Anatomy Class in Vermont Today

The snow is falling and the roads don't look too inviting, so I won't be attending the Vermont Farriers Association's clinic today. Allie Hayes of Horsescience is giving one of her stellar anatomy classes, and I was hoping I could get there.

If you're already in Vermont, here are the coordinates: Howden Hall, 19 West Street, Bristol, Vermont (about 30 miles south of Burlington); time: 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM. Diane Saunders is the organizer: 802-453-3750.

The Vermont Farriers Association is a terrific organization that welcomes both mainstream farriers and newstream hoof trimmers, and they all seem to get along. Vermont's that kind of place. If you ever have a chance to attend a VFA event, go.

Click or double-click on the image at left to see an enlarged example of one of Allie's leg models. One of the "ah-ha!" moments at her clinics is seeing legs of horses at different stages of growth and development, side by side. Or, seeing a normal foal leg like this one compared to that of a foal with a limb deviation. What looks like minor "toe in" or "toe out" from the outside is interesting to study within the limb when you have an aid like this.

A "growth plate" is the softer cartilage portion of the foal's bones, where growth takes place. The plates gradually ossify (turn to bone) or "close", but at different stages of development, so that corrective trimming of the hoof may be helpful for certain deviations, but only until a certain age. You may have heard it asked of a Thoroughbred colt, "Have his knees closed yet?"

It makes a big difference where a conformational/skeletal deviation is, what type of deviations it is, and how old the foal is when treatment begins. Some deviations require surgical intervention, while some respond to splints, extension shoes, frequent hoof trimming and increase or decrease in exercise and nutritional values.

The leg you are seeing has been surgically prepared and then freeze-dried by Horsescience for use as a permanent study or teaching aid by equine professionals. Order yours at horsescience.com.

Vet school anatomy class image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Big Day for Horse Racing Dawns...on the Internet

It's a great day for horse racing. Some of the world's best horses, representing 16 different countries, have been keeping cool in air-conditioned quarantine stables at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in Dubai, capital city of the United Arab Emirates. They will be on the track today for the world's richest day of racing: more than $20 million in prize money is at stake in the Dubai World Cup.

You might think that I'll be down at the pub with the big-screen high-definition television monitors to watch the races...but you're wrong. The Dubai World Cup will not be televised, except on the subscription-only racing networks for handicap aficionados with dish services.

So instead of explaining horse racing to the folks down at the pub, I'll be huddled over a computer monitor, since ESPN just announced that they will "broadcast" the races live on their espn360.com web site.

Make no mistake: the world's best horses, including the world's #1 racehorse (2007 Horse of the Year Curlin), will be running for more than $21 million, but there is not enough of an audience for television coverage by a network.

There is enough of an audience (ESPN believes) for a live broadcast of the Florida Derby from Gulfstream at 5 p.m., presumably because it is one of the final prep races for the Kentucky Derby.

People will watch poker, though. I'd rather watch Curlin.


Top American racehorse Curlin is the overwhelming favorite to win today's Dubai World Cup. If your internet service provider has an agreement with ESPN, you can watch the races live today on espn360.com. The Hoofcare office has Verizon dsl, which is an ESPN internet partner, so I can watch. The races start at 9:30 EST, with the Big Race going off around 1:30 p.m. EST. I think there is a nine-hour time difference, so do the math: these races will be under lights. Let's hope Curlin's a night owl. Two interesting factoids about this day of racing: admission to the racecourse is free to the public. And there's no betting.

Photo of Curlin by Dave Harmon, courtesy of Dubai World Cup Media Centre. Thanks!

Friends at Work: Michael Bell Helps Hooves in Need

Farrier Michael Bell spends some time each week with the least glamourous horses in the equestrian world. He's the farrier at Horse World, the Friends of Bristol Horses rehabilitation farm in Bristol, England.

You'll find him rubbing up against the horses with sweet itch, mange and he probably sometimes feel a bony hip poking him...a bony hip that should be padded with flesh.

Take a moment to read the shelter's nice article about how much they appreciate Michael, and consider the neglected hooves of the rescue foundered pony, below. The owner received a two-year ban from owning horses and was forced to pay over $3000 in fines and court costs.

Note: “Friends At Work” is a regular feature of Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog. When newspapers and web sites alert us to features on our hard-working readers and friends, I sometimes can figure out how to link to the story and share the photo with blog readers. Preference is given to people who aren’t normally in the news…and the more exotic the locale, the better! Scroll down the blog to read more "Friends at Work" posts from all over the world, or use the "search" box at the upper left of this page to find more "friends". You could be next!

