated from the vet school at the University of Illinois in 1980, after having shod horses at the vet clinic while a student there.

He admits that he has been married three times, has been charged with failing to pay child support, and he once lied about his age.

It's interesting that he is also a veterinarian, but it's his experience as a hard-working farrier that he touts as his magic link to understanding the American work ethic.

Dr. Allen has big plans for the USA if he is elected. He is running as an Independent and says he will eliminate the income tax and institute a federal sales tax. He wants to finish the fence along the Mexican border and believes that English should be the national language. He's dead set against puppy mills (finally, an issue I can get behind) but thinks that being gay is ok.

He's an interesting man who is asking his supporters to each send him $1 to support his campaign. He admits he's not a millionaire and that his opponents will outspend him.

But should mega-millionaire NYC Mayor Bloomberg decide to run for the same office as an Independent (as the pundits are predicting he will, since he just quit the Republican party to become an Independent), Dr. Allen will surely gain more publicity. Given that Bloomberg's daughter Georgina is currently representing the US in show jumping in Europe, the two Indies can at least talk horses.

Note: Hoofcare and Lameness subscriber and farrier Jim House was elected to the Arkansas state legislature last year; Jackie Cillie, wife of Horseshoes Plus supplier owner Bruce Cilley serves in the New Hampshire State Senate.

Photo from Dr. Allen's web site; presumably he's doing a reverse shoe (aka "open-toed egg bar") for laminitis?

Uruguayan Super Horse Invasor Injures Fetlock: Next Stop, the Breeding Shed

This just in form the NTRA; if you follow horse racing, you know that this is a huge loss to the sport:

2006 HORSE OF THE YEAR INVASOR RETIRED DUE TO INJURY

Invasor, the 2006 Horse of the Year, was retired today due to a cracked sesamoid bone in his right hind leg. The injury was detected following a workout at Belmont Park this morning in which Invasor worked five furlongs in :59 2/5. The injury is not life threatening, and Invasor will retire to stud at Shadwell Farm in Lexington, Ky.

"I feel honored and privileged to have trained Invasor for Sheikh Hamdan," said Kiaran McLaughlin, trainer of Invasor. "He feels so bad for all of us connected with the horse. He's a great owner and a great sportsman. It's a very sad day for all of us. Invasor was a superb horse and a pleasure to be around. Everyone on my team did a great job with him, as did jockey Fernando Jara. It's a shame the way it ended, but at least he will be able to go to stud."

"He came back fine from the workout," McLaughlin continued. "But when we went to wash his feet, he took a couple of funny steps and we noticed some swelling in his right hind leg. We had him x-rayed shortly thereafter, and that is when the fracture was detected."

Invasor captured the Breeders' Cup Classic - Powered by Dodge last year at Churchill Downs en route to 2006 Horse of the Year honors. He won two races from as many starts in 2007, taking the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park in February and the Dubai World Cup at Nad al Sheba in March. He had been scheduled to compete in the June 30 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park.


Blogger's Note: The trainer did not specify which sesamoid bones were cracked but he surely was referred to the proximal (think: proximity, or closeness) sesamoid bones, which are like two walnuts located at the back of the fetlock, between the long pastern bone (P1) and the cannon bone, which is the straight up-and-down bone leading to the hock, in the hind leg. The fetlock area is more or less like the horse's ankle (human and equine anatomy doesn't exactly match up). The sesamoids act to regulate the tension of the tendon running down the back of the leg, as it changes direction.

The proper name for the navicular bone, inside the foot, is the distal (think: "distant") sesamoid; it helps the deep digital flexor tendon to change direction and make a smooth pull to flex the foot. The words proximal and distal differentiate the sesamoids from each other and refer to the relative distance from the horse's head.

Sesamoid bones are nature's block-and-tackle engineering in the structure of a horse's leg. But you knew that!

Invasor was lucky to have such a mild fracture. You may remember that two weeks ago I was blogging about the death of race filly Ruffian, who smashed the sesamoids of her front foot in a match race in 1975. She didn't survive the surgery that attempted to save her life.

Invasor made racing very exciting in the United States for the past year or so. He leaves some very big raceplates to fill.

Photo of Invasor links to Dubai World Cup web site.

Topic Review: Toe Grab and Farrier Recommendations from The Jockey Club's Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Welfare and Safety Summit Committee Supports Enforcement of California Rule on Toe Grabs

A special committee on shoeing and hoof care that was formed coming out of the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit is calling for a ban of toe grabs with a height greater than 4 millimeters on the front horseshoes of Thoroughbred racehorses.

The committee is chaired by Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association President Bill Casner. Members of the committee include trainers Richard Mandella and Todd Pletcher; farriers Steve Norman and Mitch Taylor; veterinarians Sue Stover, Rob Gillette and Bob Hunt; mechanical engineer and track surface researcher Dr. Mick Peterson; California racing commissioner John Harris; and Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron.

