Friends (Very Hard) at Work: Dr. Judith Mulholland Is Still Fighting Australia's Fires

by Fran Jurga | 2 April 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

Time flies. One minute we're worried about koalas in Australia, then the world's worries shift to Red River floods in North Dakota and all the animals at risk there. Just tonight, I heard about tornado warnings for the Louisville, Kentucky area. Will we ever reach a point of disaster fatigue? Do we switch disasters the same way we switch channels on television?

What many people seem to forget is that when the fire is out, or the flood recedes, or the earth stops trembling is when the next round of real work begins. Roads have to be cleared before rescue workers and veterinarians can even get to the animals. They have to not only treat the animals where they are but then figure out how to transport them to a save fenced in area, and to make sure they are fed.

So it was for our friend Dr. Judith L Mulholland BSc BVMS in the firetorn remains of the Australian communities in Victoria that experienced "Black Saturday" less than 60 days ago. Normally a podiatry-specialist vet, Dr. Jude took up the call to help however she could and has been pitching in. Among her ways of helping was to prepare a videotape of the animals she met on just one of her days of rescue work.

Along with this short video focusing on horses' fate in the fires (brought to you from Australia by the miracle of youtube.com), Dr. Mulholland said that she is working on an hour-long documentary about the devastation to livestock and pets.

I highly recommend a visit to Dr. Jude's excellent web site, www.farriervet.com. Many Hoof Blog readers will see an old friend on her opening page.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask.

Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page).

To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found.

Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

April 1 Update: Breeders Cup Scandal Exposed Yet Cigar Still Refuses Comment

by Fran Jurga | 1 April 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog


And we thought drugs were a problem...

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

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

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

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

Secretariat was the real thing. Big, but balanced.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask.

Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page).

To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found.

Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

Thoroughbred Conformation Can Be Subjective: Would You Buy This Weanling?

by Fran Jurga | 30 March 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

Saturday was Man o' War's birthday; scroll down to Saturday's blog post to read the story about finding his farrier after all these years or click here to open that page.

But today is this colt's birthday and I wondered what you all thought of this one. I wish I had a good photo of Man o' War as a foal for comparison.

Click on the comments link below (it's ok to be "anonymous" if you wish) to share your opinion or send an email from fran@hoofcare.com and I will post it for you.

I'll publish the rest of the story that goes with this photo on Tuesday night. Be sure to check back!

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask. Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

Lost Legend Found: Meet Man o' War's Horseshoer (Finally)

by Fran Jurga | 28 March 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

The statue of champion racehorse Man o" War is the centerpiece of the grounds of the Kentucky Horse Park outside Lexington, Kentucky. (Frank Parsons photo, used with permission)

Today is Man o' War's birthday. An announcement that 1987 Kentucky Derby winner Alysheba died last night made me think again about Man o' War and how little anyone seems to know about who shod him, or how he was shod.

Grass Laminitis: Something Else to Blame on Global Warming?

by Fran Jurga | 26 March 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

This pony is demonstrating the typical stance of a horse that is in pain from laminitis. It is stretching its legs out in front to get weight off painful hoof tissue in the toe area. (Photo courtesy of World Horse Welfare)

Spillers, the British feed manufacturer, thinks the answer to that question in the title might be “yes!”

I checked today, and the store on the corner still has rock salt, windshield fluid and ice scrapers on display when you walk in the door. But I'm sure it is getting to be spring somewhere. And I'm anticipating that the flower seeds, suntan lotion and seasickness remedies will be on the shelves here any day now--evidence that winter has finally passed. The only more sure sign of spring will be the first case of laminitis. But I can wait on that one.

In an interesting press release, Spillers warned British horse and pony owners of the impact that climate change could have on horses and ponies prone to laminitis, and their theory is as valid on this side of the still-icy Atlantic as it is in Britain.

"Winter" grass laminitis is a new way of looking at things, but it does make some sense...except around here, of course, the grass was very safely buried under many feet of snow most of the last four months!

Here’s the idea, as put forth by Spillers:

As if it's not bad enough already, in the coming years, laminitis really could be the single biggest risk to a horse’s health. The climate is changing and the seasons are beginning to merge into each other. Milder, wetter winters are countered by unpredictable summers that bring about flooding or droughts--and all this can have a severely detrimental effect on the way that grass grows and the "sugar" it contains.

Horses and ponies are designed to eat a variety of grasses, plants and shrubs that are typically of low nutrient value and in particular are lower in soluble carbohydrate ("sugar"). But the pasture that we keep horses on today tends to be much richer. With our milder winters too, grass may be growing all year round now. Recent research worryingly suggests that the nutrient value of winter grass in Britain is now very similar to spring/summer grass in years past.

Laminitis is now a real risk throughout the whole year.

Clare Lockyer, nutritionist and research and development manager at Spillers says: “Don’t ignore the predisposing signs in your horse or pony, such as a cresty neck, sore feet or a change in hoof shape, as these are all warning signs. It is at this time that you have the chance to take preventative action because waiting until it happens could prove disastrous for your horse.”

If you think a horse or pony could be prone to laminitis, it is sensible to provide or recommend a high-fiber, low-starch, low-sugar, low-calorie diet...and more exercise.

Thanks to Spillers for sharing that cheerful news.

Want to know (a lot) more about laminitis? Click here for a free download of the Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit and Dr. Chris Pollitt's 34-page discourse What Causes Equine Laminitis? The role of impaired glucose uptake as provided by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation of the Australia government.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask. Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.