What Might Be the Next Big Hope for Laminitis Therapy?

Disclaimer: This post is published as "food for thought" only. Please contact your veterinarian about the possible benefits for individual cases of laminitis and remember that this article is based on a veterinarian's anecdotal experience with its use in a combined medication/therapy program and that this medication's use is countered by other laminitis experts quoted at the end of the article.

The medication's primary use was discovered by accident, during clinical trials. The drug’s active ingredient is a cardiovascular drug that was being tested for its ability to lower blood pressure. Test subjects started asking for more.

Since then, the medication has helped rare Panda bears regain interest in breeding at zoos. The newest hope is that it may be a potent treatment for jet lag. Hamsters recovered from jet lag 50 percent faster than those without it.

Studies at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and published by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) found the drug  helpful for dogs with pulmonary hypertension. Veterinary researchers in Turkey found it helpful in canine wound healing.

A quick search of the web suggests that the drug is being tested for EIPH (“bleeder syndrome”) in racehorses and for breeding problems in some stallions in Europe. Horse and Hound reported that a German judge ordered it for a stallion during a post-sale dispute, and in Italy, racehorses have tested positive for the drug.

But what about laminitis?

California's James Giacopuzzi DVM, who started his career as a farrier and now calls himself “a shoeing vet”, strongly recommends it for laminitis therapy.

His treatment regimen for laminitis includes most traditional medications used by other equine-specialist veterinarians, plus the Platinum Performance supplement Hemoflow, in hopes of nitric oxide enhancement.

His therapy is roughly ten days on followed by ten days off, so he can monitor the pulse in the foot. “If the pulse comes back, I put them back on it,” he said.

In a telephone interview with Hoofcare and Lameness Journal, Dr. Giccopuzzi said that he thought about laminitis as a potential application as soon as he read about the drug’s chemical composition. “I started using it on the next founder case,” he said. “And I’ve been using it ever since.” He noted how difficult it was to stimulate blood flow to the damaged capillary beds in the horse’s foot.

I’d rather see people spend money on it for their foundered horses than (to spend it) on Bute,” he said.

He also recommends it for specific cases of sore heels, along with corrective shoeing, when indicated by scintigraphy. “I can see the change in the nuclear scan after 30 days,” he said.

Not everyone agrees it’s worth a try. In May 2007, the Blood-Horse.com conducted an interactive web interview with Dr. Dean Richardson, head of surgery at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center.

During that interview, an anonymous Texas veterinarian queried the famous surgeon about the viability of the medication in laminitis therapy, saying that he was having excellent results combining mechanical de-rotation (of the foot) with it (as medical therapy).

Richardson responded: “(It) regulates blood flow in a very specific manner. The problem with (this group of drugs) is that they are highly variable in terms of which tissues they affect and there is also considerable variation among species.

“I don't believe that there is yet any good evidence about efficacy or safety of it or any other commercially available related drug in horses.”

When asked about the potential use for laminitis, researcher David Hood DVM PhD of the Hoof Project in Bryan, Texas was quiet for a minute, then responded, “Well, yes, but we don’t really know. It has never been studied. There are no tests.

“Another drug to consider along those lines,” he continued, “is Minoxidil (Rogaine), the hair-growth treatment. You could make a similar argument for it.”

Thanks to Dr. Giacopuzzi for sharing his success stories and enthusiasm and imagination.

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

Molly the Pony, Equine Amputee and Katrina Survivor, Romps to a New Role in Life…on Three Legs

 Hurricane and amputation survivor, Molly the Pony, photo © Pam Kaster

MOLLY THE PONY BOOK UPDATE: Ten years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Molly continues to be in great health.

Meet Molly. She’s a gray-speckled pony who was left behind by her owners when Katrina hit southern Louisiana. She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were being cared for. While there, she was attacked by a rescued pit bull terrier, and almost died. Molly's gnawed right front leg became badly infected and her vet went to the equine hospital at Louisiana State University (LSU) for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was an equine refugee. No American Express card dangled from her frayed halter. If you've ever had an animal in need of major surgery, you know what the criteria is.

But after the local veterinarian persisted, LSU surgeon Rustin Moore agreed to meet Molly face to face, and that meeting changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her raw, infected limb. When she stood up, she protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight, and didn’t overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.