The committee began meeting in January to follow through on the Welfare and Safety
Summit recommendation to ban certain horseshoes that research has shown to be
detrimental to the soundness and safety of racehorses. In recommending a ban of toe grabs greater than 4 millimeters, the committee is focused on the use of “regular” and “high” (or Quarter Horse) toe grabs, which have a 6.4- and 9.5-millimeter toe grab,respectively.

Research by Dr. Sue Stover of the University of California at Davis has demonstrated that high toe grabs on front shoes make a Thoroughbred 16 times more likely to suffer a catastrophic injury while racing.

The California Horse Racing Board passed Rule 1690.1 “Toe Grabs Prohibited” in February 2006 and will discuss enforcement at its meeting tomorrow. John Harris, vice chair of the California Horse Racing Board, commented, “We have solid research on this issue and now it’s time to do something about it. I think that will happen this week at our February 22 CHRB meeting. That should pay some good dividends for horse welfare. I urge the rest of the country to follow our lead.”

The California rule will be proposed for adoption nationwide at the Association of Racing Commissioners International Model Rules Committee meeting in April. The rule states, “Toe grabs with a height greater than 4 millimeters worn on the front shoes of Thoroughbred horses while racing are prohibited.”

The committee on shoeing and hoof care is also calling for tracks to ban the use of all toe grabs on front horseshoes on synthetic track surfaces such as Polytrack, Cushion Track and Tapeta.

The use of toe grabs, turndowns, caulks and toe grabs on hind horseshoes is also under consideration by the committee pending the review of existing research. A request for proposals for further research may be forthcoming.

Committee members are also working on educational materials on shoeing and hoof care,
including the use of high-speed cameras and track surface measuring devices developed by Dr. Peterson. Graphic displays of the effects of toe grabs on the front legs of racehorses are also in development. The committee’s future agenda includes the potential to develop and offer a model rule requiring certification for farriers licensed to shoe racehorses and extending the toe grab restrictions to American Quarter Horse racing.

The Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit was coordinated and underwritten by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and The Jockey Club, and was hosted by the Keeneland Association on October 16-17, 2006. The work of the special committee on shoeing and hoof care is being assisted by Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation
President Ed Bowen, The Jockey Club Executive Director and Executive Vice President Dan Fick and University of Kentucky Equine Studies doctoral candidate Kimberly Brown.

Standredbred Loses a Shoe, Stays in Gait, and Sets a New Track Record

Standardbred trotting colt Mythical Lindy, unbeaten in three starts this season, set the track record for 3-year-old trotters with his 1:57.3 triumph from post seven on the half-mile oval at New York's Monticello Park in today’s eliminations for the June 25th Nevele Pride stakes event.

What’s interesting about this colt and his record-breaking time is that he did it after losing his right front shoe at the quarter pole. Not only did he not break gait, which is what usually happens when a horse loses a shoe, but he went on to win the race and break the record.

“He was pretty comfortable the whole way,” driver David Miller said about Mythical Lindy. “He threw a shoe after the first quarter [mile] and I was little worried when it first came off. That was pretty amazing he kept trotting; he didn’t change his gait at all. That really surprised me.”

After next week’s race, Mythical Lindy will continue his march toward August’s $1.5 million Hambletonian, the world’s richest harness race, at The Meadowlands in New Jersey.

Thanks to our friend Anna Svensson of the US Trotting Association for sharing this story. Anna’s husband is Swedish Standardbred specialist farrier Conny Svensson. They live in New Jersey. No, I don’t know if Conny shod Mythical Lindy! Conny is famous for taking shoes off before a horse goes out on the track. He once pulled all four shoes off the famous trotting mare Moni Maker just before a race in France and she set a record of 1:53:2, the fastest mile ever trotted in Europe.

Virginia Horseshoers Association Honors Veteran Farrier Eddie Watson

Eddie Watson has recently been diagnosed with colon cancer and is undergoing treatment. The Virginia Horsehoers Association (VHA) will hold a unique "Appreciation Clinic" for him on September 22, 2007 at Hockaday Hill Farm in Spotsylvania, VA.

The VHA is honored to recognize Eddie for his unwavering dedication to the farrier industry and anticipates this clinic will allow many of his friends, family and peers to come out and spend the day with him. Shayne Carter, CJF, Roy Bloom, CJF, Dave Farley, CF and Dan Burke, CF ( Farrier Product Distribution, Inc.), will be the clinicians for this event with others possible.

Please contact Butch or Connie Hockaday at 540-582-5486 or email bulldogtools@wildblue.net if you plan to attend.

A formal event flyer/announcement is being prepared.