Dr. Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee in a very special surgical procedure and a temporary artificial limb was built. The Humane Society of the United States and Lifesavers Inc. (an animal-angel arm of Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue in California) provided the funds for the operation. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there.

Here's Molly having a clean sock put over the stump of her leg before the leather sleeve of her prosthesis is strapped on. 

“This was the right horse and the right owner," Moore insists. “Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She’s tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood (that) she was in trouble.”

The other important factor, according to Moore, is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse. For the rest of her life, Molly will be at risk for the terrible disease called laminitis, which often affects horses who bear unequal weight on their legs and makes amputation a controversial option for many horses. But expert care has kept Molly free of laminitis.

Molly’s story has turned into a parable for life in post-Katrina Louisiana. The little pony gained weight, her mane felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer built her a leg.

“The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life,” Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports. “And she asks for it! She will put her little limb out, and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too." And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca. “It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a three-legged horse,” she laughs.

This is Molly's most recent prosthesis. The bottom photo shows the ground surface that she stands on, which has a smiley face embossed in it. Wherever Molly goes, she leaves a smiley hoof print behind! (Photos © Kaye Harris)

Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kaye, the shelter farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers--anywhere she thought that people needed hope after losing so much in the storm. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her pluck. She inspired people. And she had a good time doing it.

“It’s obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in life,” Moore said, “She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others.”

“She's not back to normal,” Barca concluded. “She's going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans itself.”

This month, Molly the Pony, a children’s book about the pony who has already inspired thousands of people around New Orleans, has been published.

It’s not a book about amputation or prosthetics, it’s a book about people and a pony. But the photos you see here are a few of the great ones from the book.

Maybe Molly won’t make the vet textbooks, but she might reach more people from the pages of this book for children. If you know a child, a library, a hospital, or maybe a therapeutic riding program that can use a lift, here’s a book that can do that. And a lot more.

The book Molly the Pony has been awarded the 2008 Henry Bergh Award from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for children's books about animals.

Molly the Pony is no longer available from Hoofcare Publishing. We prefer that you order it directly from www.mollythepony.com so that the proceeds can go to help pay her vet bills.

You will LOVE this book--and Molly!

PS Many, many thanks to all the people who are forwarding the link to this story around the web--and around the world. This has been the most popular story ever posted on this blog, and deservedly so.

Interesting to note: almost everyone who has called was ordering as a gift for a child with some sort of a hurdle to overcome. It is the perfect gift for that...and I am so moved by the stories that callers have told me. Thank you, everyone. This is truly a "grassroots" effort since neither the university nor I has the funds to properly promote Molly and her story. She's an underground classic!

To forward this blog article, just click on the little envelope icon at the end of this story, if there is one, or copy and paste the address from the browser window.


Here's Molly at her new job! In the book you will see her with children in wheelchairs. She's just the right height to look them in the eye! As a matter of fact, Molly looks everyone in the eye, no matter how tall they are! (Photo © Pam Kaster)


All HoofBlog text and images © Hoofcare Publishing 2008 unless otherwise noted. Molly's photos from the book MOLLY THE PONY by Pam Kaster. Most photos of Molly are © Pam Kaster.

Contact Hoofcare Publishing anytime: tel 978 281 3222 email books@hoofcare.com

Dutch Team Farrier and Vet Check Olympic Prospects

Legendary Dutch trainer Tineke Bartels (also mother of team rider Imke Schellekens-Bartels), team farrier Rob Renirie and Dutch Olympic sports coordinator Ad Wagemakers.

The World Cup Dressage Finals may be only a few days away, but the Dutch dressage team has set its eyes on Hong Kong.

Last week, the short-listed horses and riders who will likely represent the Netherlands at the 2008 Olympics were inspected by a trio who have their best interests at heart: team veterinarian Jan Greve, team farrier Rob Renirie, and Dutch Olympic team sports coordinator Ad Wagemakers.

Sjef Janssen is once again trainer for the dressage team; he organized a group session at his headquarters in Erp.

The Dutch will have home court advantage at the World Cup this weekend; it will be held at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.

Learn more on the website of Dutch rider Anky Van Grunsven.

Team vet Jan Greve listens to the heart of Dutch team prospect Hunter Douglas Sunrise, as rider Imke Schellekens-Bartels holds him.

Note: all photos used in this post reside at anky.nl. Thanks, Anky!